Three current Legends and Bandolero drivers have been named to the 2024 class of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. Nathan Lyons, Cassidy Keitt, and LaQuan McCoy Jr. were announced Monday as part of the 20th class in the program’s history.
For the full NASCAR press release, see below. Image credit: NASCAR
NASCAR, Rev Racing announce 20th NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Class
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Today, NASCAR and Rev Racing announced the drivers participating in 2024’s class of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. The drivers were evaluated and selected after partaking in the Advance Auto Parts Drive for Diversity Combine held in Concord, North Carolina and Florence, South Carolina.
Andrés Pérez de Lara, Lavar Scott, Nathan Lyons, Regina Sirvent, and Eloy Sebastián López Falcón will return to the program next year. Lanie Buice, TJ DeCaire, Cassidy Keitt, and LaQuan McCoy Jr. will make their debut in 2024.
“Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program and we’re celebrating this milestone by welcoming a very talented group of drivers,” said Brandon Thompson, NASCAR’s vice president of diversity and inclusion. “We’re confident that next year’s group of drivers will continue elevating the depth of our talent pool and we’re thrilled to play a role in their development.”
The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program was created in 2004 to develop and train top drivers from diverse backgrounds and experiences, both on and off the track. Rev Racing, which operates the program, brings together championship-caliber executives, competition staff and equipment in a unique academy-style environment. The team, owned by Max and Jennifer Siegel, is based in Concord, North Carolina.
“We are extremely energized by the talent we saw this past November at the Combine,” Max Siegel said. “From returning drivers to new participants in our program, we look forward to the season ahead and the development of this pipeline of NASCAR’s future stars. We’re proud of our accomplishments since the program’s inception and our expansion into the national series in 2023. We are poised for continued success with this next driver class, as we remain committed to being a championship-contending team and one of the premier development programs in NASCAR.”
Since the program’s inception, several graduates have moved on to compete at the national series level, achieving important milestones. Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suárez currently race in the NASCAR Cup Series, and all three have left their mark in the history books.
Larson is the first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship. The Northern California native of Japanese descent won the 2012 K&N Pro Series (now ARCA Menards Series) Championship with Rev Racing. Currently, he’s the only Asian-American driver competing regularly in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Suárez made history in 2022, becoming the first Mexican-born driver to win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series. A trailblazer in NASCAR, Suárez also made his mark in the sport when he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2016. In 2023, Suárez completed his third season driving for Trackhouse Racing, a team owned by Justin Marks and Pitbull.
Wallace is the first Black driver to win multiple Cup Series races. In 2023, he finished his third season contending for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with the 23XI Racing team, owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.
Nick Sanchez, who participated in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program from 2017-2022 and won the 2022 ARCA Menards Series Championship with Rev Racing, advanced to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2023. Sanchez drove the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet for Rev Racing with its technical alliance partner, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM), finished sixth in points this season and was named the 2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Rookie of the Year.
Rajah Caruth also graduated from the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program and competed full-time this season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, driving the No. 24 for GMS Racing. Caruth is a prominent iRacer who made his transition to the track in 2019.
The 2024 class features the following drivers:
Andrés Pérez de Lara – ARCA Menards Series: The Mexico City, Mexico, native, 18, returns to Rev Racing for his third season after earning five top fives in the ARCA Menards Series. He also competes in the NASCAR México Series and was named the 2023 Rookie of the Year. He is the 2022 NASCAR México Challenge Champion.
Lavar Scott – ARCA Menards Series: The 20-year-old from Carney’s Pointe, New Jersey, returns to Rev Racing after earning five top fives in the ARCA Menards Series East. He secured first place at Hickory Motor Speedway and his first career win in the Trucks México Series at Autódromo de Querétaro in Mexico in 2021.
Nathan Lyons – INEX Legend Car Series: The 14-year-old originally from Texas, moved to Concord, North Carolina, to pursue his dream to race in NASCAR. Lyons most recently finished his first season in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program with Rev Racing. Lyons secured the pole and a first-place finish in a U.S. Legend Car during the Cookout Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Lyons received the 2023 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards Youth Racer Award and a third-place finish in the 2023 Cookout Summer Shootout point standings.
Eloy Sebastián López Falcón – NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series: The 18-year-old concluded his first season in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program in a U.S. Legend Car. In the NASCAR Mexico Challenge Series, Falcón secured the win on three separate occasions this season. Falcón was the 2021 Rookie of the Year in the Trucks México Series and the 2022 Trucks México Series Champion.
Lanie Buice – NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series: From 2017 to 2020, Buice had 91 total wins in go karts, including 23 straight wins during her last season. Buice has also raced in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, earning 12 top fives and 18 top 10s the 2023 late model season.
TJ DeCaire – NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series: During the 2023 season, DeCaire earned three wins in Super Late Models, Pro Late Models and Truck Weekly Touring Series. He also placed in the top five across all three series 17 times throughout the season.
Regina Sirvent – NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series: In the NASCAR México Challenge Series, the 20-year-old from Mexico City finished fifth at Tuxtla Gutierrez and fifth at Puebla. She received the 2019 Best Driver Award for NASCAR México and was the recipient of the 2021 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards Young Racer. Sirvent was the first female to win in the Trucks México Series and placed third in the 2020 Championship points.
Cassidy Keitt – INEX Legend Car Series: Keitt earned two top fives and five top 10s in U.S. Legend Cars at the Cookout Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. She is the 2022 Young Lions Winter Heat Champion, winning two races throughout the season.
LaQuan McCoy Jr. – INEX Legend Car Series: McCoy collected a first-place finish and three top fives across all five Bandolero races at the 2023 Citrus County Speedway Winter Nationals. During the 2023 Cookout Summer Shootout, McCoy placed in the top five twice followed by back-to-back wins. He is the 2023 Charlotte Motor Speedway Winter Heat Champion and 2023 Winter Showdown Bandit Champion at Auburndale Speedway.
