Dominique Van Wieringen at 9:10 pm ET on Thursday, March 24, 2016 Photo – Courtesy RJR

Dominique Van Wieringen is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR Weekend Preview on Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 9:10 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite @beberly18 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

Every racer sets their sights on advancing to the highest level of their sport and for NASCAR K&N East driver, Dominique Van Wieringen, that means racing within NASCAR’s top-three national series. Just wishing to advance one’s career is, of course, not enough. In this case, it takes having talent and skill behind the wheel and in most cases working hard to capture the eye the right people who will support that goal as their own as well. Van Wieringen has turned heads throughout her career and this season she is one of three women competitors,in the K&N East Series for fans to watch.

At just 20 years of age, Van Wieringen has 14 years of racing experience, and along the way she’s collected some impressive accomplishments which include becoming  the first female to lead a lap in the CRA/JEGS All-Star Series and the first rookie to win a JEGS/CRA All-Star Series points race. Van Wieringen was also the first female to win an Outlaw Super Late Model championship in the United States, while holding the current record at Winchester Speedway for the most laps led of 74 by a female competitor.

Originally from Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada, Van Wieringen now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina in pursuit of her dreams and doing what she can to make those dreams come true. While on the weekend she is chasing the K&N East championship title with Rette Jones Racing, along with Rookie of the Year honors, during the week, Van Wieringen is a Junior year student at University of North Carolina – Charlotte. Her field of study shows how serious she is about advancing her career as she is working toward a mechanical engineering degree with a minor in motorsports engineering.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity from Rette Jones Racing and the chance to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this season,” says Van Wieringen. “I’m up for the challenges that come with an advancement to the K&N Pro Series East, but with the support of Mark (Rette co-owner), Terry (Jones, co-owner) and the rest of the RJR team, I’m excited for the future.”

Piloting the No. 30 Ford Fusion with Rette Jones Racing so far this season, Van Wieringen has a top-ten finish in the K&N East opener at New Smyrna Speedway in February. Before the race, she qualified third, the highest mark for a female driver in the series’ 30 years of competition.

In the second event at Mobile International Speedway earlier this month, Van Wieringen set two series records in the Mobile 150 before a lap 146 spinout resulted in a 20th place finish. A second-place qualifying run broke her own mark for a female, and after she took the lead from Spencer Davis on the first start, the Canadian led the first 29 laps. No female driver has led more than four laps in a race in the 30-year history of the series’

Rette Jones Racing  is jointly owned by racers Mark Rette and driver Terry Jones and they’re happy about their partnership with Van Wieringen for several reasons.

“I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are for this partnership with Dominique,” says Rette. “She brings an enormous racing background to the Rette Jones Racing team, while also showing the eagerness to learn and showcase not only her talent, but the capabilities of Rette Jones Racing.

“We’re equally proud to have a driver from Canada, actually right from Terry’s hometown, where she’ll not only bring a unique fan base to a full-time presence in the United States, but continue to be a successful role model in two countries. It’s a win-win situation for Rette Jones Racing.”

In addition to Van Wieringen, there are two other women competing in the K&N East this season including, Ali Kern with Rev Racing and Sarah Cornett-Ching with Racing 101, making this season one to watch for more broken records.

The K&N East are at South Carolina’s Greenville-Pickens Speedway on Saturday, March 26th at 7 pm ET.  NBC Sports Network is broadcasting the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 on Saturday, April 2nd at 7:30 pm ET.