Grant Quinlan, No. 30 International Tool And Mold Ford Fusion,
UNOH 100 Fast Facts
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race No. 13,
UNOH 100, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia
Race Information: Event: UNOH 100, Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway Qualifying: Thursday, September 10 at 4:05 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 0.875-mile paved oval.
Third Time’s A Charm: After competing in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races earlier this summer at Columbus (Oh.) Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Rette Jones Racing adds Thursday night’s UNOH 100 from Richmond (Va.) International Raceway for the third race this season for newcomer Grant Quinlan.
Last Time Out: After a superb runner-up performance in his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut in Ohio, Rette Jones Racing and Quinlan headed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the United Site Services 70. After qualifying inside the top-10 for the second race in a row, Quinlan had an unplanned meeting with the wall early in the race.
Determined to bounce back, Quinlan refused to give up and despite mangling a battered No. 30 International Tool And Mold Ford Fusion, Quinlan remained on the lead lap and captured a 15th place finish in his debut at “The Magic Mile.”
K&N Pro Series East Debut: One word summed up Rette Jones Racing NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut at Columbus Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 4: Spectacular. In their first race together, Quinlan impressed and honed his skills qualifying third, led 63 laps en route to a runner-up finish in the NAPA 150.
Busy Weekend Ahead: Maidstone, Ontario native Quinlan has a busy schedule this week. In addition to his responsibilities in Richmond at Richmond International Raceway, he will also participate in Sunday’s ARCA / CRA Super Series Memorial 125 presented by Oakley Blacktop at Columbus Motor Speedway. Quinlan leads the standings by 53 points over Hunter Baize.
Must Qualify On Time: Poised to make his debut at “America’s Premier Short Track” on Thursday night, the Rette Jones Racing development driver must qualify his No. 30 International Tool And Mold Ford Fusion on time. With 37 cars pre-entered for the event, the team must qualify 32nd or better to earn a starting position by speed.
Meet Grant: Quinlan will meet and greet race fans during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East autograph session on Thursday, September 10 from 5:05 p.m. – 6:05 p.m. at Richmond International Raceway’s Gate 4.
Sponsorship Lineup: In addition to International Tool and Mold serving as the title sponsor for the 13th race of the season, Rette Jones Racing also welcomes Jones Group International, Superior Tool and Mold Inc., J-AAR Excavating, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems and Russo’s Tinting. RJR is co-owned by successful businessman and race car driver Terry Jones.
Richmond International Raceway Fast Fact: Richmond International Raceway, known as “America’s Premier Short Track,” opened in October 1946. Lee Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in April 1953. The track operated as a half-mile oval through spring 1988 before being reconfigured to its current .75-mile, D-shape for the September 1988 date. Lights were added in 1991. Thursday night’s race will mark the first time the K&N Pro Series East division will compete in the fall as a companion event with NASCAR’s national series.
Stay Social With Grant: Grant Quinlan is active on Twitter. You can follow and tweet with him @GQuinlan28. His 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 0.875-mile paved oval this weekend. This Ford Fusion is appearing in its third race with RJR. This race chassis last competed in the K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, where Quinlan notched a 15th place finish after starting ninth.
Rette Jones Racing, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Grant Quinlan, driver of the No. 30 International Tool And Mold Ford Fusion:
On New Hampshire Motor Speedway Debut: “It seems like New Hampshire was so long ago. We had a really good car and of course we had some high expectations for the race after our runner-up spot at Columbus. We started ninth, but the car was just a little tight and I found the wall early. Luckily, we were able to stay on the track and make the best of an unfortunate situation. We salvaged a 15th place run, but I think we were a lot better than that.”
On Richmond (Va.) International Raceway: “I’m looking forward to Richmond. I think it’s going to be short track racing at its finest. I’ve been busy racing the ARCA / CRA Super Series this summer, but I’m eager to get back to racing on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East tour. Mark and the guys at Rette Jones Racing have been working hard on the car and I think we’re going to find ourselves in a good position to contend for the win Thursday night.”
Rette Jones Racing, Richmond International Raceway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Mark Rette, mentor and co-owner of the No. 30 International Tool And Mold Ford Fusion:
On New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “After a successful debut at Columbus Motor Speedway in July, we were really looking forward to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Grant did a fantastic job getting up to speedway at New Hampshire. We had a little bit of trouble during the race. While we couldn’t contend for the win, the team as a whole learned a lot from the race that undoubtedly will help us at Richmond.”
On Outlook For Richmond International Raceway: “The NASCAR K&N Pro Series will have one of its strongest fields of the season Thursday night at Richmond, but we’re ready. We’ve worked hard on the car since New Hampshire to make sure we can come to Richmond and have a performance similar of Columbus. I’m looking forward to working with Grant again and without a doubt I think he’ll continue to impress.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Grant Quinlan, Richmond International Raceway NKNPSE Performance Record:
Grant Quinlan will make his third career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start this week at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, no prior starts.
The UNOH 100 (100 laps / 75 miles) is the 13th of 14 races on the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice begins for the one-day show on Thursday, September 10 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. A final practice session has been etched in from 1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 4:05 p.m. The event will take the green flag just after 7:00 p.m. that night. The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network, Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Fast Links:
Driver: Grant Quinlan on Twitter @GQuinlan28.
Team: Rette Jones Racing on Twitter @RetteJones30.
Sanction: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: NASCARHometracks.com.
