By AMANDA VINCENT
Derek Lemke will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut Saturday night in the Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. He qualified the No. 33 Reaume Brothers Racing Ford in the 31st position Friday.
“I’m super excited for the opportunity from Josh (Reaume, team owner) and the RBR team,” Lemke said. “I’ve spent time with the team at the track racing with Natalie (Decker, Lemke’s fiance and part-time NASCAR driver), and I’m glad I get to make my first NASCAR experience as a driver with RBR. Going into this with no expectations but to just enjoy this time, because you never know if you get another chance like this. Hopefully, we can get a good result and that would just be a cherry on top.”
The Minnesota native was the 2013 NASCAR Minnesota Rookie-of-the-Year in late-model racing.
“I’ve enjoyed working with Natalie as a driver before and enjoyed having Derek be a liaison for business and public relations between our team and Natalie’s team,” Reaume Brothers Racing owner Josh Reaume said. “Not only is he talented from the business perspective, he has just as much talent behind the wheel. His numerous wins and accolades in late-model racing speak to his ability to control and feel a full bodied stock car, and we’re very excited to see how well that translates to the truck. We’re honored to be able to continue our tradition of showcasing new talent in NASCAR, and Derek is a talent that many should start to recognize.”
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