DARLINGTON, S.C.: The fourth installment of a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series program for Rette Jones Racing and Noah Gragson will take the checkered flag in Saturday afternoon’s Sport Clips Haircuts Help a Hero 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Rette Jones Racing graduated from the ARCA Menards Series and invaded the NASCAR Xfinity Series with arms wide open, guiding Gragson, a native of Las Vegas, Nev., to three straight top-10 finishes at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway respectively.
The team finished sixth in its last outing in the Irish Hills of Michigan. With the caution waving on the final lap in NASCAR Xfinity Series overtime, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team felt assured of a top-five finish, but upon further review, the team was forced to settle for sixth.
Feeling robbed of their second straight top-five finish, the team returns to action at the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame” looking to not only capture their second top-five finish of the season but contend for the team’s first Xfinity Series victory in the 147-lap race.
“I’m blessed to have another opportunity to race for Rette Jones Racing this weekend at Darlington,” said Gragson. “This team has done amazing in such a short amount of time and I have the confidence we will continue to pick up right where we left off from Michigan a couple of weeks ago.”
Gragson explains that he had a fast No. 30 Rette Jones Racing | Ford Performance Ford Mustang but being forced to battle a wicked tight race car hindered the team’s opportunity for a checkered flag.
Continuing to learn from each Xfinity Series race, Gragson believes that his Mark Rette-led team knows where they need to have their No. 30 Ford Mustang when they tackle the 1.33-mile track on Saturday morning.
“Darlington can be such a weather-sensitive track,” Gragson explained. “The track will change a bunch between practice, qualifying, and the race. “The most important thing for us is to make sure we keep up with the track conditions so I can get the momentum that I need off the corners, especially Turns 2 and 4, so I can carry the speed that will allow us to pick up positions on the track and guide this team to another strong finish.”
The bonus for Rette Jones Racing? The most recent Xfinity Series race for Gragson at the “Lady in Black” delivered a victory for the popular driver. After starting second, Gragson led 82 laps en route to his second Xfinity Series win at Darlington Raceway.
In seven starts overall, he has delivered two wins, most recently in 2022, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Gragson boasts an average finish of 4.0 over four years of Xfinity Series competition.
“Darlington has always been that track where I just have a good vibe,” added Gragson. “I’ve been fortunate to have fast race cars on the Xfinity side every time I raced. I know what bringing a win to Rette Jones Racing will do for this team on Saturday afternoon and I believe if everything lined up, we would be able to.
“We must not beat ourselves and just do what we came to do.”
Unlike his prior three races this season, with only 38 cars entered for Saturday afternoon’s contest, Gragson and his No. 30 Rette Jones Racing team are locked into the field.
Rette Jones Racing crew chief and co-owner Mark Rette eagerly looks forward to another productive weekend.
“I’m so proud of this Rette Jones Racing team,” explained Rette. “This was a big undertaking for our small organization. However, with a lot of determination, a great technical alliance, and a talented driver like Noah Gragson behind the wheel, we have been able to exceed our expectations.
“We are going to Darlington this weekend focused on continuing to do what we’ve done at Charlotte, Nashville, and Michigan – race near the front. We felt like we should have finished inside the top-five at Michigan, but landed sixth, so we have unfinished business.
“I’d love nothing more than to put an exclamation point on our limited Xfinity Series program with our best finish of the year on Saturday afternoon!”
The team will welcome a new partner, Drop Zone TV, for their second and final race in South Carolina this season.
Team Drop Zone TV is the brainchild of veteran Outdoor Channel personality Hal Shaffer and two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion crew chief Greg Zipadelli.
Team Drop Zone TV, also known as Drop Zone, is a reality hunting show on the Outdoor Channel that combines big game hunting with entertainment and education for hunters of all skill levels.
The show is hosted by Hal Shaffer and Greg “Zippy” Zipadelli, two friends who met on a whitetail hunt in Kentucky seven years ago and share a passion for the outdoors.
“We are proud of our partnership with Team Drop Zone TV,” added Rette. “Greg has been instrumental in helping launch our NASCAR Xfinity Series program, and we could not have done without his support and guidance. It means a lot to help bring further attention to his program to the NASCAR fans and community.”
RJR will continue to field a full-time ASA STARS National Tour effort for Canadian Kyle Steckly and compete in select ARCA Menards Series races through October 2024.
Steckly recently scored his first career ASA STARS National Tour victory at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway in the Redbud 400.
Since 2018, Gragson, 26, has made 138 Xfinity starts, earned two poles, won 13 races, delivered 63 top-five and 99 top-10 finishes, and finished a career-best second in the Xfinity Series championship standings driving for JR Motorsports during the 2022 season.
For more on Noah Gragson, like him on Facebook (Noah Gragson Racing) and follow him on Instagram (@noahgragson), TikTok and X | Twitter (@NoahGragson).
For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing), or follow them on Instagram (@RetteJones30) and X | Twitter (@RetteJones30).
The Sport Clips Haircuts Help a Hero 200 (147 laps | 200.8 miles) is the 23rd of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2024 schedule. Practice will occur on Sat., August 31st, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 11:10 a.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 3:30 p.m., with live coverage on the USA Network, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (Eastern).
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 plans to field a full-time entry in 2024 in the ASA STARS National Tour Series while also planning to field vehicles in the ARCA Menards Series platform and NASCAR respectively.
Rette Jones Racing also offers technical and setup intel as part of its technical alliance partnership program.
