Rev Racing
| Owner(s) | Max Siegel |
|---|---|
| Base | Concord, North Carolina |
| Series |
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East NASCAR Whelen All-American Series |
| Race drivers |
K&N Pro Series East: 2. Collin Cabre 4. Kenzie Ruston 6. Devon Amos 42. Jay Beasley Whelen All-American Series Natalie Decker Dylan Smith |
| Sponsors | Toyota, Sunoco, Nike, Universal Technical Institute/NASCAR Technical Institute[1] |
| Manufacturer | Toyota |
| Career | |
| Debut | 2010 |
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (2012 in K&N East Series) |
Rev Racing, short for Revolution Racing, is an auto racing team competing at the regional level of NASCAR. Owned by former Dale Earnhardt, Inc. president Max Siegel, the team primarily fields participants in the Drive for Diversity, an initiative to bring more minority and female drivers into the sport. In the K&N Pro Series East, the team currently fields D4D members Kenzie Ruston, Jay Beasley, Devon Amos, and Collin Cabre. In the Whelen All-American Series, the team fields cars for Natalie Decker and Dylan Smith. The team has fielded NASCAR national series winners Kyle Larson and Darrell Wallace, Jr.
History
Following the 2008 season, NASCAR cut ties with the Drive for Diversity's managing company Access Marketing & Communications after several reports of teams not receiving adequate funds, drivers not receiving competitive equipment, and limited results on the track. NASCAR proceeded to hire Max Siegel to revamp the program into an academy-like setting. In 2010, Siegel founded Rev Racing to field the drivers in the K&N Pro Series and Weekly Series, and is also responsible for finding sponsorship for the drivers. By the end of 2011, Rev Racing had more than doubled the win total of the previous D4D program, winning a total of eight races in the K&N Pro Series (compared to three wins in the old program, all by Paulie Harraka).[2]
2010
For its inaugural season, Revolution Racing purchased the equipment from Andy Santerre Racing, with Santerre becoming the team's general manager and a crew chief.[3] In its debut season, Rev Racing fielded 10 drivers: four in the K&N Pro Series East, one in the K&N Pro Series West, and five in the Whelen All-American Series. Paulie Harraka, in his fifth year in the D4D program, finished 3rd in the K&N West Series standings including a pole and a win in the season opener at All American Speedway. Darrell Wallace, Jr. won rookie of the year in the K&N East Series, with two wins and a third place points finish.[4] In addition to Wallace being the first African American to win a race in the series, teammate Ryan Gifford became the first black driver to win a pole (at Martinsville Speedway). Gifford would finish 9th in points.
2011
Wallace, Jr. continued his success in 2011, winning three races, 3 poles, and finishing second in series points. He and Gifford were joined by Sergio Pena, who won three races in the K&N East Series as well, finishing 5th in points. Overall, the team won half of all the K&N East Series races.
2012
For 2012, the team downsized from ten drivers to six, but added talented driver Kyle Larson to its stable. Larson had the team and D4D's best season to date, winning two races and earning 12 top 10's en route to the K&N East Series Championship.[5]
2013
In 2013, NASCAR Toyota Series driver and Mexico native Daniel Suárez joined the team, running both the Toyota Series in Mexico and the K&N East Series for Rev Racing. Suarez won at Columbus Motor Speedway, and finished 3rd in points with 9 top 10's. He moved to the NASCAR Mexico Series - now the NASCAR Toyota Series - in 2010, driving for Telcel Racing; despite running only a partial season, he won the series' Rookie of the Year title.[6] Ryan Gifford won his first race, the Blue Ox 100, on April 27 at Richmond International Raceway. Gifford started 11th and worked his way to the front, beating Brandon Gdovic and Cole Custer on a late-race restart.[7][8] Gifford would finish 11th in points with 4 top 5's and 6 top 10's.
2014
For 2014, Suarez, Pena, and Gifford returned as D4D drivers, while Mackena Bell returned for her 5th season (though not part of D4D). They were joined by rookie K&N East driver Jay Beasley and Whelen All-American drivers Devon Amos and Paige Decker.
2015
Jay Beasley returned to the K&N East Series, joined by Devin Amos. Newcomers to the team included NASCAR Next member Kenzie Ruston, Colin Cabre, Natalie Decker, and Dylan Smith.[9]
Former drivers
- Kyle Larson
- Darrell Wallace, Jr.
- Daniel Suárez
- Sergio Pena
- Ryan Gifford
- Paulie Harraka
- Paige Decker
- Mackena Bell
References
- ↑ "Sponsors". revracing.net. Rev Racing. 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ↑ Pockrass, Bob (June 4, 2012). "Drive for diversity: NASCAR’s push to develop minority drivers moving slowly". Sporting News NASCAR. Sporting News. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ↑ Mahoney, Larry (January 11, 2012). "Andy Santerre looking forward to new job with Hattori Racing". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ↑ Demmons, Doug (October 1, 2010). "Mobile native is Rookie of the Year in NASCAR's K&N Pro Series East". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ↑ Hall, Mia N. (December 12, 2012). "NASCAR’s Commitment to Diversity Goes Into High Gear". Black Enterprise. Black Enterprise. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ↑ "Movin' on up: Suarez tapped by Joe Gibbs Racing for NNS debut". Fox Sports. April 22, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
- ↑ Kerchner, Mike (April 27, 2013). "Short-Track Roundup: Ryan Gifford, 15-year-old Gray Gaulding turn heads at NASCAR K&N Series race". Autoweek. Autoweek. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "Gifford Gets First Win". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 25, 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ↑ "Fresh Faces Fill 2015 NASCAR Drive For Diversity Roster". Rev Racing. Concord, North Carolina: Rev Racing. January 26, 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.