NOTEBOOK: Ryan Roulette balancing his driving and parenting responsibilities at Kansas

This weekend’s racing festivities at Kansas Speedway will be a family affair for Ryan Roulette.

Not only is Roulette set to make his first start on an intermediate track in the ARCA Menards Series with Saturday’s Tide 150, but he is also acting as a mentor for his 6-year-old son Nolan as he takes part in the NASCAR Youth Series event at the facility.

Both members of the Roulette family are still learning about their respective disciplines, but Ryan believes everything is progressing as planned for both and is confident their outing at Kansas will be successful.

“It’s definitely going to be an exciting weekend,” Ryan Roulette said. “Kansas has been circled on our schedule all season, but this will also be my son’s second try at a national event after Las Vegas, where I think we both learned a lot. I’m looking forward to seeing him give it another shot.”

Roulette has worked diligently to get his son involved with racing early in his life. Despite his age, Nolan has already competed in nearly 20 events in the Western part of the United States.

Coaching a 6-year-old racer comes with a plethora of challenges for Roulette, who is trying to apply two decades of motorsports experience in a method that is cohesive for his son. Roulette is focusing on the fundamentals with Nolan, particularly when it comes to driving a quarter-midget in a line and how to properly approach a corner.

For as much of a teacher role Roulette has played with Nolan, he has also been a student on the ARCA Menards Series platform.

Roulette has spent the past several years gradually transitioning from a dirt racing background into full-bodied stock cars on pavement. He currently has six ARCA Menards Series starts to his name, including his drafting track debut at Daytona International Speedway in February.

Now that he has proper track time on both short tracks and superspeedways in an ARCA car, Roulette is ready for what his first intermediate event will provide. The optional pre-race practice session at Kansas on Friday is something Roulette believes will help him find a comfort zone when it comes to off-throttle time and figuring out how to set up passes.

The primary goals for Roulette are to log laps and keep his No. 12 Bellator Recruiting Academy/VFW Ford in one piece for car owner Andy Hillenburg. He also wants to see his son enjoy himself in the NASCAR Youth Series event and come away having learned more about his capabilities behind the wheel.

“I hope we both get to celebrate together in two separate Victory Lanes,” Roulette said. “It would be absolutely awesome, but I’m going to do the best I can with what I have on the big track. I’m going to continue to grow and get better. That’s what I’m looking forward to with my son, as well.

“Hopefully he finishes up front and we can have a great family celebration this weekend.”

Roulette and 25 other ARCA Menards Series competitors will take the green flag for the Tide 150 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET. FS1 will provide live coverage of the on-track action.

Pinnacle Racing Group looks to keep momentum going with Connor Mosack

After finding Victory Lane at Dover Motor Speedway with Connor Zilisch, Pinnacle Racing Group is seeking to win for the second consecutive week.

Connor Mosack will be piloting the team’s No. 28 Chevrolet in Saturday’s Tide 150. Mosack has enjoyed plenty of success at Kansas in the past, having earned his maiden ARCA Menards Series victory there in the fall of 2023.

Despite the lone victory, Mosack has been a consistent contender at the front of the field in his limited ARCA Menards Series appearances. In 2023 alone, Mosack never finished outside the top 10 with Joe Gibbs Racing, scoring four top fives in six starts to go along with his Kansas triumph.

Should Mosack obtain his second ARCA Menards Series win Saturday, he will become the third driver to visit Victory Lane with PRG. Along with Zilisch, Luke Fenhaus won twice with PRG in 2023 on the ARCA platform, which included a victory in the premier division at Iowa Speedway.

The Tide 150 encompasses one part of a busy weekend at Kansas for Mosack. He will also participate in the Heart of America 200 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday evening driving the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports.

Toni Breidinger seeks to improve upon career-best finish

An arduous year of hard work and patience for Toni Breidinger in 2023 culminated with a career-best ARCA Menards Series finish of third at Kansas last fall.

Prior to 2023, Breidinger had yet to record a top five while competing under the Venturini Motorsports banner. The past season proved to be her best on the ARCA platform, as Breidinger secured four top-five performances across her 13 starts.

Additional track time in short-track events around the country played a role in Breidinger’s improvement in 2023, along with the environment surrounding her at Venturini. Among the crew chiefs Breidinger had in 2023 included Cayden Lapcevich, who won the NASCAR Canada Series title in 2016 and is atop her pit box for the Tide 150.

Despite showcasing more consistency, Breidinger has yet to earn a top five in 2024. An early crash in the season-opener at Daytona put Breidinger behind in the point standings, a deficit that was further hindered by a late accident last Friday at Dover Motor Speedway.

Breidinger returns to Kansas looking to build momentum over the rest of 2024 by rebounding from her early crashes and gaining back precious ground in the standings.

NOTES:

• De Soto, Kansas native Mandy Chick is back with the ARCA Menards Series at her home track this weekend after a crash eliminated her at Daytona International Speedway to open the season. In two appearances at Kansas Speedway last year, Chick recorded finishes of 12^th and ninth, respectively.
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Dean Thompson joins the Venturini Motorsports armada for Saturday’s Tide 150. Thompson excelled in his limited starts with Venturini in 2023 by tallying three top-tive finishes, one of which was a runner-up to Jesse Love in the spring Kansas race.
• Reaume Brothers Racing is fielding an ARCA Menards Series car this weekend for their full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Lawless Alan. The only prior appearance Alan has in the premier ARCA division came in 2020 at Phoenix Raceway, where he ended up finishing ninth.
• ARCA Menards Series veteran Will Kimmel is returning to the driver’s seat for Saturday’s Tide 150, driving his own No. 68 Ford. Kimmel’s most recent attempt at Kansas came in 2022 as a substitute for the injured Scott Melton, scoring himself a solid sixth-place finish in the process.