Lanie Buice
(Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Lanie Buice’s ARCA debut is an imposing-but-fun challenge in the East Series race at Rockingham Speedway

www.arcaracing.com April 17, 2025

Ever since she joined NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Driver Development program in 2024, Lanie Buice has worked hard and waited patiently for her first start on the ARCA Menards Series platform.

She never imagined the opportunity would arrive at a historic facility like Rockingham Speedway.

On Saturday, Buice and more than two dozen other competitors will participate in Rockingham’s first ARCA Menards Series East event since 2012. Buice will pilot one of three Rev Racing cars in the Rockingham ARCA 125; she will be joined by Lavar Scott and Eloy Sebastián López Falcón, the latter of whom is also making his series debut.

Having never raced on a track larger than three quarters of a mile in length, Buice anticipates a learning curve on Rockingham’s fast, one-mile layout. But she is not letting the unknowns quell the excitement she has for her East Series debut and the opportunity to help revive the track’s proud racing heritage.

“It’s a surreal moment in general,” Buice said. “I’m super excited for it, but I never thought Rockingham would come back up again. It’s a great place that brought a lot of great racing back in the day, so I’m excited to be part of the first group that goes [back] there.

“But it’s also my ARCA debut, and that’s pretty cool.”

Buice first applied for the Drive for Diversity program in 2022. Although she was not selected for that year’s combine, she kept her focus on refining her race craft in Late Model Stocks, where she emerged as a frontrunner at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway by scoring 11 top fives and a second-place points finish during the 2023 season.

Now armed with more experience and confidence, Buice qualified for the Drive for Diversity combine at the end of 2023 and successfully made the final roster. Under the Rev Racing banner, Buice grew her knowledge in Late Model Stocks by branching out to tracks like Hickory Motor Speedway, Wake County Speedway and Ace Speedway in North Carolina.

When Buice was not in a Late Model Stock, she frequently accompanied Rev Racing to ARCA Menards Series events around the country. Those trips were invaluable for Buice in many regards, as she got to observe the cars up close while absorbing plenty of information from Scott and 2024 series champion Andres Perez.

Having been engrained with Drive for Diversity and Rev Racing over the past year, Buice has never felt more confident in her ability. She knew relentless commitment on and off track would be imperative if she wanted to one day be an ARCA Menards Series competitor like Perez, Scott or the successful Drive for Diversity alumni before them.

“[Drive for Diversity] has been a phenomenal program for me,” Buice said. “It’s given me the opportunity to move to North Carolina, be more involved in racing and more engaged with the shop learning every single day of the week. I’m in the shop from 8 [a.m.] to about 3 [p.m.] every day. They are always trying to push me to the next level and continue to develop me.

“I feel prepared for this weekend because I’ve been given all the resources to be prepared for it.”

Lanie Buice
Lanie Buice has worked relentlessly to ensure she is ready for her ARCA Menards Series East debut at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday. (Photo: James Gilbert)

One part of the Rockingham planning process for Buice was her participation in the annual ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway in January. Even though Rockingham will be much different than Daytona, Buice said the laps made during the session gave her a baseline understanding of what to expect from the car.

Along with the Daytona practice and copious hours in the simulator on which to rely, Buice has reached out to people outside the Rev Racing shop for input on how to navigate Rockingham. She corresponded with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, who accumulated 13 victories between the Cup and Xfinity Series at the facility during his career.

Martin advised Buice on how the fresh surface at Rockingham will create a different type of race Saturday compared to the ones he experienced. Despite this, Buice appreciated every piece of advice Martin offered and intends to utilize those points as she gets acclimated to Rockingham throughout the weekend.

“Everybody knows [Mark] is one of the best of the best,” Buice said. “I spoke to him a little bit about [Rockingham]. There’s only so much he can help me with, but he said the place is really fast and is going to be one groove.

“He wanted me to be prepared for how fast it’s going to feel, but he was pretty excited for me, that’s for sure.”

The significance of both the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR being at Rockingham is not lost on Buice. She never attended an event at Rockingham when the facility last hosted major events from 2008-13 but Buice understands how special the track remains. She’s honored to be among the drivers chasing one of three checkered flags.

Buice said the equipment provided by Rev Racing is more than capable of contending for a victory, but gaining experience is her key objective. Any firsthand knowledge Rockingham can provide is something Buice knows will be beneficial ahead of planned starts at other intermediate tracks like Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Even though Saturday is her ARCA Menards Series platform debut, Buice does not want to just be present at Rockingham. With determination and Rev Racing’s guidance at her disposal, she wants to make a strong first impression in front of a packed Rockingham grandstand.

“I like to shoot high,” Buice said. “The entry list is pretty stout, so if I can pull away a top seven or top eight, I would be really happy, but I’m expecting a little better than that.

“Honestly, if I had to put anything on the weekend, I’d want to finish all the laps and show people that I’m deserving of the opportunity I’m getting.”

Reaching the ARCA Menards Series is a moment Buice has anticipated long before joining Drive for Diversity. She does not intend to waste it when the green flag waves at Rockingham on Saturday afternoon.