ANDERSON, Ind: One year later.
It’s been a whole year since Rette Jones Racing and Kyle Steckly celebrated their first career ASA STARS National Tour victory in the prestigious Red Bud 400 at Anderson Speedway.
Now, as they return to the high-banked quarter mile this weekend, the team is focused on defending their title and reigniting momentum as the 2025 season begins its final stretch.
It’s been five weeks since Kyle Steckly last climbed behind the wheel of his No. 30 Ford Mustang, eager to find some light at the end of a challenging season.
Despite showing the speed to contend for top-five finishes, the team has faced its share of frustration — derailed by a mechanical failure at Madison International Speedway and a late-race accident at Slinger Speedway in their most recent ASA STARS National Tour starts.
In the meantime, Steckly returned home to Canada, where he’s been on a tear, racking up strong finishes and celebrating victories in Super Late Model competition north of the border.
Feeling refreshed and recharged, Steckly returns to Anderson Speedway this weekend, knowing the quarter-mile bullring might be exactly what the doctor ordered to reignite the team’s sophomore ASA STARS National Tour campaign.
“I’m excited to get back to Anderson,” said Steckly. “We obviously had success there last year and it’s a really fun little bullring. Hopefully, we can bring the same speed back there this year.”
Carrying the confidence from his recent success at home, Steckly is hopeful he can apply those fundamentals on track this weekend — and throughout the remainder of the season — to help flip the script for the Rette Jones Racing team.
“I am returning to Anderson with confidence in myself and my team,” added Steckly. “We had great speed there last year. I’ve been running really strong up north and we have applied some new things to our Port City Racecars that hopefully make us even better than last year.”
One noticeable difference between Steckly’s rookie campaign and the 2025 season has been the heightened level of competition on the ASA STARS National Tour. With lap times separated by mere thousandths of a second, Steckly knows he and his team will need to bring their A-game — not just this weekend, but every race through the remainder of the season.
The competition of the ASA National tour this year has been through the roof, and we’ve been working hard to get back to where we finished last year,” explained Steckly. “Hopefully, we can do that this weekend.
“This season has been a grind. I’m proud of how hard everyone around me has worked to try to get to where we need to be. I feel we have made solid progress and am looking forward to showing that off this weekend.”
For the first time this season, Rette Jones Racing will field two entries in ASA STARS National Tour competition, with ARCA Menards Series competitor Kole Raz set to pilot a second No. 30 Ford Mustang in Saturday night’s race.
The addition of a teammate brings a wave of positivity to the organization, and Steckly is hopeful that having Raz alongside him will open the door to even greater success for the entire team.
“Having Kole as a teammate this weekend is really exciting,” sounded Steckly. “Usually being the only Port City chassis at the track, it makes it challenging at times, but having two Rette Jones Racing cars at the track will be really nice to bounce ideas off and grow our program.
“Obviously, we have a really good base at Anderson, so it won’t be as big as some of the tracks we have struggled with. Having two cars adds a lot to the team, so hopefully, we have everything in place to ensure our No. 30 APC Auto Parts Centres Ford team can stay focused on what we have achieved all year and contend for the win.”
While a repeat victory in the Red Bud 400 remains the ultimate goal, Steckly admitted he’d be satisfied with a solid top-five finish — especially given the challenges the team has faced throughout the season.
“I’m definitely hoping for a top-five this weekend,” said Steckly. “We’ve had some really tough luck this year and have shown signs of speed but haven’t put a complete race together yet. Hopefully, we can complete 400 laps and be there at the end.”
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, understands the significance of this weekend for his Mooresville, N.C.-based team and is determined to deliver the kind of results they’ve come to expect.
“This race means a lot to all of us,” Rette said. “It was a huge moment for our team last year, and we’ve been working hard to put ourselves in a position to do it again. Kyle has grown so much as a driver, and with everything we’ve learned this season, I think we’re ready to show just how strong this program really is.”
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 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).
Race day for the 59th annual Redbud 400 is set to deliver a full slate of action on Saturday, July 26. Final practice for the Appalachian Sucker Punch ASA STARS National Tour competitors is scheduled for 2:00 PM, followed by CorvetteParts.net Pole Qualifying at 6:00 PM.
At 6:30 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 400-lap main event at 7:35 PM ET.
With weather potentially impacting this weekend’s schedule at Anderson Speedway, series officials have designated a rain date of Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch the races live via TrackTV.com, providing full flag-to-flag event coverage.
About Auto Parts Centres (APC) | Canusa:
Auto Parts Centres (APC) | 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.
About Rette Jones Racing:
Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the mission of building a competitive racing organization grounded in hard work, perseverance, and a racer’s mentality.
Owned by veteran racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, the team is set to field full-time entries in both the 2025 ASA STARS National Tour and the NASCAR Euro Series.
Additionally, RJR plans to compete in select events across the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR national series platforms.
Beyond its own racing efforts, Rette Jones Racing provides technical support and setup intelligence through its growing technical alliance partnership program.