Nearly all the oval tracks in Regina Sirvent’s home country of Mexico pale in comparison to the size and high speeds of Michigan International Speedway.
The two-mile complex, which has hosted a plethora of NASCAR and IndyCar Series races during its lifespan, is where Sirvent will make her ARCA Menards Series debut this weekend in the Henry Ford Health 200. Sirvent is teaming up with Kimmel Racing for Friday’s race, driving the No. 68 Ford with sponsorship from Por Amor A Puebla.
Seeing Kimmel Racing earn a pole during the most recent ARCA Menards Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway boosted Sirvent’s optimism ahead of her first start. While she anticipates a learning curve, Sirvent believes she has everything necessary to make a strong first impression at Michigan.
“I’m really, really excited,” Sirvent said. “This is a big opportunity for me, and it has been my dream to be in one of the national series since I was a little girl. I have raced NASCAR Mexico and Late Models for a long time, so I feel ready for these new challenges. I think I’m with a very good team that will back me up and teach me a lot.
“I want to learn as much as I can to go strong into the next one.”
The inspiration behind Sirvent’s journey to the United States is her grandfather José, an accomplished rally racer who won the Campeonato Mexicano de Rally in 1974.
José passed down his love for cars and motorsports to Sirvent and provided his granddaughter her first go-kart at the age of nine. Sirvent quickly found a comfort zone with the go-kart and was compelled to one day follow in José’s footsteps as a successful competitor in her own regard.
Instead of rally racing, Sirvent decided she wanted to pursue a path in stock car competition, primarily due to the growing presence of NASCAR in Mexico. Sirvent took a major step toward accomplishing that goal in 2017, when she became a full-time driver in the Trucks Mexico Series.
Sirvent spent the next three years gradually learning more about the Trucks Mexico Series and how to race at so many different tracks, which culminated into her best overall season in 2020. Two victories and three additional top fives enabled Sirvent to finish third in the point standings behind a future ARCA Menards Series champion in Andres Perez.
As Sirvent was racking up solid results that year, the idea of a racing future across the border in the United States crossed her mind. She and many of her fellow competitors talked about the NASCAR Driver Development Program (formerly known as Drive for Diversity) and how it helped jumpstart the career of fellow Mexican driver Daniel Suarez.
Having first applied for the Driver Development Program in 2019, Sirvent remained optimistic she would one day follow the same route Suarez took into his current NASCAR Cup Series ride.
“Everyone was talking about [the NASCAR Driver Development Program],” Sirvent said. “We all knew the program because of Daniel Suarez and all the stories he had with Rev [Racing], [which included] winning his first race with them. At the end of the day, we all want to get to the Cup Series.
“We thought the best [way] to make [that happen] was through Rev and their development program.”
Sirvent got herself familiar with Rev Racing in 2020 by competing in one of their Legends cars in the Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Not long after finishing up her strong Trucks Mexico Series campaign, Sirvent received some long-awaited news: She would be a part of the 2021 Driver Development Program class.
Since then, Sirvent has continued to gain experience on short tracks in the U.S., all while maintaining an active present in the NASCAR Mexico Challenge Series. Sirvent’s journey took her to Daytona International Speedway in January for the annual ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice, where she turned laps in the No. 3 Chevrolet for Mullins Racing.
The original plan for Sirvent’s ARCA Menards Series debut involved her teaming back up with Mullins Racing at Michigan. When Willie and Dinah Mullins were unable to field a car for the Henry Ford Health 200, they reached out to Will Kimmel about having Sirvent drive his No. 68, an offer he accepted.
As a part-time owner in the ARCA Menards Series, Kimmel is always looking for ways to keep his program sustainable. With Sirvent bringing sponsorship to his car, Kimmel said he can devote more time to focusing on the Henry Ford Health 200 and ensuring his driver has everything necessary to be successful.
“We’ve been wanting to get the rental aspect of this going more than we have in the past,” Kimmel said. “I have to thank Dinah and Willie Mullins for giving me this opportunity to work with Regina. I appreciate them trusting us with her, but I’m excited for this. I’m anxious to get to the track and work with her.”
Kimmel remarked that Michigan is going to be much different from any facility Sirvent has competed at in numerous regards. Michigan offers minimal off-throttle time compared to the short tracks of the U.S. and Mexico, which Kimmel knows can be an immense challenge for any driver, especially for someone in their ARCA Menards Series debut.
With limited practice time at Sirvent’s disposal to familiarize herself with Michigan, Kimmel is keeping his goals for her simple. By logging laps and effectively communicating on what she needs, Kimmel believes Sirvent can enjoy a solid debut weekend and build confidence over her upcoming starts with his team.
“You have to remind yourself to breathe, relax and hit your marks,” Kimmel said. “You have to know what your car is capable of and not ask too much. I tested this car at Kansas to prepare for Charlotte because intermediates are such a different animal than what we normally run with the throttle we carry. When we unloaded at Charlotte, I was ready to go.
“[Sirvent] didn’t have that luxury, so that’s why I’m trying to shorten the learning curve and tell her what she’s going to be in for at this type of track.”
Among the people assisting Sirvent in her first ARCA Menards Series start is Chris Lambert, who spots for Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR Cup Series. The knowledge Lambert and Kimmel offer is why Sirvent believes she can properly adjust to the ARCA Menards Series cars and keep pace with the leaders on Friday.
When Sirvent was a member of the Driver Development Program, she witnessed Rev Racing earn two ARCA Menards Series titles with Perez and Nick Sanchez, both of whom now compete in NASCAR’s national divisions. Being around Rev Racing’s winning culture prepared Sirvent for the day she would inevitably make her maiden ARCA Menards Series start.
Now Sirvent has a chance to showcase everything Rev Racing and her grandfather José taught her on a U.S. national stage when the green flag waves for Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200. The road to this point in Sirvent’s career has been a meticulous one, so she intends to make the most of the chance to compete at one of the U.S.’s most historic complexes.
“Talking to my friends and other drivers, everyone has told me a top 10 would be a really good result, especially for my first race,” Sirvent said. “We are all here to enjoy the race, so if I manage to enjoy and learn, then we succeeded.”
If everything goes according to plan for Sirvent at Michigan, she will reunite with Kimmel at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Iowa Speedway later this year. With each upcoming start, Sirvent intends to gain experience and sustain her dream of being an accomplished driver just like her grandfather.
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