Jesse Little would like nothing more than to bookend his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season with a top-five finish in Friday afternoon’s Dover 125 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
In three races this season, Little has posted two top-10 finishes, including a seventh in his last outing at Iowa Speedway. While the Rette Jones Racing driver was content with another top-10 tally, he is eager to return to Dover and seek his third career victory.
“It feels like a while since I’ve been in a K&N car, but I’m definitely ready to go,” said Little, driver of the No. 29 NTI / UTI Toyota Camry. “It’s the last race of the season in the K&N Pro Series East, so you surely want to go out there and have a good run. Make an impression. I feel really good where the Rette Jones Racing team is right now and hope that continues on Friday afternoon at Dover.”
The success that Little refers to circles back to his Rette Jones Racing teammate Dominique Van Wieringen who has posted back-to-back top-five finishes the last two races. In fact, Van Wieringen has contended for victory in the past two events but has come up short.
Still, the momentum and atmosphere at the team’s Mooresville, North Carolina-based shop is beaming and Little feels his experience at Dover could elevate the team’s confidence to another level, while being a strong ear for his teammate.
“I love Dover,” added Little. “It’s such a blast. For the average race fan, it’s easy to describe as a Bristol (Motor Speedway) on steroids. The place is wicked fast with tight corners and a huge transition over the bridge in Turn 2 that gives you an exhilarating feeling. It’s a race that everyone really pays attention too.”
Little has four K&N starts at the “Monster Mile.” While his qualifying results have been steady, including a pole in 2014, the Monster has taken a beating on Little in three of his races. And with Friday afternoon dropping the final checkered flag of the year, the Sherrills Ford, North Carolina native would like to rekindle his relationship with Miles’, the track’s official host.
“It’s one of those things where you love a place but just are always unlucky,” added Little. “In 2013, we had a good run after starting fourth and finishing fifth – but other than that, we had a pole to celebrate and that’s about it. Hopefully, we can change that with our No. 29 NTI / UTI Toyota Camry.”
The 14th race of the season will also mark the fourth race this season where Little has carried the colors of the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI). Through a campus-based school system, NTI 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.
“Being around NASCAR my entire life, I’ve been fortunate to know how the NTI program works and how it makes a difference for its students,” added Little. “They’ve been a great partner of mine for years and I hope we can end the season like we started the season with a strong finish.”
Little, the son of former NASCAR driver Chad Little began his racing career in quarter midgets at the age of seven. Moving through the ranks, he moved up to Bandoleros in 2007 and Legends cars two years later. In 2010, Little won the USAC Eastern Focus Young Guns midget car championship and in 2011 competed in the UARA Stars Late Model Series where he enjoyed success.
The following year, Little, then 15 made history by becoming the youngest driver to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, making his series debut at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
Little is also an alumnus member of the NASCAR Next program. An evolution of the Next9 initiative that began in 2011, the NASCAR Next program is an all-embracing industry initiative to help spotlight the sport’s rising stars – and boost fan recognition around talent that will grow into NASCAR Sprint Cup Series mainstays.
Welcoming NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) as the primary marketing partner for Dover, the team’s No. 29 entry will carry additional support from UTI, Performance Friction Brakes, Racing Electronics, Penske Shocks and Mac’s Speed Shop in the final race of the 2016 season.
The 19-year-old will make his 47th career K&N start Friday night. In his previous 46 runs, he has maneuvered three poles, two wins (New Hampshire and Iowa Speedway), 13 top-fives and 22 top-10 runs over a span of five seasons.
In addition to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season finale, Little will also plans to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Texas Motor Speedway under an alliance between Team Little Racing, ThorSport Racing and Rette Jones Racing.
For more on Jesse Little, visit JesseLittle.com and follow her on Twitter @JesseLittle97.
The latest on Rette Jones Racing is available at the team’s Facebook page, while also active on Twitter @RetteJones30.
The Dover 125 (125 laps / 125 miles) is the 14th of 14 races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice is set for Friday, Sept. 30 from 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. with a final practice etched in from 9:10 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 12:35 p.m. The event will take the green flag later that day shortly after 5:00 p.m. The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 4:00 p.m.
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