Posted on by Staff Report

17-year-old wins where his champion father Bill Elliott claimed five Cup wins

For the third time in less than 18 hours, a driver in the newly selected NASCAR Next won a race when 17-year-old Chase Elliott crossed the finish line on Saturday at Pocono Raceway to become the youngest driver to win a superspeedway race in ARCA history.

Chase Elliott and his mother, Cindy, watch Bill Elliott claim his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Pocono Raceway on July 28, 2002

On Friday night, Michael Self won the Casey’s General Store 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway, beating fellow NASCAR Next members Dylan Kwasniewski and Brett Moffitt to the line. Like Elliott, another second-generation driver in NASCAR Next, Jeb Burton, claimed his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in the WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

It wasn’t Chase Elliott’s first visit to Pocono’s Victory Lane. He celebrated there 11 years ago when his father, Bill, earned his fifth win at the Tricky Triangle. The younger Elliott appreciated following in his father’s tire tracks at the fabled facility.

“It wasn’t a little over 10 years ago I was sitting in Victory Lane with dad, and I have some pictures and I think that’s really, really cool to go to Victory Lane,” Chase Elliott said. “It felt so weird coming up here on Tuesday.  I’m always used to coming and hanging out and watching dad race.  For me to have a opportunity to race here at Pocono means a lot much less go to Victory Lane.”

Earlier in the day, the 1985 NASCAR premier series champion was reminded by a fan of the scene of his then-record fifth Cup win at Pocono.

“I autographed a picture earlier today from the last time I was in Victory Lane here in ’02, and Chase was about this big,” Bill Elliott said. “Now, 10 years later, here he is in Victory Lane himself in an ARCA car. He did a great job. I sat up on top of the truck and watched the race unfold.”

The elder Elliott’s win record was eclipsed last August when Jeff Gordon earned a sixth win at that three-turn track.

Chase Elliott dueled another 17-year-old, Erik Jones, who finished second. Elliott and Jones made their NASCAR national series debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway in March. The two may tangle again in the future, and Elliott appreciated the opportunity to gain the experience of racing on a track at the next level.

“To be able to come here, anytime you can come to a Sprint Cup track or Nationwide track or track you race trucks on, anything you can do to get more laps around that speedway is going to do nothing but help you down the road if an opportunity does come your way,” Elliott said.

 

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Austin Dillon’s Coors Light Pole Award grants him first pit pick

The last shall be first in Coors Light Pole Qualifying as Austin Dillon was the last to roll off at Iowa Speedway, turning the fastest lap and earning the first pit pick.

Dillon and the No. 3 team have chosen the second pit stall, which is the first at pit out toward Turn 1.

His Richard Childress Racing teammate Brian Scott and the No. 2 team selected the ninth pit stall, rolling out at the second opening on pit road.

See where your favorite driver starts above, and watch the NASCAR Nationwide Series DuPont Pioneer 250 live from Iowa Speedway tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Listen live on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Staff Report

Pole win is his third in a row in Nationwide Series this season

Related: Results, Lineup

NEWTON, Iowa — Austin Dillon had just started his warmup lap during Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying when Brad Sweet spun out in Turn 4.
 
Dillon calmly steered his car back into pit road and waited for the all-clear to start over. Then the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet went out and won the Coors Light Pole Award for the third consecutive week.

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The Richard Childress Racing product posted a speed of 136.737 mph in advance of Saturday night’s DuPont Pioneer 250 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). He was the only driver to top the 136-mph mark on the .875-mile oval at Iowa Speedway.
 
Driving the No. 12 Penske Racing Ford, Sam Hornish Jr. qualified on the front row as well, logging a best lap speed of 135.834 mph. It’s the driver’s third time qualifying second in 12 races this season.
 
Hornish’s speed equated to a lap of 23.190 seconds, and that was barely faster than the lap logged by Brian Scott in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Scott will start third after posting a lap time of 23.194 seconds, missing out on besting Hornish Jr.’s time by five-thousandths of a second.
 
Brian Vickers (135.735 mph) and series points leader Regan Smith (135.595 mph) round out the top five on the grid.
 
Joey Logano (135.484 mph), who made both practice sessions Friday, was at the track after practicing earlier today with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Pocono Raceway and qualified sixth.
 
Rounding out the top 10 was Elliott Sadler (135.420 mph), Travis Pastrana (135.408), Drew Herring (135.274) and Kyle Larson (135.205).
 
Due to spinning out on his second lap, Sweet had to use his first lap speed of 134.892 mph and will start 16th.

