It’s set to be a major weekend for Minot, North Dakota-native Ryan Roulette, who will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 67 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Freedom Racing Enterprises.
Roulette, a veteran of 15 starts in the ARCA Menards Series, will be making his first-ever venture into NASCAR’s National Series this weekend, marking a major step in the racing career of the United States Air Force B-52 Pilot.
Momentum is very much on the side of the 39-year-old driver heading into the weekend, who avoided the chaos of the ARCA Menards Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway to finish ninth, in his first start for the newly-formed Maples Motorsports.
“We had a great run in our ARCA [Menards Series] opener this year, finishing ninth at Daytona International Speedway. It was a hard-fought day for our team, starting the race back in the garage with a battery issue,” said Roulette. “But in the end, we were able to find success for our No. 67 VFW car.”
With his sights set to Friday’s Boys and Girls Club of The Blue Ridge 200 at Martinsville Speedway, Roulette is ready to tackle the half-mile paperclip with everything he’s got. With only 35 trucks on the preliminary entry list, the Truck Series debutant is guaranteed a spot in the field, no matter what.
The 200-lap contest marks the first of three scheduled starts for Roulette with Freedom Racing Enterprises – with the two other dates to be announced at a later date.
“We released earlier this year that our partnership with Spencer Boyd and Freedom Racing Enterprises has us at the track three times this year with the team in the No. 67 Truck. Martinsville will be our first race together,” Roulette said.
“Spencer and the team at FRE have been instrumental in helping me to put this deal together and have been amazing to work with as we prepare to take on the paperclip this week. I can’t think of a better place for someone with my extensive background to make their debut in the series. This is a huge step for me to say the least and I am very thankful for multiple partners coming on board this season to make this a reality.”
Among the partners that have made this jump into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series possible for this season are Bellator Recruiting Academy, Chillout Motorsports, SAVE22, Driver Sunglasses, and Old Glory Bank. VFW, a long-time partner of Roulette will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 67.
Coming along for Roulette’s debut ride in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is Mitchell L. Rubenstein, VFW Department of Virginia State Commander. Rubenstein joined the Army in 1981 and served as an Airborne MP Explosive Detective Dog handler with the 118th Military Police Company (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Rubenstein deployed during “Operation Urgent Fury” in Grenada in 1983, and went on to retire after 21 years of service as Command Sergeant Major. Mitchell and his wife Suzanna, a Life Member of the VFW and a retired CSM, enjoy time with their children Casey and Sidney, who are also VFW Auxiliary members.
Roulette will take on the tricky half-mile paperclip on Friday, March 28, with coverage of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event happening at 7:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1, the NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
