Dominique Van Wieringen, No. 30 NASCAR Technical Institute / Durobyte Ford
Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 Fast Facts
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race No. 3, Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150,
Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway, Easley, South Carolina
Race Information: Event: Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150, Saturday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway Qualifying: Saturday, March 26 at 5:15 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 0.5-mile paved oval.
Welcome To The Palmetto State: After a two-week break, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East resumes action from Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway where rookie sensation Dominique Van Wieringen will look for her second top-10 finish of the season.
Mobile Rewind: In the second K&N Pro Series East race of the season, Van Wieringen wowed her competitors again by qualifying on the front row for the Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority, eclipsing her own record set at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway last month. After leading the first 30 laps of the race, Van Wieringen contended for another strong finish before being spun late in the race and relegated to a 20th place finish.
She’s Fast: In the first two races of the season, Van Wieringen has mastered an average starting position of 2.5, qualifying third and second in the first two races respectively. The Rette Jones Racing development driver holds an average finishing position of 15th with 12 races remaining this season.
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 12 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 Spencer Davis by 26 points for the championship lead. Just 15 markers separate her from fifth place in the standings currently held by Justin Haley.
Up To Speed With Dominique: 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 Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 won’t be lacking a female presence on Saturday night. Van Wieringen is one of three females set to compete in the third 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 with Van Wieringen leading the trio in the championship standings by three positions.
Meet Dominique: Van Wieringen will meet and greet race fans during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East autograph session on Saturday, March 26 at 6:00 p.m. on the frontstretch atGreenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway.
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.
Greenville-Pickens Speedway Fast Fact: Greenville is a half-mile asphalt oval with five degrees banking in the turns. It opened in 1946 with a dirt racing surface and was paved in 1970. It hosted 29 Sprint Cup Series races from 1951-71. It also hosted two NASCAR XFINITY Series, four NASCAR Convertible Series and two NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour events.
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 again to bring chassis number 001 to the 0.5-mile paved oval this weekend. This Ford Fusion is appearing in its sixth race with RJR. This race chassis was last utilized at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway and holds a career-best second place finish last July at Columbus Motor Speedway.
Rette Jones Racing, Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:
Dominique Van Wieringen, driver of the No. 30 NASCAR Technical Institute / Durobyte Ford:
On Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway: “I can’t thank the Rette Jones Racing team enough for bringing me a super-fast No. 30 Durobyte / NASCAR Technical Institute Ford. We were able to qualify up front and lead a bunch of laps. Unfortunately, when it was time to execute and close the race with a good finish, we got spun and didn’t have enough time to recover. Still, we showed our worth and I’m proud of what we accomplished, even if the finish wasn’t what we hoped.”
On Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway: “Another new track is a K&N car leaves another opportunity for us to shine this weekend. I know that the guys have worked hard at the shop making sure we can unload at the track this weekend and be just as fast as we have been in the first two races of the year. If we can have another strong qualifying run and finish inside the top-five, we’ll consider the weekend a success.”
On Setting New Records In NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: “It’s great to set records. That is what we came to do this season, but there’s still a lot to be accomplished. My success this year would not have been possible without my team and our marketing partners. Hopefully, we can continue to re-write the records books in our own fashion Saturdaynight.”
Rette Jones Racing, Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes:,
Mark Rette, mentor and co-owner of the No. 30 NASCAR Technical Institute / Durobyte Ford:
On Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway: “Dominique once again proved how fast she is behind the wheel of our Rette Jones Racing prepared cars. She was able to take what she learned at the test and apply during race weekend when it counted most. While her finish was out of her control, her effort behind the wheel is commendable and we’re proud of what she continues to do in her rookie season.”
On Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway: “It’s another new track for our driver, but I think she will manage very well. I think as a team we’re determined to go out to the track this weekend and bounce back from Mobile with a vengeance. We also know without a doubt that we have the driver that can get it done.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Dominique Van Wieringen, Greenville-Pickens NKNPSE Performance Record:
Dominique Van Wieringen will make her third career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start this weekend at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway, no prior starts.
The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 (150 laps / 75 miles) is the third of 14 races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice is set for Saturday, March 26 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 5:15 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly thereafter just after 7:00 p.m. (ET). The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network on Saturday, Apr. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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.
