MOORESVILLE, N.C.: Rette Jones Racing (RJR) development driver Max Gutiérrez will make his ARCA Menards Series (AMS) debut in Saturday night’s General Tire 150 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Gutiérrez, a rookie competitor in the developmental ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) heads to Charlotte on the heels of a top-five finish in his most recent race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on May 14.
Currently, Gutiérrez’s participation in the premier ARCA division is a one-race deal, but both sides will explore opportunities to enhance Gutiérrez’s stock car resume as the 2021 season continues.
“I am very thankful for this opportunity to make my ARCA Menards Series debut this weekend at Charlotte,” said Gutiérrez who won the ARCA East season-opener at New Smyrna in February.
“Any track time is critical to me right now and as I look to move forward in my racing career – competing at these bigger tracks will certainly help me grow and become a better driver.”
Earlier this month, Gutiérrez participated in an open test session at the 1.5-mile speedway where he maneuvered the sixth quickest time overall impressing many in the garage and even himself.
“The test certainly went better than I expected but I credit the Rette Jones Racing team for bringing me a great race car,” added Gutiérrez. “Mark (Rette, crew chief | co-owner) made me feel extremely comfortable behind the wheel of our No. 30 TOUGHBUILT | TekNekk | TELMEX | TELCEL Ford Fusion and because of that we were able to lay down some pretty quick laps.
“Getting another opportunity to practice on Saturday before the race will be important for us to get our car dialed in for the race. I know I still have a lot to learn about racing on a mile-and-a-half track, but I believe Charlotte will be a great opportunity for me to consume more knowledge with the hope of bringing the Rette Jones Racing team home with a top-10 finish.”
Gutiérrez’s hood will honor Feliciano Isidoro and Maria Georgina Sabates at Charlotte, close friends of Gutiérrez and his family.
Last year during the coronavirus pandemic, they reached a significant milestone of their 100th birthdays, just months apart.
This weekend the two would have celebrated their 77th anniversary together. During their marriage, they raised seven children including former NASCAR Cup Series team owner Felix Sabates alongside brothers Art, Jose and sister Manty who will attend Saturday night’s ARCA race to support Gutiérrez and RJR.
Feliciano Isidoro and Maria Georgina Sabates were passionate about their love of Motorsports, especially NASCAR and building friendships with former Cup drivers Kyle Petty and Jamie McMurray along the way.
“I cannot thank TOUGHBUILT. TekNekk and TELCEL enough for giving up their space on the hood to allow us to recognize two special individuals,” added Gutiérrez. “The Sabates family has done so much for the sport of NASCAR for many decades, and this is an opportunity to honor the family for not only what they have done for me – but for everyone involved in the sport.”
Rette says he was impressed with the speed from his young driver earlier this month and
believes he can back it up at the team’s hometown track.
“We are excited about having Max drive for us at Charlotte this weekend,” added Rette. “He certainly impressed a lot of people, myself included with his quick adaption to Charlotte and continuing to post competitive and consistent laps from the start of the test to the end of it.
“This race will be a huge learning curve for Max, but he is up for the challenge and has already shown that he can adapt to the speeds. Hopefully, we can have a clean and fun race and bring home a strong finish that can carry us on to the next one.”
In addition to TOUGHBUILT. TekNekk and Jimmy Morales Escuderia TELMEX | TELCEL, BolsaDX.mx, Distributed Ledger Inc. (DLI), GoGig, Ford Performance, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems, Jones Group Demolition and Abatement and JRi Shocks join the Mooresville, N.C.-based team as partners this weekend.
RJR is co-owned by Canadian entrepreneur and former race car driver Terry Jones.
The General Tire 150 (100 laps | 150 miles) is the sixth of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session begins on Sat., May 29 with a forty-five-minute practice session from 4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).
For more on Max Gutiérrez, please visit maxgutierrez.com, like him on Facebook (Max Gutierrez Racing) or follow him on Instagram (@maxgutierrezmx).
For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing) or follow them on Twitter (@RetteJones30).
About TOUGHBUILT Industries Inc.:
TOUGHBUILT is an advanced product design, manufacturer and distributor with emphasis on innovative products. Currently focused on tools and other accessories for the professional and do-it-yourself construction industries.
We market and distribute various home improvement and construction product lines for both the do-it-yourself and professional markets under the TOUGHBUILT brand name, within the global multibillion-dollar per year tool market industry. All of our products are designed by our in-house design team.
Since launching product sales in 2013, we have experienced significant annual sales growth.
Our current product line includes three major categories, with several additional categories in various stages of development, consisting of Soft Goods & Kneepads and Sawhorses & Work Products.
Our mission is to provide products to the building and home improvement communities that are innovative, of superior quality, derived in part from enlightened creativity for our end users while enhancing performance, improving well-being and building high brand loyalty.
Additional information about the company is available at: toughbuilt.com.
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.
