OWOSSO, Mich: On the strength of matching their season-best finish in the most recent ASA STARS National Tour race at Newport (Tenn.) Speedway last month, Rette Jones Racing returns to action looking to build on that momentum in Wednesday night’s Michigan 300 at Owosso (Mich.) Speedway.
The encouraging performance at Newport provided a much-needed boost for Rette Jones Racing and driver Casey Roderick, who are determined to capitalize on the progress as the ASA STARS National Tour enters an important stretch of the 2026 season.
With another month of preparation behind them, Roderick and the No. 30 team head to the Great Lakes State focused on continuing their recent gains and taking another step toward becoming a consistent contender at the front of the field.
Much like the previous break in the schedule, Rette Jones Racing has used the downtime to its advantage, continuing to test while thoroughly reviewing data and evaluating areas where the team believes it can make additional gains.
The behind-the-scenes work has renewed optimism throughout the organization that the upcoming stretch of races can produce some of its strongest performances of the 2026 season.
“We definitely made some progress at Newport, and that was encouraging for everyone on this team,” said Roderick. “But we’re not satisfied. We’ve continued to work, test and study everything we can during this break because we know there is still more speed to find.
“I feel like we’re heading into this next stretch in a much better place than we were earlier in the season. Hopefully, Newport was the start of something we can build on. We want this next stretch of races to be our best of the year, and I believe we have the people and the pieces in place to make that happen.”
With three races over the next month, Roderick and the Mark Rette-led organization know the time to deliver results has never been more important.
The team co-owned by former driver Terry Jones and ARCA championship crew chief Rette is determined to showcase its potential, put the early-season hurdles behind it and emerge as a race-winning contender over the final six races of the 2026 season.
The recent progress at Newport, combined with the continued testing and development during the latest break, has only heightened the team’s expectations entering Wednesday night’s Michigan 300.
“This is an important stretch for us,” added Roderick. “We’ve talked a lot about the work we’ve been putting in, but now it’s time to go out there and let our results do the talking. We have three races coming up pretty quickly, and that’s three opportunities for us to continue building on what we showed at Newport.
“Our expectations are high. We want to run up front, lead laps and put ourselves in a position to win races. There are six races left, and that’s plenty of time for us to make some noise and finish this season the way we know we’re capable of.”
Sitting ninth in the championship standings at the halfway point of the season, Roderick and Rette Jones Racing recognize the uphill battle ahead but remain determined to make their presence felt over the final six races.
A charge into the top five in the championship standings by the season finale at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in mid-November would be a significant accomplishment, especially given the adversity and inconsistency the team battled through during the first half of the season.
More importantly, the team isn’t solely measuring success by its position in the standings. Roderick and Rette Jones Racing are focused on becoming a consistent threat for top-five finishes, podium results and, ultimately, a trip to Victory Lane before the checkered flag falls on the 2026 campaign.
“We’re certainly not giving up on anything,” Roderick said. “We know we’ve put ourselves in a difficult position in the standings, but there is still a lot of racing left and a lot that can happen. Our job is to go out there, maximize every race and see where everything falls when we get to New Smyrna.
“If we can spend these final six races running up front, contending for wins and showing the progress we’ve made as a team, I’ll consider that a successful finish to the season. We still have plenty to fight for, and we’re going to fight for every position and every point until the very end.”
Adding to the team’s optimism entering Wednesday night’s Michigan 300 is Rette Jones Racing’s recent success at Owosso Speedway.
The Mooresville, N.C.-based organization returns as the defending ASA STARS National Tour pole winner at the Michigan short track and is prepared to defend that honor while pursuing its second career series victory.
With proven speed at Owosso and encouraging progress at Newport last month, the team believes Wednesday night’s race offers an ideal opportunity to continue its resurgence and further establish itself as a contender in the second half of the season.
For co-car owner and crew chief Mark Rette, the opening half of the season has tested the team’s resolve, but it has done little to diminish his confidence in the program or the people behind it.
With six races down and six to go, Rette believes the progress made through testing, development and continued perseverance has positioned the No. 30 team to make a strong statement during the second half of the campaign.
“We’re obviously not where we expected to be at this point in the season, and nobody inside this organization is satisfied with ninth in the standings,” said Rette. “But I’ve been around this sport long enough to know that you can’t allow frustration to dictate what happens next. You have to keep working, keep learning and keep finding ways to get better.
“I’ve been really proud of how Casey and everyone at Rette Jones Racing have responded. Nobody has given up or stopped believing in what we’re capable of accomplishing. We’ve tested, we’ve looked at the data and we’ve worked extremely hard to identify the areas where we needed to improve.
“Newport was a positive step for us, but we want more. We have six races left to show what this team is capable of, and our goal is to make this second half of the season significantly stronger than the first.
“We want to run up front, contend for wins and climb as high as we possibly can in the standings. There’s still a lot of racing ahead of us, and we’re going to make every one of those opportunities count.”
Port City Racecars, a premier manufacturer of championship-winning chassis and race parts specializing in asphalt short-track racing, will support Roderick’s championship effort in 2026.
The green flag for the Michigan 300 at Owosso (Mich.) Speedway on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Fans unable to attend in person can watch the 300-lap event live on Track TV.
For more on Casey Roderick, like him on Facebook (Casey Roderick Motorsports), follow him on Instagram (@casey__roderick) and X | Twitter (@CaseyRoderick26).
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).
About Rette Jones Racing:
Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the vision of building a competitive racing organization grounded in hard work, preparation and a relentless, never-give-up attitude.
Owned by veteran racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, RJR continues to expand its footprint across multiple platforms.
In 2026, the team plans to field a full-time entry in the ASA STARS National Tour, while also competing in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Euro Series and other motorsports disciplines as part of its continued growth and competitive expansion.
Beyond its on-track efforts, Rette Jones Racing provides technical and setup expertise through its technical alliance partnership program, supplying teams with engineering support, chassis consultation, and race-day insight designed to elevate performance and foster long-term success.