After what was an eventful race weekend at Kansas Speedway, Ryan Roulette is set to return to the Fast Track No. 12 this weekend for the General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This one means a little extra though with the Memorial Day holiday coming up.
“Kansas was a great test for our organization. We had a right rear tire go down on us on lap 5 of the race which didn’t result in any significant damage to the car. We fell to the back of the pack and our team started to find pace prior to the break. Our Crew Chief, Jeremy Petty, made some critical adjustments on lap 50 and we really found our groove in the second half bringing us up to 17th,” Roulette said about his time at Kansas.
Roulette had only run the superspeedways and short tracks up to the 1.5-mile intermediate.
“We knew going in that this would be different in how we would play defense, protect our race lines, keep the clean air on our car, and we would go on the offensive. Late in the race, we put ourselves in a disadvantageous position that we learned from and were able to continue to fight another day.”
Now, heading into North Carolina and the holiday, he and the team are ready to fight again.
“Originally known as Decoration Day following the Civil War, it became an official holiday for all of us in 1971. It is a National Day of Observance for our country as we acknowledge the greatest of sacrifices of our men and women in the armed services. This weekend is very special to our organization. Not only do I serve in the Armed Forces, but we also have three Veterans who are a part of our crew,” the active Air Force Pilot said.
“Our Fast Track Racing #12 VFW Ford is brandished in Red, White, and Blue. The metallic vibrant number 12 is in all gold in recognition of our country’s Gold Star Families. Above the passenger door rides the Callsign Torqe 62, a C-130J that had a tragic accident on departure from Jalalabad, Afghanistan on October 2nd, 2015. The crew was not only Squadron members of mine but also my friends. We ride together in remembrance at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Memorial Day Weekend.”
Joining him as part of the crew for the No. 12 is local VFW member eil McSwain, who enlisted in the Navy in 2002 and was assigned to the USS John F Kennedy aircraft carrier where he served on the flight deck for Launch and Recovery, and worked in Military Police where he was stationed in Italy assigned to a small boat unit patrolling waterways throughout the Mediterranean Sea.
“He and his wife, Kyrie, have three beautiful daughters together. We are excited to have Neil and his family with us this weekend,” Roulette added.
You can catch Roulette in his newly painted Fast Track No. 12 on track this Friday, live on FS1 at 6PM EST.
