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Kyle Larson brought home a championship for former Dale Earnhardt Incorporated executive, Max Siegel, and his Rev Racing organization in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East during the 2012 season. Larson was signed on as a part of the NASCAR Drive For Diversity program which started out during the 2009 season.
NASCAR has attempted to be involved in the development process for drivers for several years and has succeed in more ways than none. During the 2012 season, the team had five drivers which fielded cars in the K & N Pro Series as well as the Whelen Modified Tour. However, the 2013 season will bring more excitement than ever for the program.
It was announced via a Google+ Hangout that the team will field cars for seven drivers during the 2013 season. Three of the drivers will be returning from last year’s lineup while the other four were a part of the 17-driver, three day combine at Langley Speedway to see which driver can compete with the highest expectations. Four drivers will be competing within the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East, two drivers in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series with the addition of one driver in the INEX Legends Series.
The drivers returning to the organization include Mackena Bell who will be competing full-time in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East as a rookie of the year candidate. 23-year old, Bryan Ortiz, makes his return to the organization as well. Ortiz finished fifth in the NASCAR K& N Pro Series East point standings during the 2012 season as a rookie. Ryan Gifford will also return to the team. The fellow 23-year old finished 11th in NASCAR K & N Pro Series East point standings last year with plenty of room to improve upon during the 2013 season.
Now the new drivers that will be competing within the NASCAR Drive For Diversity program for 2013. Daniel Suarez joins the program after finishing third in the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series point standings during the 2012 season. Rev Racing also welcomes two new drivers to their Whelen All-American program. Jack Madrid will be making his Whelen All-American Series debut when the series hits the Daytona International Speedway for the UNOH Battle At The Beach. Annabeth Barnes is the second addition to the modified program as she is a 17-year old female competitor from North Carolina and was featured in the film Racing Dreams which was created by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The final driver that made the cut for the NASCAR Drive For Diversity program will be racing in the INEX Legends Series. 21-year old Deven Amos will pilot that car after experience racing in Mexico.
The 2013 NASCAR Drive For Diversity class is an exciting one as the future of NASCAR has never looked so bright, especially with the amount of minority drivers that will be involved within the sport for years to come.
Joseph Wolkin can be followed on Twitter at @JosephNASCAR.
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