Amber Balcaen will run the full 2022 ARCA Menards Series season for Rette Jones Racing, the team announced Jan. 3.
ICON Direct will sponsor Balcaen’s 20-race effort in the No. 30 Ford.
“It is really special for me as a Canadian competing in the United States to be representing all Canadian companies on my car with Rette Jones Racing,” Balcaen said in a team release. “To have the hometown support is amazing. I couldn’t do this without them.
“Racing in NASCAR’s national ARCA Menards Series has always been my dream. To compete at historic tracks like Daytona [International Speedway] and Talladega [Superspeedway] is something I have visualized for years. I have dedicated the last eight years, working hard to make this dream become reality, and I cannot be more excited to live it.”
The season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway will mark Balcaen’s debut in the main ARCA series. In 2021, she drove three races in the ARCA Menards Series West for Bill McAnally Racing, with her best finish of 11th at Irwindale Speedway.
“Everyone at Rette Jones Racing is excited about the 2022 ARCA Menards Series season,” team co-owner Mark Rette said. “As a company, we are thrilled to return to the premier ARCA Menards Series on a full-time basis, and we look forward to the opportunity to strengthen Amber’s craft as a driver in a series that has always provided a lot of diversity.
“Our goals for the season are obtainable, and we look forward to producing the results we know that we are capable of and giving Amber a shot at the ARCA Menards Series championship.”
RJR fielded a car in a part-time main-series ARCA schedule in 2021, winning one race with Landen Lewis at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
About the author
Rutherford is the managing editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2015 after serving on the editing staff for two years. At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.
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