Ruben Garcia Jr. gets first K&N Pro Series East win at Memphis

Ruben Garcia Jr., a member of the Drive for Diversity Class of 2018 and a NASCAR Next alum, earned his first career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win Saturday night in the Memphis 150. The 2015 NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series champion drove the No. 6 Rev Racing Toyota to Victory Lane at Memphis International Raceway. Garcia became the seventh different driver from the NASCAR Drive For Diversity Driver Development Program to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race and gave Rev Racing, which has fielded the competition team for the program since 2010, its 18th win. Garcia is in his third full season in the K&N Pro Series. After finishing 10th in points as a rookie 2016, the NASCAR Next alum improved to fifth last year. He finished second at Bristol Motor Speedway and led a race-high 79 laps in the finale at Dover International Speedway in 2017, but was still in search of that elusive breakthrough win. He is the fourth Mexican-born driver to win in the series, following Ruben Pardo (2006), Rogelio Lopez (2007) and three-time series race winner Daniel Suarez (most recently 2014). Garcia also led a Rev Racing contingent that also finished fourth (Chase Cabre) and seventh (Ryan Vargas). Ronnie Bassett Jr. finished fifth, followed by his brother Dillon. After Vargas, Colin Garrett, Anthony Alfredo and Marcos Gomes rounded out the top 10.