Dominique Van Wieringen, No. 30 Durobyte / NASCAR Technical Institute Ford
Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority Fast Facts
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race No. 2, Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority, Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, Mobile, Alabama
Race Information: Event: Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority, Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. Local Time Track: Mobile (Ala.) International SpeedwayQualifying: Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 0.5-mile paved oval.
Back To Work: After nearly a month off from competition, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East returns to action this weekend at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, the first race at the historic Alabama track for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East tour.
Hot Debut: In the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East opener at New Smyrna (Fla.) International Speedway, DominiqueVan Wieringen wowed the competition with an impressive weekend for her series debut. In addition to qualifying third, she was a serious contender throughout the JET Tools 150, but ultimately finished 10th after being shuffled out of line on a late race restart.
Points Report: With 13 races remaining on the schedule, Dominique Van Wieringen sits 10th in the championship standings, while car owner Mark Rette occupies the same position in the car owner standings. Van Wieringen trails Todd Gilliland by 13 points for the championship lead.
Rette Jones Racing x2: For the first time in the company’s history, Rette Jones Racing will field two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East vehicles for competition. Joining Van Wieringen as a teammate is NASCAR Next driver Jesse Little who will pilot the No. 29 NASCAR Technical Institute Toyota Camry. Little will run selected races in a second RJR car this season.
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.
Proud Partnership: For the 2016 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 Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority won’t be lacking a female presence on Saturday afternoon. Van Wieringen is one of three females set to compete in the second race of the season. Joining Van Wieringen is fellow Canadian racer Sarah Cornett-Ching and Ali Kern. All three females are running for the championship title.
Meet Dominique: Van Wieringen will meet and greet race fans during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East autograph session on Saturday, March 12 at 12:00 p.m. on the frontstretch at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway. Additionally, Van Wieringen will take part in a special autograph session Thursday, March 10 at the Aircraft Pavilion USS Alabama from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sponsorship Lineup: In addition to Durobyte and NASCAR Technical Institute, Rette Jones Racing also welcomes Jones Group International, J-AAR Excavating, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems and Russo’s Tinting as associate partners this season. RJR is co-owned by successful entrepreneur and race car driver Terry Jones.
Mobile International Speedway Fast Fact: Mobile International Speedway opened in 1965 and hosted open-wheel racing from 1966-68 and numerous NASCAR series throughout 1980s, 90s and early 2000s, including the NASCAR Grand American Series, NASCAR All-American Challenge Series, NASCAR All Pro Stock Car Series and NASCAR Southeast Series. The Alabama track also hosted ARCA events since 2012.
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 0.5-mile paved oval this weekend. This Ford Fusion is appearing in its fifth race with RJR. This race chassis was last utilized at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and holds a career-best second place finish last July at Columbus Motor Speedway.
Rette Jones Racing, Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Dominique Van Wieringen, driver of the No. 30 Durobyte / NASCAR Technical Institute Ford:
On New Smyrna: “I was really happy with the outcome of New Smyrna. I can’t thank Mark and the Rette Jones Racing team enough for their hard work. We were able to capitalize on a strong car in practice and have a really good start. I learned a lot during the race. I made some mistakes, but I learned from them. In the end, we came away with a top-10 finish and that was our goal.”
On Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway Open Test: “We were really happy with the test at Mobile. With Rette Jones Racing bringing two cars to the track, I think the extra notes and data will prove to be beneficial for us this weekend. I think we can pick off from last week and get a lot faster for the race on Saturday.”
On Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway Goals: “Obviously, I’d like to go to Mobile this weekend and have just as strong of a showing that we did at New Smyrna. Like in Florida, this race will have its challenges, but I’m confident that I have one of the best teams in the garage and we’ll be able to persevere for whatever the race throw at us. I can’t wait to get to Mobile.”
Rette Jones Racing, Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:,
Mark Rette, mentor and co-owner of the No. 30 Durobyte / NASCAR Technical Institute Ford:
On New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway: “I think Dominique exceeded the expectations of many at New Smyrna. She did a great job start to finish. New Smyrna isn’t an easy track by any means, but she performed like a veteran.”
On Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway: “It’s another new track for Dominique, but I think she’ll do very well. We’re bringing the same car we used at New Smyrna and we think what we learned at the test will pay dividends for the race on Saturday.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Dominique Van Wieringen, Mobile NKNPSE Performance Record:
Dominique Van Wieringen will make her second career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start this weekend at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, no prior starts.
The Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority (150 laps / 75 miles) is the second of 14 races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice is set for Friday, March 12 from 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. A final practice session has been etched in from 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 6:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag the next day just after 2:00 p.m. Saturday. 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.