Rette Jones Racing (RJR) confirmed today that Motorsports veteran Dylan Lupton will return to ARCA Menards Series competition in Friday afternoon’s General Tire 100 at The Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
Lupton will drive the No. 30 Lupton Excavation Ford Mustang in his first national ARCA Menards Series start since the season finale at Kansas Speedway in 2020, driving for TRICON Garage.
The 41-lap race will mark Lupton’s ARCA Menards Series debut on a road course, a style where the Wilton, Calif. native has excelled in other forms of Motorsports competition, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“I’m very thankful to Rette Jones Racing, Mark (Rette), Terry (Jones) and everyone involved in helping make this opportunity happen,” said Lupton.
“Watkins Glen has always been a favorite road course of mine and I believe I have the opportunity to contend for a strong finish with our No. 30 Lupton Excavation Ford Mustang on Friday afternoon.”
Rette Jones Racing will compete in just their third ARCA Menards Series start this season on the heels of the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with driver Justin Bonsignore and most recently at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in June with open-wheel and IndyCar veteran Conor Daly at the helm.
Daly earned a top-10 finish at Mid-Ohio in the same Ford Mustang that Lupton will wheel in the second and final road course race of the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season.
In addition to ARCA, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team has been competing in the ASA STARS National Tour with Canadian Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Steckly.
Following Watkins Glen, crew chief and co-owner Mark Rette will join Steckly and other Rette Jones Racing team members for this weekend’s ASA STARS National Tour race at Toledo Speedway.
The team has also run a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule this season with NASCAR Cup Series driver Noah Gragson, who included one top-five and three top-10 finishes in four Xfinity starts overall.
“I am proud to have Dylan behind the wheel of one of our Rette Jones Racing race cars,” added Rette. “I think Dylan gets highly overlooked in the industry. He doesn’t have the opportunity to run a full schedule, but he has proven over the years that when he gets in good equipment and has no bad luck, he can be fast and run near the front.
“It’s going to be a competitive field on Friday afternoon, but with Dylan’s road course skills and our confidence in our ARCA program, we should be among the mix for a strong finish.”
While Lupton has just two ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, one in 2016 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and in the fall October race at Kansas Speedway in 2020, he has one prior start in the Finger Lakes at Watkins Glen during the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, when he finished 20th after starting 23rd in an entry fielded by JGL Racing.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Watkins Glen, but I love going up there,” added Lupton. “It’s such a beautiful race track, and the racing is phenomenal. I know the field will be super competitive. Still, I’m just utilizing this race to get some on-track experience to prepare me for additional races later in the year and the opportunity to put Rette Jones Racing back in Victory Lane this season.”
Rette Jones Racing partners Priestly Demolition and Goodridge will serve as associate partners for the 17th ARCA Menards Series race this season, joining the No. 30 Lupton Excavation Ford Mustang livery.
In addition to the team’s limited ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series schedules, RJR will continue to field a full-time ASA STARS National Tour effort for Canadian Kyle Steckly.
Steckly, the son of former NASCAR Canadian Series champion Scott Steckly, stormed to his first career ASA STARS National Tour win at the historic Anderson (Ind.) Speedway for the RedBud 400 on July 20.
For more on Dylan Lupton like him on Facebook (Lupton Racing) and follow him on Instagram(@luptondylan) and X | Twitter (@LuptonDylan).
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 General Tire 100 at Watkins Glen (41 laps | 100.45 miles) is the 17th of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Friday, September 13 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying follows beginning at 3:15 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later that afternoon shortly after 5:00 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) handling the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire day’s festivities.
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