Each year the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program along with its competition arm, Rev Racing, seeks to obtain the highest quality of applicants representing diverse backgrounds and develop them into successful NASCAR drivers. This selection process begins with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Combine. Drivers will have the opportunity to submit a digital application on RevRacing.net, highlighting racing experience, references and historical success. Ethnically diverse and female drivers have until September 7, 2018 to be considered for the 2019 NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. Youth program participants, ages 12-17, are required to apply by October 30, 2018.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be a female or member of one or more of the following ethnic minority classifications: American Indian, Alaskan Native or of native/indigenous descent; Asian or Pacific Islander; Black or African-American; Latino or Hispanic
• Be at least 15 years of age but no older than 26 years of age as of October 15th of the present year
• Be legally eligible to work in the United States. Drivers from foreign countries are welcome to apply, however, if the applicant is not already a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident alien, the applicant must be legally capable of traveling to the designated location in the United States to participate in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Combine. Applicants must also be able to obtain necessary authorization to accept employment in the United States if selected to participate in the Drive for Diversity Program.

NASCAR Drive for Diversity aligns its drivers with a team of executives, athletic trainers, crew chiefs and mentors helping them achieve professional success, and thus improving their likelihood of reaching one of the three NASCAR national series. Selected drivers will compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series or Bojangles’ Summer Shootout Series.

Rev Racing has continued to find success with its current drivers and alumni. In 2018, the Drive for Diversity Program made a major impact, seeing three of its graduates (Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace) compete at the sport’s highest level in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Since the Drive for Diversity Program’s inception, Rev Racing has earned 17 wins, 85 top 5s, and 168 top 10 finishes in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, with drivers finishing in the top 10 in points every season. Current NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver Ruben Garcia Jr. made his first trip to victory lane at Memphis International Raceway in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in June.

To find more information about the 2018 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine or submit an application, please visit https://revracing.net/combine-application/. For additional information please email [email protected].

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

About REV RACING

Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities and female drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit http://revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

When the NASCAR K&N Pro Series takes on a road course there is sure to be a few road racing experts in the field. Some may have a racing background filled with left and right turns, some may simply have a knack for it, and others might have accomplishments and experience that set them apart from the rest.

Enter four time Trans Am champion, Ernie Francis Jr.

Francis started his racing career in go-karts when he was just four years old. Since then, he has quickly jumped through the ranks, winning in everything he steps foot in. Like many racers today, Francis was inspired by his father, Ernie Francis Sr., who showed him the way.

“It was all family driven when I started racing” said Francis. “My Dad was club racing dating back to the 80s doing a lot of formula racing so he was the one that got me into it. I grew up going to the track and watching him race and he is still close to my career now with my road course stuff.”

Francis Jr. still drives for his family owned race team on the road course side, with his father over seeing the entire operation.

“It’s great to have him at the track, it’s good and bad at the same time because you know when you mess up that you’re going to deal with your team owner and your Dad at the same time” he said. “I really enjoy having him there and wouldn’t want to have it any other way.”

Francis has certainly made his mark on the road racing scene, becoming the youngest Trans Am series champion at the age of 16 and in 2017 he became the winningest driver in series history. Francis, now 20, has his sights set on the top ranks of NASCAR, with his current stop being with the K&N Pro Series.

The transition from Trans Am racing to NASCAR is one that Francis sees as a challenge, something that he needs to check off the list in order for him to be satisfied with what he has been able to accomplish behind the wheel. Within his road racing background, Francis has driven front-wheel, rear-wheel and all-wheel drive cars, but strapping into a stock car had still yet to be done.

“It was me wanting to try something different, being able to drive anything that you want to put me in” he continued. “NASCAR racing was something that I’ve never really done and the opportunity came up with the Drive for Diversity program with Rev Racing and I thought it would something cool to put on my resume and say that not only can I road course race but I can also do some oval racing.”

For Francis, stepping into Rev Racing was the first real time that he has worked with a new team around him. The past success with drivers like Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez and Darrell Wallace Jr. shows that the tools to succeed are in place for their drivers, and a win earlier this year with Ruben Garcia Jr. proves that the team has what it takes to win.

“It has been a really fun year” he said. “I think Rev Racing does a great job of making the drivers feel at home, we hang out off the track and race each other hard and clean on the track.”

Francis made his K&N Pro Series debut at New Jersey Motorsports Park, a track that he has ample experience on with his Trans Am cars. To say it was an impressive debut would be an understatement as he qualified on the pole and went on to finish second to a fellow road course ace, Will Rodgers. Francis soaked it all in, learned everything he could, and is ready to carry that into his next stop, the big stage at Watkins Glen International.

RELATED: K&N Pro East On The Road Again

“We didn’t know how it was going to end up going into New Jersey being it was my first race with the team and the car” Francis said. “Putting the car on pole really opened everyone’s eyes so I think we have the same kind of goals for Watkins Glen and if we can advance the finishing position by one I think we’ll be pretty good.”