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Agreement to share time with Labonte starts in June at Michigan

JTG Daugherty Racing announced that AJ Allmendinger will share seat time with Bobby Labonte in the No. 47 Toyota Camry for the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Allmendinger, who has driven in four NASCAR events for Phoenix Racing this year, will start with JTG in next Saturday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
 
Labonte, the 2000 series champion, will extend his string of consecutive Cup starts to 702 tomorrow at Pocono Raceway in the Party in the Poconos 400 presented by Walmart. Jeff Gordon owns the longest active consecutive starts streak at 702, soon to be 703. Labonte’s streak dates back to 1993 and ranks third on the all-time list. The record for consecutive starts is 788 held by Ricky Rudd from 1981-2005.

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JTG Daugherty hopes that Allmendinger will help refine their approach to the Generation-6 car moving forward.
 
"A single-car team does not have the benchmarking capabilities of all the multi-car operations we compete against each weekend," JTG Daugherty Racing competition director Bobby Hutchens said. "This move will help us identify where our cars stand so that we can go to work on the next generation of our car design.”
 
Allmendinger, who recently entered into an agreement with Penske Racing to participate in two road-course races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for them and who runs for Penske’s IndyCar team, is confident he can help assist the JTG Daugherty team.
 
"I have raced for Phoenix Racing some this year and feel confident I’ll be able to provide JTG Daugherty Racing with a good comparison," Allmendinger said. "I’m thankful for this opportunity to work with the team and Bobby (Labonte).”

 

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Sprint Cup drivers make most of prep time after Friday’s rainout

RELATED: Sprint Cup practice results

Points leader Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch led NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice sessions Saturday at Pocono Raceway, marking the series’ first on-track activity of the weekend after a Friday washout.

Johnson set the pace in Saturday’s opening practice on the 2.5-mile triangular track, clocking a fast lap of 175.586 mph in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Busch led the final 50-minute session with a best lap at 175.333 mph in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevy in preparation for Sunday’s Party in the Poconos 400 (1 p.m. ET, TNT, MRN).

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Johnson and Busch were consistently fast over the two sessions. Johnson was second-fastest in the second practice, and Busch was third-best in first practice.

Their consistency was rivaled only by Carl Edwards, who was second-best in the first practice and third-fastest in practice two in his No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

The top practice speeds were well below the track qualifying record of 179.598 mph, set by Joey Logano in winning the Coors Ligh Pole Award for this race last season on the facility’s brand-new pavement. Logano went on to win the 400-miler, nudging past Mark Martin for the more recent of his two career Sprint Cup victories.

Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick completed the top five in the first practice behind (in order) Johnson, Edwards and Busch. Tony Stewart, last week’s winner at Dover International Speedway, was fourth-fastest in final practice, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman.

The first practice, delayed 15 minutes by damp conditions, was slowed by a caution period some 15 minutes in because of oil dropped in Turn 3. The yellow flag came shortly after Paul Menard pulled his Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet into the garage with transmission trouble.

Saturday’s practice followed the persistent rain that washed away Friday’s schedule. Some drivers reported seeing mist on their windshields during portions of the first practice on the mostly overcast day.

Sunday’s race day forecast calls for mostly sunny conditions with temperatures in the mid- to upper-70s.

Posted on by Staff Report

Johnson, No. 48 gets first pick at pit out

RELATED: Lineup/Practice results

With Coors Light Pole Qualifying rained out, the field is set by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book. The No. 48 car leads owner points and gets the top starting position and first pit pick.

Jimmie Johnson‘s team picked the first stall at pit out heading into Turn 1. The second-ranked team, the No. 99, piloted by Carl Edwards, has chosen the 31st pit stall, which is at the opening at the start/finish line at Pocono Raceway.

Clint Bowyer‘s No. 15 team picked the only other stall next to a pit opening, six stalls further down pit road toward Turn 1 in the 25th stall.

Matt Kenseth‘s No. 20 car picked the 43rd and last pit stall at pit in toward Turn 3. #WhatTurn4?

Watch the Party in the Poconos 400 Presented by Walmart Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on TNT.

Posted on by Brad Norman

With Sprint Cup regulars away, Nationwide’s best enjoy packed house

NEWTON, Iowa — Hours before Friday’s first practice for the DuPont Pioneer 250, drivers walking around the garage and throughout the infield took turns stopping and admiring the sight above Turn 4.
 
There, above the outside retaining wall, was a door-to-door line of campers.
 
The view from the top was even better. There, on the sunken, muddy grass, one could see that the jam-packed line actually went four campers deep and was teeming with NASCAR fans a full 42 hours before Saturday’s race at Iowa Speedway is scheduled to begin (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
 
Yes, the NASCAR Nationwide Series is in town. And it’s the Big Show.

