CONCORD, N.C.: The time is here.
After announcing last month that Rette Jones Racing (RJR) will launch a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series team this season, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway race weekend has finally arrived, and the Mooresville, N.C.-based team is ready to turn heads.
The team has hired Cup Series driver Noah Gragson to pilot their No. 30 Ford Mustang in Saturday afternoon’s BetMGM 300, the first of a four-race campaign. The team plans to expand its participation in the series in 2025.
The team has formed a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing for its limited schedule, which includes Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway on June 29, Michigan International Speedway on August 17 and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on August 31, 2024.
Gragson, a native of Las Vegas, Nev., is no stranger to the Rette Jones Racing team. Gragson and RJR have partnered for various Super Late Model events, including the Snowball Derby at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway in December 2023.
Gragson, who pilots the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang Darkhouse in the NASCAR Cup Series, will return to the Xfinity Series for the first time since Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway on November 22, 2022.
Since 2018, Gragson, 25, has made 135 Xfinity starts, earned two poles, won 13 races, delivered 62 top-five and 96 top-10 finishes, and finished a career-best second in the Xfinity Series championship standings driving for JR Motorsports during the 2022 season.
On Friday afternoon, Gragson must turn one of the 33-fastest laps in qualifying to ensure the team successfully makes its Xfinity Series debut. Without the benefit of owner points, the team must qualify on speed to earn a starting berth in the 38-car field.
Nobody is worried.
“I am looking forward to getting one of the most exciting weekends in motorsports kicked off with the Rette Jones Racing family in Saturday’s race,” offered Gragson.
“Helping launch the RJR Xfinity Series program at a place like Charlotte Motor Speedway is special and I am grateful for the opportunity to return to the series that we created such great memories in.”
For their Xfinity debut together, Auto Parts Centres (APC) has increased its involvement with the organization and will support the team this Memorial Day weekend.
APC Auto Parts Centres | Canusa is a family-owned automotive parts business started in 1981 with over 50 branches stretching across Ontario. APC’s target market is purely trade-based, supplying garages, specialty installers, dealerships, and muffler shops throughout the province.
Auto Parts Centres takes full advantage of the marketing power of motorsports by sponsoring numerous race cars and speedways around the province. APC is the proud title sponsor in the APC Pro Late Model Touring Series that has been recognized as one of Canada’s top series.
“We are all incredibly excited about this weekend,” said Rette Jones Racing co-owner Terry Jones. “We have put a lot of emphasis and countless amount of time and effort into ensuring our debut is productive and competitive.
“This weekend, though, would not have been possible without the support of Ivor Jones, John Jones, Luke Ramsay, and the rest of the APC Auto Parts Centres | family.
“Their belief in our team program is allowing us to make Charlotte possible. We know we have the right man with Noah (Gragson) behind the wheel, and we look forward to contending for a top-10 on Saturday afternoon.”
Mark Rette, the other co-owner of Rette Jones Racing and the 2009 ARCA Menards Series championship crew chief, is thrilled to extend another branch of competition for Rette Jones Racing and to have the opportunity to lead the organization as crew chief with Gragson at the helm.
“This is one of the most important weekends of Rette Jones Racing’s journey,” said Rette. “Without a doubt, we have all the confidence in the world in Noah, and we expect to unload competitively, but we can’t just be good for one lap; we have to be good for 200 laps.
“Once we know we have a good balance for Noah to get into the race, we can quickly focus on our in-race plan. We don’t have a lot of time with the practice being short, but the experience of this Rette Jones Racing team has us feeling nothing but confident with our No. 30 Auto Parts Centres Ford Mustang.”
In addition to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Gragson will compete for Rette Jones Racing in two ARCA Menards Series races in 2024. Gragson will compete in the upcoming ARCA Menards Series West race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June and bookend his two-race ARCA program with RJR in the ARCA Menards Series final road course race of the season at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in September.
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.
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 BetMGM 300 (200 laps | 200 miles) is the 12th of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2024 schedule. Practice will occur on Fri., May 24, 2024, from 3:35 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 4:05 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Sat., May 25, 2024, shortly after 1:00 p.m., with live coverage on FOX, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. 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 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.
