@DominiqueRacing •@RetteJones30 • @NASCARHomeTrack • @newsmyrnaspdway •(February10, 2016)– Last month Rette Jones Racing (RJR) announced that Late Model standout Dominique Van Wieringen would run the full NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) under the direction and leadership of ARCA championship crew chief Mark Rette.
Up To Speed With Dominique: Entering her 14th year of competition, Van Wieringen has set many accolades, despite her youth. She was the first female to lead a lap in the CRA / JEGS All-Star Series and the first rookie to win a JEGS / CRA All-Star Series point’s race. In addition, Van Wieringen was the first female to win an Outlaw Super Late Model championship in the United States, while holding the current record at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the most laps led (74) by a female competitor.
Busy Weekend For Growing Team: Celebrating their one-year anniversary, Rette Jones Racing has a busy schedule this weekend. In addition to fielded a car for Van Wieringen in her K&N debut, the team will be participating in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with car owner Terry Jones in the No. 30 Jones Group International Toyota Camry.
Proud Partnership: For the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season, Rette Jones Racing is proud to welcome a partnership with NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) and Universal Technical Institute (UTI). Through a campus-based school system, UTI offers specialized technical education programs under the banner of several brands, including NASCAR.
Students will learn everything you need to know to work on a wide variety of vehicles as part of their core training on top of 15 weeks of NASCAR specific courses to learn racing fundamentals.
Female Flavor: The Jet Tools 150 won’t be lacking a female presence on Valentine’s Day night. Van Wieringen is one of three females set to compete in the season-opener. Joining Van Wieringen is fellow Canadian racer Sarah Cornett-Ching and Ali Kern. All three females are running for Rookie of the Year and the championship title.
No Worries Start: With a stout entry list expected for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season-opener, Van Wieringen is guaranteed to make her series debut after Rette Jones Racing acquired owner points from another team securing the No. 30 Durobyte Ford Fusion a starting spot in the 150-lap race.
Meet Dominique: Van Wieringen will meet and greet race fans during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East autograph session on Sunday, February 14 at 5:30 p.m. on the frontstretch at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway.
Sponsorship Lineup: In addition to Durobyte serving as the title sponsor for the opening round of the season, Rette Jones Racing also welcomes Jones Group International, J-AAR Excavating, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems and Russo’s Tinting as associate partners for the first short track race of 2016. RJR is co-owned by successful entrepreneur and race car driver Terry Jones.
New Smyrna Speedway Fast Fact: Opened in 1964, New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway has 600-foot straightaways, 720-foot turns with 23 degrees of banking. The 0.48-mile banked oval was repaved in January 2007 and has a grandstand capacity of approximately 8,000. Additionally, the track is part of the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Stay Social With Dominique Van Wieringen is active on Twitter. You can follow and tweet with her @DominiqueRacing. Her team, Rette Jones Racing is also active on Twitter. Follow them @RetteJones30.
Chassis Intel: Mark Rette, crew chief and co-owner of Rette Jones Racing has elected to bring chassis number 001 to the 0.48-mile paved oval this weekend. This Ford Fusion is appearing in its fourth race with RJR. This race chassis has a career-best second place finish last July at Columbus Motor Speedway.
Rette Jones Racing, New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Dominique Van Wieringen, driver of the No. 30 NASCAR Technical Institute / Durobyte:
On Joining Rette Jones Racing: “I’m very excited about this opportunity from Rette Jones Racing and the chance to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this season. I’m up for the challenges that come with an advancement to the K&N Pro Series East, but with the support of Mark, Terry (Jones, co-owner) and the rest of the RJR team, I’m excited for the future.”
On NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Debut: “The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East is a very important step in my career. I had a great time competing in Late Models last season, but in order to advance my career, I felt the K&N Pro Series was the next place for me to be. I know with the support and devotion of Rette Jones Racing, I’m in good hands.”
On New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway: “I’ve never been to New Smyrna, but I’m looking forward to the challenges the track presents. I know my team has some great notes prepared and I think we can really work hard to make some positive adjustments during practice on Saturday. I can’t wait to get things started.”
Rette Jones Racing, New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Mark Rette, mentor and co-owner of the No. 30 NASCAR Technical Institute / Durobyte:
On Dominique Van Wieringen Joining Rette Jones Racing: “There aren’t words to describe how excited we are to have Dominique Van Wieringen in our race car this season. I watched her some last year and she had a lot of speed and some really strong finishes. We’re hoping we can continue to develop her racing career and surprise a lot of people in 2016.”
On New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway: “We’re trying to keep our expectations modest this weekend. While we go to every race track looking to win, we’d be satisfied with a top-10 finish in our first race together. A good run on Sunday night will give us some momentum to kick off the season in the right direction and look forward to Mobile.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Dominique Van Wieringen, New Smyrna Speedway NKNPSE Performance Record:
Dominique Van Wieringen will make her first career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start this weekend at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, no prior starts.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race No. 1,
Jet Tools 150, New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, New Smyrna, Florida
Race Information: Event: Jet Tools 150, Sunday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. Local Time Track: New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway Qualifying: Sunday, February 14 at 5:30 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 0.48-mile paved oval.
The Jet Tools 150 (150 laps / 72 miles) is the first of 14 races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. An optional practice run is open for teams on Saturday, February 13 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Official practice begins for the one-day show on Sunday, February 14 from 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. A final practice session has been etched in from 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 5:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag just after 7:30 p.m. that night. The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network with a to-be-announced time and date.
Fast Links:
Driver: Dominique Van Wieringen on Twitter @DominiqueRacing.
Team: Rette Jones Racing on Twitter @RetteJones30.
Sanction: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: NASCARHometracks.com.
Contact: Mark Rette
704.309.7759
mrette@rettejonesracing.com
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