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“We know the Cup guys aren’t here this weekend, and we’ve sold this race out every time we’ve come here,” said Michael Annett, who drives the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports and is from Des Moines. “As far as Nationwide goes, that’s huge. As drivers, we pay attention to that kind of stuff.
 
“We know the fans are out there cheering for us, and when you can race against a packed house, it makes you want to win. Not that you’re not trying to win in the other races, but it makes it more special.”
 
Saturday’s race is the 12th of the season on the Nationwide circuit, and it’s the first stand-alone event of the year. There are no Cup cars in the garage across the infield, and certainly not as many Cup drivers in the Nationwide lineup. In fact, Joey Logano — who is also in the Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday — is the lone full-time Sprint Cup driver who will take the green flag.
 
Logano is gunning for his second consecutive Nationwide Series win. If one of the other 39 drivers gets the checkered flag instead, it’ll be just the third time this season a full-time Nationwide driver has won a Nationwide Series race.
 
Don’t expect the racing to suffer, though. In fact, it could thrive.
 
“With only one Cup guy, a lot of guys will think ‘This should be a lot easier, this is my chance.’ Well, everyone has that same mindset,” said Annett, who was wearing an Iowa Hawkeyes hat throughout the day. “A lot more times than not, (stand-alones) are harder to win than any others. A lot of guys that get that one sponsor for that one off-race, a lot of time it’s this one because we are in that spotlight. That’s their one time to shine. They’re going to take more chances than they normally would. Sometimes it works out and you see guys have really good runs, and sometimes it doesn’t. But it definitely makes for an exciting race.”
 
This stand-alone race is about more than just excitement, too. It’s about opportunity.
 
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got the first Nationwide Series win of his career here at this .875-mile race track that resides on a road named for NASCAR Hall of Famer and track owner Rusty Wallace, surrounded by miles of green Iowa farmland.
 
That victory was the spur that kick-started Stenhouse’s career. He went on to win the 2011 championship, sweeping the Iowa races, then won here again in the summer of 2012. He won the Nationwide Series championship that year, too.
 
There are several young, talented drivers looking for their first Nationwide Series win Saturday night as Stenhouse did two years ago. Parker Kligerman is among them.
 
Kligerman still holds the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series record at the track, and he finished eighth last year in his lone Nationwide Series attempt.
 
“Yes, it’s great for us to be the main show and maybe giving us a higher chance to go out there and compete for a win,” Kligerman said in his hauler following Friday’s final practice. “But at the end of the day, the top guys competing for a championship are the guys that have won a Cup race. Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler, Brian Vickers. Sam Hornish is going to back in Cup any minute. It’s the same level of guys, so I don’t feel any different racing them or racing Kyle Busch or Kasey Kahne.”
 
Kligerman is part of a crowded field that trails points leader Smith, who has a 27-point edge of second-place Hornish In sixth place, the Kyle Busch Motorsports product is 56 points behind Smith, but only 14 behind third-place Vickers. Vickers, in turn, is one point ahead of fourth-place Justin Allgaier, who is 10 points ahead of fifth-place Austin Dillon.
 
All of which will mean precisely nothing once the lights burn bright at Iowa, once the white flag drops and once drivers sensing a real opportunity start to dive down into the turns, wheeling themselves around a track that could change the trajectory of their entire season.
 
“Any time we have a stand-alone, it’s awesome. It really changes how we approach the race,” Allgaier said. “I think we’ve seen it in all the stand-alones — the less Cup guys, the more challenging the races are. The Nationwide regulars step up their game and push that much harder. We’re really at the forefront here, at the center of attention. And that changes everything.”

Posted on by Brad Norman

Michael Self, Dylan Kwasniewski and Brett Moffitt finish 1-2-3 in East-West combined race

Michael Self had quite the afternoon at Iowa Speedway when he was one of 13 drivers announced as part of the 2013 NASCAR Next class. His night wasn’t bad, either.

Hours after the NASCAR Next announcement, Self pulled away from the field late in the Casey’s General Store 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race that went nine laps past the scheduled distance. Driving the No. 21 Chevrolet, Self held off a pair of fellow NASCAR Next members over a series of late cautions.

"The NASCAR Next program is about the next rising stars, and I think we’re definitely representing the class of 2013 well."

—runner-up Dylan Kwasniewski

Self, who competes in the K&N Pro Series West, won for the second consecutive race. It’s also the first time that a Pro Series West driver won a points-paying combination race. A K&N Pro Series East driver had won the previous eight races, including seven at Iowa.

