Kasten Wraps Up Speedweeks with Seventh-Place Finish in Pete Orr Memorial 100
Wisconsin-native Rebecca Kasten recently made the 1200-mile trip to New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway’s annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, competing in Crate Late Models and Super Late Models throughout the nine day event. Kasten ended the week with a seventh-place finish in the Pete Orr Memorial 100, the premier Super Late Model race of the week. (more)
Drive For Diversity introduces 2010 Driver Lineup, Rebecca Kasten part of 2010 team
Having just completed perhaps the program's most exciting preseason to date, the 11-member 2010 Drive for Diversity Class was introduced Tuesday night at the Daytona 500 Experience's IMAX Theater. This latest group of young, talented and diverse NASCAR drivers was announced for the first time during Speedweeks. The evolution of the Drive for Diversity program, NASCAR's leading on-track diversity initiative continues its seventh year in 2010 as competitors relocate to Charlotte and enter "academy-style" development under a single team ownership structure. The 909 Group, which took over operational responsibilities for Drive for Diversity in 2009, will own and operate one team fielding 11 Drive for Diversity competitors. Under the Revolution Racing banner, these minority and female drivers will compete on five NASCAR K&N Pro Series teams and six NASCAR Whelen All-American Series teams.
"Drive for Diversity, under the day-to-day management of The 909 Group, will continue to provide strong opportunities for minority and female competitors," said Marcus Jadotte, managing director of public affairs for NASCAR. "This preseason provided key validation of the program's new structure for developing young drivers and crew members. Academy-style training is proving a welcome evolution of an initiative that has seen 31 drivers compete, winning 33 races. D4D drivers are located in the nerve center of NASCAR with greater access to industry resources, technology, training, testing, and shop experience."
The 909 Group, a sports and entertainment agency, will continue to provide marketing support to NASCAR's diversity initiatives. Max Siegel will maintain his role as chief executive officer of both Revolution Racing and The 909 Group.
"We spent most of 2009 thinking about ways to expand opportunities available to the drivers and crew members involved in Drive for Diversity," Siegel said. "To better assess and develop talent, we are putting drivers under one roof and in identically-prepared cars at Revolution Racing. Our extended evaluation process and training is allowing us to better identify talent and produce results for Drive for Diversity with the goal of getting drivers to NASCAR's premier series."
Andy Santerre, a four-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series champion as a driver and team owner, has joined Revolution Racing to oversee that developmental series' operations. Blair Addis, who has been involved with Drive for Diversity this past season as a team owner, oversees Revolution Racing's NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program. Current and former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers will serve as coaches and mentors to the drivers, who will be given additional seat time and be allowed to compete in more than one series as they develop.
Revolution's drivers for the 2010 season were determined following the Drive for Diversity Combine presented by Sunoco last October at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. The 11 drivers in the 2010 class will also be featured in a television series, "Changing Lanes," developed in collaboration with the NASCAR Media Group and set to air this summer on BET. The eight-part series will showcase the development of young Drive for Diversity competitors trying to make it in the world of NASCAR racing.
Rebecca Kasten of Mequon, Wis., will race in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Last year, Kasten competed in touring Late Model divisions at a number of tracks across the U.S. In 2008, she won two Late Model feature events.
For more information vist: Revolution Racing
