NASCAR Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next driver Ryan Gifford returns to the NASCAR Nationwide Series May race at Iowa Speedway with Biagi-DenBeste Racing after securing a ninth-place finish in his national series debut last August. Gifford will pilot the #98 Carroll Shelby Engine Co. Ford on May 18 and June 27 at Kentucky Speedway with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation. The partnership joins an up-and-coming driver with a veteran race team as Gifford climbs the racing-career ladder. The 25-year-old earned his first NASCAR win last year racing in the K&N Pro Series East, where he has raced for five seasons. He made history in 2010, becoming the first African-American to win a K&N East pole. The upcoming Iowa start will be his first with Biagi-DenBeste. The Winchester, Tenn., native is a current member of NASCAR Drive for Diversity, an academy-style youth development program for multicultural and female drivers, and NASCAR Next, a program rooted in identifying future stars of the sport across NASCAR’s regional and touring series. Gifford’s two races in the Biagi-DenBeste Ford Mustang will promote the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, created by ‘Dirty Jobs’ TV host Mike Rowe. The mrW Foundation promotes hard work and supports the skilled trades, primarily by awarding scholarships and providing other assistance to men and women who have illustrated both an interest and an aptitude to master a trade. mikeroweWORKS has created more than $1.6 million in education scholarships with schools around the country.(Biagi-DenBeste Racing), see an image of the car on the #98 team paint schemes page.(5-1-2014)
UPDATE: On Sunday, May 18th, Ryan Gifford will sport a Wendell Scott Hall of Fame Nomination decal on the #98 Biagi-DenBeste Ford Mustang at Iowa Motor Speedway. Scott, the only one African-American in NASCAR win a race in what is now considered the Sprint Cup Series, has continued to be an inspiration to minority drivers in the sport. ‘Both myself and Biagi-DenBeste Racing feel honored to be driving the #98 car in support of Wendell Scott’s life and accomplishments. Being a part of the Drive for Diversity Program has opened a lot of opportunities for me. I will continue to be inspired by Scott and focus on making my own history in the sport,’ said Gifford.(Rev Racing)(5-15-2014)