“It was just an unbelievable night,” Self said. “We were about 20th in practice, but we knew we just had to stay motivated and stay positive and know the car is going to come to us. We just paced ourselves and knew once the sun went down we’d have something. The car absolutely came to life.”

Dylan Kwasniewski and Brett Moffitt finished behind their NASCAR Next comrade, taking second and third, respectively. In the books, Kwasniewski is credited with a K&N Pro Series East win. Moffitt earned his sixth top-five in seven starts at his hometown track.

Kwasniewski was at Iowa racing instead of in Las Vegas with his high school classmates. The 18-year-old’s graduation was Friday; he received his diploma in the mail.

“Racing’s too important to miss,” the driver said. “Being here at Iowa is a lot better for sure.”

Moffitt was the crowd favorite — he’s from Grimes, Iowa, a small town about 45 miles west of the track. He outdistanced Greg Pursley (fourth) and Ben Rhodes (fifth), a fourth NASCAR Next selection in the top five.

“To come up short when we had a great race car is tough, but I guess there’s always the fall race,” Moffitt said. “It was a good night for the (NASCAR Next) guys. It definitely shows they made the right picks.”

Self ceded the lead only once over the final 50 laps, to Moffitt on a restart. Once he realized the inside lane wasn’t working, Self used the high side of the track to regain the lead — and he chose the outside lane on all ensuing restarts.

“Throughout the race I thought we were a better long-run car,” Self said. “We’d pull away and never stop pulling away. We’re really happy with the win … restarts at the end can be nerve-racking.”

The rest of the top 10 Cole Custer, Cale Conley, Cameron Hayley, Gray Gaulding and Matt Tifft with Hayley and Gaulding on the NASCAR Next list as well.

Of the 11 cautions, two of the biggest incidents came late. Austin Hill hit the wall hard with 30 laps remaining, sending thick plumes of smoke into the night.

On Lap 143, Eric Holmes and Mackena Bell wrecked in Turn 2 in a battle for ninth. Holmes’ No. 16 Toyota took most of the damage, and the race was briefly red-flagged, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.

“It was great race,” Kwasniewski said. “Me and Brett put on a good show battling (for second). I don’t think anybody could have caught Michael. I think this race just goes to show the drivers of the future. The NASCAR Next program is about the next rising stars, and I think we’re definitely representing the class of 2013 well.”

Posted on by Brad Norman

Married on Tuesday, racing by Friday, Bayne continues to march to different beat

NEWTON, IOWA — Trevor Bayne doesn’t do things conventionally.
 
The 22-year-old, after all, won the Daytona 500 as a part-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver two years ago. A career pinnacle for most, Bayne is now working his way through the Nationwide Series to get back there someday.
 
So maybe that explains why he got married on a Tuesday in the middle of a racing season, then brought his wife of three days to Iowa Speedway for the DuPont Pioneer 250 (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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“Getting married at 22 is neat,” a grinning Bayne told media members Friday afternoon following the first of two Nationwide Series practices. “We had a great wedding and now she’s here hanging out with me in Iowa. She’s a trooper and understands that sometimes in racing you have to make sacrifices.
 
“Cornfields aren’t normally where you’d want to go on a honeymoon.”
 
Maybe not, but the fact that Bayne got married during the season and missed no time at the track speaks to another measure of his personality — dedication.
 
The honeymoon phase isn’t over yet between Bayne and his new No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing team, either. Although the driver is 10th in the standings with 321 points — 90 behind leader Regan Smith — he’s coming off consecutive top-10 finishes entering the series’ first standalone event of the 2013 season.
 
The No. 6 team plans to follow the same blueprint it did the past two weeks at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway to bring home a third consecutive top-10 at Iowa’s .875-mile oval.
 
“To get a good finish, we just have to have everything go smooth, like we did at Charlotte, like we did at Dover,” Bayne said. “We just can’t have any weird stuff happen, and I think we’ll be able to finish well.”
 
Finishing well has been a sore spot for Bayne in his three previous races at the speedway. Starting well has not.
 
In all three attempts at Iowa in the Nationwide Series, Bayne has started in the top five every time; that includes winning the pole for the 2010 race. He finished fifth in that event, but it’s the only time he’s placed in the top 20. Bayne had tire and pit-road issues when he qualified fourth in 2009 and second in 2011, leading to finishes of 26th and 25th, respectively.
 
Something that well certainly help Bayne — as well asprovide a bit of pressure — is driving the No. 6 Ford. Not only did Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drive that car the past two years, winning two championships, but the now full-time Sprint Cup driver had great success at Iowa. Stenhouse won three races in a row at one point, sweeping the 2011 events and winning last year’s summer race. He placed fifth when the series returned in the fall, giving him an average finish of 2.0 over his final four races here.
 
