NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program has a lot to celebrate recently with its former members blazing the tracks in all three NASCAR national series, and also with its current members showing early promise.
D4D is a development program that is in its 12th year and is aimed toward finding primarily young, diverse and female drivers and pit crew members. Through Rev Racing, which like NASCAR is also sponsored by Goodyear and Sunoco, those involved receive one-on-one training and year-round competition experience.
The race weekend at Dover International Speedway displayed the depth -- and star power -- of former drivers who went through the Drive for Diversity initiative. Three of Drive for Diversity's former members earned the runner-up spot in the Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series races at the 1-mile oval -- Kyle Larson, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suarez, respectively.
The six members of the 2016 class hope to have a similar experience someday. Learn more about 2016's six members and the upcoming Drive for Diversity pit crew combine below.
Collin Cabre
Birthdate: Oct. 8, 1993
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
After starting his motocross racing career at age 4, Cabre spent six years on the national circuit followed by go-kart racing by the time he was 10.
In 2008 he earned Rookie of the Year in the Open Whelen Series. The Tampa native moved onto sprint cars at age 16. He is also a member of this year's NASCAR Next class.
Jairo (JR) Avila
Birthdate: May 11, 1995
Hometown: Alhambra, California
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
The 20-year-old made his K&N Pro Series West debut in 2014 and earned four top-10 finishes in just five starts. Avila also has two ARCA Racing Series starts with a career-best 10th at Kansas Speedway in 2015.
Junior, who speaks fluent Spanish, finished 16th at Pocono Raceway, as well.
Ruben Garcia Jr.
Birthdate: Nov. 21, 1995
Hometown: Mexico City
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
The Mexico City native won four races in the NASCAR Mexico Series en route to his first NASCAR championship, making him the youngest NMS driver to win the series.
Garcia was also a member of 2015's and 2016's NASCAR Next classes.
Ali Kern
Birthdate: May 11, 1993
Hometown: Fremont, Ohio
Series: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Beginning her racing career in Karts and Quads, the 22-year-old earned a total of 350 wins between the two series. She then progressed into Modified racing before moving to ARCA.
At 17, Kern became the youngest female to run a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at LEE USA Speedway.
Enrique Baca
Birthdate: Aug. 13, 1991
Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
Series: NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
The Mexico native began his karting career in 1997 and, thanks to several championships, he became the youngest champion in the Shifter 125cc Nationals.
Baca also has several wins, poles and championships in the Formula series on top of an eighth-place finish in the NASCAR Mexico Series.
Madeline Crane
Birthdate: Oct. 30, 1997
Hometown: Meansville, Georgia
Series: NASCAR Whelen All-American
Crane started racing Bandoleros in the Thursday Night Thunder Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway at age 10. In her first season she earned back-to-back wins.
Quickly moving into Legend Cars, Crane earned 59 top fives in just 82 starts.
Her success in the Legend Cars allowed her to move up, yet again, to race Crate Late Models at Dixie Speedway. In her first season in this series, she finished second in the standings.
Drive for Diversity Pit Crew National Combine
The upcoming pit crew combine (May 27-28) will see 17 participants -- both men and women -- try out for one of 10 spots in the pit crew development program. The event will be hosted by the Rev Racing team. It's the first-ever national combine for the program, which already has more than 30 graduates working in a NASCAR national series.
The crew member platform seeks multicultural and female athletes from all sports to train for NASCAR's pit crew teams.
One combine hopeful, Joshua Tate, who was trying to make the NFL, spoke on Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway about his experience thus far.
"I just saw this opportunity and said 'Hey, I might as well come down here and … try to make a name in another spot.'
"Before this experience, I only knew of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. I didn't know that much about the pit crew," he admitted. "Coming here and actually performing and learning the steps and fundamentals and working as a team (was quite) an experience."
Another candidate, Brehanna Daniels spoke of her time training.
"Everything you do on a pit stop is crucial. Timing is everything," she said. "You really have to focus. It's no joke. Everything goes so fast."