Rev Racing’s Ruben Garcia Jr Looking for a Breakthrough at Bristol

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Ruben Garcia Jr on Fan4Racing Radio, Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 9 pm ET. Photo – Mike Comer/Getty Images

Ruben Garcia Jr is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR Weekend Preview, Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

Now in his third season with Rev Racing, Ruben Garcia Jr is taking on a leadership role with their Drive for Diversity program.  He’s the 2015 NASCAR Mexico Series champion and a current member of the NASCAR Next initiative along with his teammates Chase Cabre and Ryan Vargas. But this weekend, the rising star of NASCAR has his focus on improving his runner-up finish last year at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. 

Garcia finished second last season to Harrison Burton and after a rough start to this season at New Smyrna Speedway with electrical issues in February, Garcia is looking for a breakthrough at Bristol this weekend.

“I am really excited to go back to Bristol after our strong run last year,” says Garcia.  “It really is one of the tracks I look forward to on the schedule.  We will work hard to get one spot better this time and take home the checkered.”

Last season, Garcia finished fifth in the overall point standings earning three top-fives, nine top-tens, and one pole at Iowa Speedway and wants to improve his overall ranking as this season progresses.

NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series is usually competitive, but this weekend it seems more so with several NASCAR Next drivers, both current and alumnus on the entry list. In addition to Garcia’s teammates Cabre and Vargas, last season’s champions, Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland are racing along with Hailie Deegan with Bill McAnally Racing. Other NASCAR Next alumnus includes NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers, Noah Gragson, Spencer Davis, and Brandon McReynolds who is often involved in the K&N Pro Series broadcasts on NBCSN.

The K&N East usually attracts a strong international contingent, dating back to their first race at Bristol in 2012, won by Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. In addition to 2015 NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series champion Garcia, Saturday’s field will include Mexico’s Juan Manuel Gonzalez and Brazilian Marcos Gomes. Gonzalez, who made his K&N Pro Series debut at New Smyrna, will pilot the No. 5 Illux/Telcel/NextGen Toyota. The 18-year-old also ran the NASCAR FedEx Challenge Series opener last month at Monterrey. Gomes, 33, is from Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, where he was the 2015 Stock Car Brasil champion.

The K&N Pro Series East races the Zombie Auto 150 on Saturday, April 14th with the race broadcast on NBCSN on Friday, April 20th. Fans can follow the action on track via Race Central at NASCAR Hometracks website.