WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.: Fresh off a modest top-10 finish in this past Saturday night’s Calypso Lemonade 200 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway, Kris Wright and Rette Jones Racing invade the Finger Lakes of New York ready to pull an upset and win Friday evening’s Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen.
Watkins Glen marks the fourth and final planned race of a limited ARCA Menards Series schedule with the Mooresville, N.C.-based team.
With two top-10 finishes in three races entering the final ARCA road course race of the season, Wright and his Mark Rette-led team are eager to get a second chance to turn left and right after getting spun on the first lap at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in early June.
“We had such a fantastic race car in June but really didn’t have anything to show for it,” said Wright who finished eighth at Mid-Ohio after getting one of his two lost laps back.
“Mark and the Rette Jones Racing team set the race car perfectly and we did put some pressure on the leaders late in the race – but it was more about give and take and making sure we had something we could take to Watkins Glen.”
Wright, 26, has already been dubbed a pre-race favorite for the 13th ARCA race of the season considering his road course racing accomplishments outside of NASCAR and his prior experience at the 2.450-mile, 11-turn road course.
Wright began his transition to stock cars last season following a successful stint in Sports Cars, including a second-place finish in the LMP2 class in the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The Wexford, Pa. native also claimed the IMSA Prototype Challenge championship (LMP3) in 2019 after scoring the IMSA Prototype Challenge Rookie of the Year honors in 2017.
Last June, Wright also competed in two ARCA Menards Series West races on the road course of Utah Motorsports Campus where he finished second and third, respectively.
Following the ARCA Menards Series race, Wright will also compete in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race driving for Sam Hunt Racing. The 82-lap race will be his fifth start of 2021.
“It’s no surprise to anyone that I am a fan of road courses,” added Wright. “I think I have a very good craft when it comes to passing and braking and I’d like to showcase that not only on Friday but Saturday too.”
His experience at WGI hails from his impressive season in IMSA Prototype Challenge competition.
“I love Watkins Glen. It’s the place of my first IMSA Pro win in 2017,” he added. “It should be interesting though to run the Cup layout because all I’ve ever run is the whole track.
“This is my last planned ARCA Menards Series start of the season at this point and I’d like to do nothing more than not only earn my best finish in the series but hopefully put Rette Jones Racing back in Victory Lane.”
Long-time Wright partner Wright Automotive Group will serve as the primary marketing partner for Wright’s third ARCA start of the season.
Since 1927, family-owned and operated Wright Automotive Group and WrightCars.com has been serving the Pittsburg area’s automotive needs featuring its Chevrolet, Buick, GMS, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, Lotus, Genesis and Explorer Vans brands.
They offer an extensive selection of new and pre-owned inventory in Pennsylvania.
Find the perfect vehicle for your lifestyle at Wright Automotive Group.
“We had a good rebound from Pocono last weekend at Winchester, but everyone is amped up for Watkins Glen,” offered Rette. “We’re going to Watkins Glen with our mission on winning. We felt like we had one of the fastest cars at Mid-Ohio but getting bunted at Lap 1 – we never had a chance to fully recover.
“Kris has done an amazing job for us and I’d like nothing more than to end our schedule together with his best finish in the series.”
In his previous eight ARCA Menards Series races, Wright has four career top-10 finishes, including a career-high seventh twice at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Kansas Speedway in 2020.
In addition to Wright Automotive Group, iHeart Radio, F.N.B. Corporation, PPG, Ford Performance, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems, Jones Group Demolition and Abatement and JRi Shocks join the team as partners this weekend.
RJR is co-owned by Canadian entrepreneur and former race car driver Terry Jones.
For more on Kris Wright, please visit, kriswrightmotorsports.com, like him on Facebook (Kris Wright Racing) and follow him on Twitter (@KrisOnNASCAR).
For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing) or follow them on Twitter (@RetteJones30).
The Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen (41 laps | 100.45 miles) is the 13th of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session is set from 3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).
About Rette Jones Racing:
Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the intent of building a successful racing operation built around the fundamentals of hard work and a never give up attitude.
Owned by racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, RJR plan to field a full-time entry in 2021 in the ARCA Menards Series East, while also hopeful to field vehicles in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).
The winning ARCA East team also offers technical and setup intel as part of its technical alliance partnership program.
