Rette Jones Racing, Kyle Steckly Ready for Midweek Showdown at Owosso Speedway

With confidence in his Rette Jones Racing No. 30 Ford Mustang and lessons learned from the grind of 2024, the Michigan 300 provides another opportunity to showcase speed, execution, and resilience against the tour’s toughest competition.

“Every race this year has thrown something different at us, but this team has never stopped digging,” said Steckly. “We showed at Anderson that we can contend up front, and Owosso gives us another chance to prove that.

“Every race this year has thrown something different at us, but this team has never stopped digging,” said Steckly. “We showed at Anderson that we can contend up front, and I’m excited to get back to Owosso Speedway.

“It’s a fun track and we have shown good speed there. I’m ready to get after it at one of the closest tracks to home for me, and Owosso gives us another chance to prove what we’re capable of.”

Eyeing his second top-five finish of the season in the Wednesday night showdown, Steckly has a laser-focused mission with his Mooresville, N.C.-based team: victory lane.

“I approach returning to Owosso Speedway this weekend as a must-win situation,” explained Steckly. “We need to continue to build off our performance at Anderson Speedway and turn our season around with some consistent runs and be able to race for wins.”

With a sixth-place finish after qualifying on the front row last summer at Owosso Speedway, Steckly believes he’ll be able to quickly get up to speed and dial in a strong race setup that could put him in contention for his second-career ASA STARS National Tour victory.

Last summer’s front-row start and sixth-place finish at Owosso Speedway showed Steckly’s speed, but with the tour entering the final four races of the year, the stakes are higher than ever. He knows speed alone won’t be enough — beating the best will be the real challenge.

“I think our biggest challenge this weekend will be the stiff competition, with guys like Cole Butcher, who has dominated the series this year, as well as the NASCAR Cup Series invaders like Carson (Hocevar),” Steckly said. “They’ve all won at this level and have nothing to lose.”

While Steckly, the son of multi-time NASCAR Canada Series champion Scott Steckly, knows his Rette Jones Racing team has made steady gains throughout their sophomore ASA STARS National Tour season, he has also kept sharp by competing in his home country of Canada, where he has continued to rack up strong results.

Bringing that experience and confidence across the border, Steckly views the final stretch of the ASA calendar as a pivotal opportunity for his Rette Jones Racing team.

“I feel like we are making some progress,” Steckly said. “We have made a lot of progress in Canada and shown a lot of speed. So, we are slowly working to match that speed in the Rette Jones Racing cars and get where we need to be to finish the ASA season.”

Should the team need a boost, Steckly can lean on his Port City Racecars teammates — including NASCAR Cup Series driver and close friends Noah Gragson and Kole Raz — for guidance. That support system not only helps Steckly put himself in contention but also strengthens the effort to deliver strong results across all of the company’s cars.

“We really have four teammates this week with Derek Thorn, Kole Raz, and Noah (Gragson) all in identical Port City Racecars,” Steckly said. “I think it will be great to lean on those guys for ideas and feedback, but when the green flag drops, we all have one goal, and that’s what I’m focused on delivering.”

Still, Steckly won’t be satisfied leaving the small town of Ovid with anything less than a podium finish in the ASA STARS National Tour’s Michigan 300.

“Really, at this point, if we aren’t in contention for the win or running inside the top three, I won’t be satisfied,” Steckly said. “If that’s the case, then we’ll need to go back to work as a group to be better.

“My goals for the rest of the ASA STARS National Tour are to consistently race up front and be in contention for wins. My mindset is to win every single race I go to, no matter what car I’m in, what track it’s at, or where I’m racing.”

Auto Parts Centres (APC) | Canusa will again be featured on Steckly’s No. 30 Ford Mustang this year in ASA STARS National Tour competition.

APC Auto Parts Centres | Canusa is a family-owned automotive parts business started in 1981 with over 65 branches stretching across Ontario. APC’s target market is purely trade-based, supplying garages, specialty installers, dealerships, and muffler shops throughout the province.

Auto Parts Centres takes full advantage of the marketing power of motorsports by sponsoring numerous race cars and speedways around the province. APC is the proud title sponsor in the APC Pro Late Model Touring Series that has been recognized as one of Canada’s top series.

Mark Rette, Steckly’s crew chief and co-owner of Rette Jones Racing, knows how vital Wednesday night is for the No. 30 team. With Steckly’s podium at Anderson providing momentum and his determination to turn solid runs into wins, Rette believes the Michigan 300 is the perfect stage to showcase the strides they’ve made this season.

“This race means a lot to all of us,” Rette said. “Kyle has shown he can run up front — we saw that with his podium at Anderson and even with his speed in Canada this year.

“He’s hungry, and that’s exactly what you want in a driver. If we can keep building on what we’ve learned, I think we’ll be right where Kyle wants to be — in contention for wins and delivering the results this team is capable of.”

In addition to back-to-back APC United Late Model Series championships (2023 – 2024), Steckly’s accolades include seven APC United Late Model Series wins, the 2023 Grisdale Triple Crown Champion and Gold Rush 123 winner, along with multiple podium finishes in the NASCAR Canada Series.

For the second time this season, Rette Jones Racing will field two entries in ASA STARS National Tour competition, with Front Row Motorsports Cup Series driver Noah Gragson set to pilot a second No. 30 Ford Mustang in Wednesday night’s race.

For more on Kyle Steckly, like him on Facebook (Kyle Steckly Racing) and follow him on Instagram (@kyle_steckly) and X | Twitter (@KyleSteckly).

For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing), or follow them on Instagram (@RetteJones30) and X | Twitter (@RetteJones30).

The Michigan 300 will serve as race nine on the Appalachian Sucker Punch ASA STARS National Tour calendar, attracting an elite field that includes national champions, short track standouts and rising stars.

With 300 laps around Owosso’s fast 3/8-mile oval, the race will test both speed and strategy as teams battle for a coveted victory in one of Michigan’s most prestigious races.

Race day for the Michigan 300 is set to deliver a full slate of action on Wednesday, August 20. Final practice for the Appalachian Sucker Punch ASA STARS National Tour competitors is scheduled for 1:00 PM, followed by Qualifying at 5:00 PM.

At 6:00 PM, fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite drivers during an on-track autograph session —just ahead of the green flag for the main event at 7:35 PM ET.

Fans unable to attend in person can watch the races live via TrackTV.com, providing full flag-to-flag event coverage.