BlackJack Racing Driver Development Program partners with Troy Rave and the Ho-Chunk Nation 03-19-2010 - Troy Rave and the Ho-Chunk Nation have partnered with the BlackJack Racing Driver Development Program to put Rave on the path to NASCAR. Under the BlackJack Racing banner, Rave, a 21 year old Ho-Chunk Nation member and third generation racer, will compete in the Big 8 Series, a touring series and at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Late Models. In 2007, Rave won four events at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in the Sportsmen division. Rave will be under the guidance of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dexter Bean. The ultimate goal for Rave is to end up in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity, which according to NASCAR is the industry’s leading development program for minority and female drivers and crew members. His on-track experience and development will help prepare him for competing in the 2011 Drive for Diversity. “I am ecstatic to be driving for a top caliber team with support from the Ho-Chunk Nation,” said Rave, driver of the No. 71 Ho-Chunk Late Model. “I hope to be a role model for the youth of the Ho-Chunk Nation and show them we can be successful in racing even though we are a minority.” It was for those reasons the young Ho-Chunk Nation member received the financial backing of his tribe. “I felt we were making an investment in Mr. Rave,” said Dan Brown, Ho-Chunk Nation Vice President. The Wisconsin based nation was also supportive of his goal to Drive for Diversity. According to www.drivefordiversity.info, for the 2010 season, 10 chosen competitors from the Drive for Diversity Combine have been relocated to Charlotte and have entered an “academy style” development under a single team ownership structure. These minority and female drivers will compete on four NASCAR Camping World Series teams and six NASCAR Whelen All-American Series teams. Since its inception in 2004, 31 drivers have competed through Drive for Diversity, winning 34 races. Return to Latest News