“Any time you get to hop into a successful car, you have to be really happy,” said Bayne while spinning the new, too-big piece of jewelry on his left ring finger. “This team has won with the car that we’re going to run (Friday and Saturday), we’re using the same (setup). It’s a good feeling.”
 
His week full of good feelings, there’s one more thing that could cap Bayne’s whirlwind journey on Saturday. With wife Ashton looking on, the No. 6 could be among the leaders when the white flag drops.
 
So, Trevor, do you think it’s possible to end this week with a win?
 
“I do,” Bayne said.

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Posted on by Tadd Haislop

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Filled with prospects coming from Nevada to Georgia, from Canada to Mexico, and a number of hometowns in between, NASCAR unveiled today the 2013 driver roster for NASCAR Next program at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.

NASCAR Next, an evolution of the Next9 initiative that began in 2011, is an overarching industry initiative to help spotlight NASCAR’s rising stars – and bolster fan recognition around talent that will grow into NASCAR Sprint Cup Series mainstays. In addition to competing on various NASCAR series across the country, drivers in the program will participate in several media and promotional activities throughout the next 12 months.

“This program has made great strides in a short time,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR vice president, industry services. “The evolution of NASCAR Next builds on that success with the influx of young, talented drivers continuing throughout all of NASCAR’s racing series. This program provides a platform to help foster their growth within our sport, and introduce these young and talented drivers to NASCAR fans who will likely be hearing more about them in years to come.”

This year’s NASCAR Next group ranges from 15 to 24 years of age, represents three countries and 10 U.S. states from Nevada to Connecticut. They have amassed 32 NASCAR touring series wins and one series title. The multicultural group represents a diversity in geography (10 different U.S. states, in addition to Canada and Mexico), with racing backgrounds from asphalt to dirt and open wheel to stock car.

The team was assembled through a thorough process that included separate nominating and voting panels. Drivers must be between the ages of 15-25, have tangible and expressed goals in eventual competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and possess the skillset to realize that goal.

Additionally, each driver in NASCAR Next must be actively competing in a NASCAR touring or weekly series – NASCAR K&N Pro Series East or West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series, Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series or NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors also are eligible providing they are in the first full-time season in their respective series.

Former NASCAR Next members that have moved on to success in NASCAR’s national series include Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and Darrell Wallace Jr.

The NASCAR Next members for 2013-14 are:

– Jeb Burton (20 years old, Halifax, Va.) – Four top-10 finishes in six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts this season with three pole wins as a rookie.

– Chase Elliott (17, Dawsonville, Ga.) – A two-time Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East where he had a win and 15 Top 10s and has two top-five finishes in three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts this season.

– Gray Gaulding (15, Colonial Heights, Va.) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie set series records for youngest pole winner and race leader in April at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

– Ryan Gifford (24, Winchester, Tenn.) – The NASCAR Drive For Diversity product became the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East pole – Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in 2010.

– Cameron Hayley (16, Calgary, Alberta, Canada) – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series winner at inaugural UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona International Speedway in February is a K&N Pro Series West championship contender.

– Ben Kennedy (21, Daytona Beach, Fla.) – Has two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East wins in five starts this season and will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in August at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

– Dylan Kwasniewski (18, Las Vegas, Nev.) – The 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Sunoco Rookie of the Year and 2012 series champion is competing for a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title this season.

– Brett Moffitt (20, Grimes, Iowa) – Has 31 top-five finishes in 52 career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts and is among the series’ all-time leaders in wins and poles.

– Ryan Preece (22, Berlin, Conn.) – A two-time championship runner-up in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour with five career wins and 12 poles and is a top competitor in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series’ Modified Divisions in Connecticut.

– Ben Rhodes (16, Louisville, Ky.) – Has driven his NASCAR Whelen All-American Series late model to podium finishes this year at the UNOH Battle At The Beach in Daytona and the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown in Richmond, while also making his NASCAR K&N Pro Series debut.

– Kenzie Ruston (21, El Reno, Okla.) – As a rookie, has three top-five finishes in five career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts and recorded the highest finish by a female driver in series history with a third-place effort in April at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway.

– Michael Self (22, Park City, Utah) – As a relative newcomer to stock-car racing, he is a bona fide NASCAR K&N Pro Series West title contender and has four wins in last 13 series starts.

– Daniel Suárez (21, Monterrey, Mexico) – A product of the NASCAR Drive For Diversity program, competes fulltime with Rev Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and is a title favorite in the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series.