With Canadian Grant Quinlan (@GQuinlan28) set to compete in the remainder of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) schedule aboard Rette Jones Racing’s (RJR) No. 30 Ford Fusion, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team treks to Larry King Law’s Langley (Va.) Speedway for Saturday night’s Visit Hampton VA 150 with a strict agenda.
Under the leadership and guidance of veteran and ARCA champion crew chief Mark Rette, the team hopes to bounce back from a strong performance at Bristol Motor Speedway that was later thwarted after Quinlan was involved in a late-race accident.
With their No. 30 Superior Tool & Mold Ford Fusion rebuilt, Rette and Quinlan feel they can continue to showcase the speed and contend for the organization’s first win in the 150-lap race.
“I’m really thankful for this opportunity to finish off the K&N East season with Rette Jones Racing,” said Quinlan. “Mark and Terry (Jones, co-owner) have built a strong foundation where they have produced fast race cars. I know that they can give me winning race cars and I hope that we’re able to showcase that ability in Saturday night’s race at Langley.”
Even though Quinlan, a native of Maidstone, Ontario Canada has never been to Langley, his Rette Jones Racing had a superb 2017 outing with driver Dominique Van Wieringen.
After qualifying 12th, the female sensation rocketed through the field but ran out of laps to contend for her first career win. She, however, finished a career-best third.
Quinlan, 19, is hoping his first trip to Langley has a similar outcome to first K&N start.
Rewinding back to the team’s K&N debut together in 2015 at Columbus Motor Speedway, Rette led Quinlan to qualify third, lead 63 laps before finishing second. Having little track experience that July weekend – the two hope they can deliver a similar outing this weekend.
“We’re going to get some track time and that will be important,” added Quinlan. “It’s a similar scenario to Columbus in 2015. Not a lot of track time – but a strong result. That’s what I’m hoping for.
“I don’t know how things will go the rest of the year for us when it comes to a championship, but we’re going to try and thrive and do our best. If we can perform – the points will add up and we’ll see where we land. I just want to get Mark, Terry and the team in Victory Lane. It’s been a long time coming.”
Rette says he’s glad to have a solid direction for his K&N Program moving forward and believe that Quinlan will not only be fast – but the teenager will surprise people along the way.
“We’re recharged and ready to go,” said Rette.
“Grant is going to do some good things with our organization this season. He’s a sharp, knowledgeable and considerate driver. He’s eager to learn and go fast(er).
“Sure, there’s going to be some hiccups along the way, but we’re prepared for that. Grant showed at Bristol how quickly he can adapt to new surroundings and even though the finish was though – our performance gives us a lot to look forward too.”
Knowing what his team produced at the legendary short track last year, Rette believes Quinlan can pick up where Van Wieringen left off.
“We had a super-fast race car last year,” Rette recalled. “If we would have had 50 more laps or so, we probably could have won the race. We’ll start with that setup and see how Grant handles it. Hopefully, we’ll be in the ballpark to have a strong result and earn our second top-10 of 2018.
In addition to Superior Tool & Mold, JRI Shocks, Quinlan Excavating and Contracting, Huntilar Corp., Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems, Ford Performance and Jones Group International will serve as associate marketing partners for Saturday night’s 150-lap contest.
The Visit Hampton VA 150 (150 laps | 59.4 miles) is the third of 14 races on the 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice begins on Sat., Apr. 28 from 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., with an additional practice set for 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Group qualifying is set for later in the day at 7:00 p.m. The race will take the green flag two hours later just after 9:00 p.m. The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network with an air date on Thus., May 3 at 11:00 p.m. ET.
The latest on Rette Jones Racing is available at RetteJonesRacing.com, the team’s Facebook page or Twitter @RetteJones30.