Watkins Glen may just be another rung on the ladder as Francis chases his goals, but a win in front of the NASCAR industry could pay dividends for his career.

“If I can make it to the top ranks that’s something that I would really like to do. Now that I’m in it I think I’m really starting to enjoy NASCAR a lot more than I thought I would when I got into it.”

Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100 Notes

• Will Rodgers will be looking to win his fifth straight K&N Pro Series road course event. He won this race a season ago.
• K&N Pro East points leader, Tyler Ankrum will join elite company if he is to win his fourth straight race this weekend. Only Ben Rhodes and Ricky Craven have conquered that feat.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After an extended off-season, Julia Landauer announced that she will compete in three races in the 2018 NASCAR Pinty’s Series championship, Canada’s national stock car championship series. She will compete for CBRT, led by Joey McColm.

“I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel! I am so grateful to Joey McColm and CBRT for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” Landauer said. “It means a lot to have a team show this kind of investment in me and I am thrilled I get the chance to get back on track, learn a new car, and try to win some races.”

Landauer is confirmed to race at Riverside International Speedway in Nova Scotia on August 18, at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park outside of Toronto on August 26, and at Quebec’s Autodrome St. Eustache on September 8.

“I met Julia a year ago and knew that we had to figure out a way to have her drive one of our CBRT cars. She’s a proven winner on the track, she’s very competitive, and has a great work ethic. Add in her marketability and there’s a clear and natural fit with our race organization and partners,” said Joey McColm.

Landauer won the 2015 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Limited Late Model Championship at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia, then advanced to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2016, where she finished fourth in the championship, the highest finish for a female in the series’ 64-year history. She competed in the K&N Pro Series West again in 2017.

“We have been working really hard since the 2017 season to line up partners so I could go racing in 2018,” Landauer said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to before the start of the 2018 season, so it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster figuring out when I’d get back on track. I couldn’t be happier to see our perseverance start to pay off!”

Landauer will be driving the No. 1 Dodge Challenger. Joey McColm will serve as crew chief for at least two of the races. Eric Holmes, three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion and Landauer’s spotter in 2016, will return as spotter.

ABOUT JULIA LANDAUER

Julia Landauer is a NASCAR driver and 2-time champion from New York City. Since making history as the first and youngest female champion in the Skip Barber Racing Series at age 14, Julia has amassed dozens of wins in many different racing series, including a NASCAR Track Championship in 2015. Julia was the only female member of the highly selective NASCAR Next class of 2016-2017.

Julia graduated from Stanford University in 2014, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Science, Technology, and Society. Julia has since purposefully built her brand where technology, community and racing intersect and fuse. During college Julia was a contestant on season 26 of CBS’ reality TV show SURVIVOR. It was also in college that Julia started her motivational speaking career with a TEDx talk and she is now a sought-after speaker for corporations, universities, and conferences, including Fortune’s Most Powerful Women. In January of 2017, Julia was selected as an honoree for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the sports category. Julia also serves as an external advisor to Hyundai Motor Corporation’s Center for Robotic-Augmented Design in Living Experience.

As she climbs the NASCAR ladder Julia uses her racing platform to continue advocating for STEM education and women’s empowerment.

ABOUT CBRT

Canada’s Best Racing Team (CBRT) is a Canadian company established in 2013 that currently fields teams in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series and Trans Am Series. CBRT is a highly competitive team of professionals who are invested in the cars and drivers they put on the track. Committed to environmental responsibility, CBRT is a pioneer of sustainability in auto racing, while simultaneously promoting excellence, integrity, and loyalty to their fans. As a leader in marketing solutions, CBRT focuses on strategic partnership, activation planning and execution using social engagement strategies and relationship enhancing experiences to strengthen the connection between brands and their customers.

NASCAR has again partnered with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to award students with the 2018 NASCAR Wendell Scott Sr. Scholarship.

The three merit-based scholarships — one $10,000 award and two $3,800 awards — are named in honor of Scott, who became the first African-American to win a NASCAR premier series race in 1963 and was later inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. The deadline to apply is July 25.

Eligible candidates must be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or Master’s student at any accredited U.S. four-year college or university. Candidates also must have a major in a business-related discipline, communications, engineering, information technology or public relations with a minimum GPA of 3.0.

For full award consideration, students must complete an application and invite a reference to submit a recommendation online. The application includes an online application form, transcript, resume and required video. The 90-second video should describe activities or programs you believe would be effective in conveying career opportunities at NASCAR to students on your campus or effective aspects of promoting NASCAR to a diverse audience. 

Scholarships will be awarded to selected recipients for the 2018-19 school year. 

For more information and to apply for this scholarship, please visit UNCF.org.