WINCHESTER, Ind: In the homestretch of the 2025 ASA STARS National Tour season, Kyle Steckly and his Rette Jones Racing team are bound for the historic Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for Sunday's Winchester 400 presented by Vore's Welding & Steel, looking to deliver a thunderous performance in the penultimate race of the year.
The Mooresville, N.C.-based team has consistently showcased race-winning speed throughout their sophomore ASA STARS campaign.
Most recently at Toledo Speedway, Steckly appeared poised for another strong finish in the CorvetteParts.net Glass City 200 before a late-race tire failure derailed the effort.
Now, the team is eager to rebound with immediate redemption at one of the most grueling and prestigious short track events in the country.
While a fall breeze continues to cool down tracks across the Northeast, Steckly and the Rette Jones Racing crew are determined to keep the heat on their competition as they chase a statement -- making finish to their rookie season, which culminates at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in early November.
Steckly, the popular Canadian short track ace, returns to the high banks of Winchester with confidence, aiming to better his third-place podium performance in his debut at the track last fall.
That result, one of many top-five finishes the team tallied during their inaugural ASA STARS season in 2024, remains a highlight in a year filled with progress and potential.
Since climbing from his car at Winchester one year ago, Steckly has had this weekend's crown jewel circled on his calendar -- and now, he is returning ready to finish what he started.
"I'm excited to return to Winchester," said Steckly.
"We survived 400 laps there last year and ended with a solid finish. That experience gave me a lot of confidence heading back because I know what to expect from the track and how tough the competition is.
"Our Rette Jones Racing team has worked hard all season to bring fast cars, and I feel like we have the speed to contend.
"After what happened at Toledo, we're hungry to bounce back and hopefully leave Winchester with an even stronger result this time around."
Known as one of the most demanding short track races in the country, the Winchester 400 is as much a battle of endurance as it is of speed.
For Steckly, returning to the Indiana half-mile comes with both respect for the event's difficulty and confidence in the progress his Rette Jones Racing team has made since their debut last year.
"My mindset returning to Winchester is that survival is key, but if you don't have a fast car, you won't go home with a trophy. Hopefully, we can return with more speed than we had in 2024," added Steckly.
With its steep banking and worn racing surface, Winchester Speedway has long carried a reputation as one of the most thrilling yet unforgiving tracks in short track racing.
Drivers are pushed to their limits, balancing speed with survival over 400 grueling laps -- but it's precisely that challenge which fuels Steckly's drive to return to ASA STARS victory lane.
"The track is a blast," explained Steckly. "It's incredibly fast and rough. And if your car isn't dialed in, it can make for a long day. But if you have a good car, it's a blast."
Beyond outright speed, endurance is the true test at Winchester. The race demands patience, focus, and resilience from start to finish, where even the slightest mistake can end a driver's day in an instant.
"Simply surviving 400 laps will be the most challenging feat for the weekend," Steckly admitted. "The race is so demanding, both physically and mentally, that you have to be locked in from the drop of the green flag.
"At the same time, you can't just ride -- you need a fast car and the right strategy to stay in the hunt. If we can manage all of that and keep ourselves in position late, I feel like we'll have a real shot at making some noise in the final laps."
The 2025 ASA STARS National Tour season has been a rollercoaster ride for Kyle Steckly and Rette Jones Racing -- flashes of race-winning speed paired with frustrating setbacks that kept them from capitalizing on strong runs.
Still, the team's pace over the last several events has been encouraging, giving them confidence that their breakthrough moment is within reach.
"I've been happy with our speed in the last three ASA races. But we have had many issues throughout the season. I'm hoping we can finish the year with no mechanical issues and show our speed in results," Steckly said.
"With how the season has gone, if we can finish 400 laps with no mechanical or parts failures, I will be happy."
To stay sharp between ASA STARS National Tour events, the Milverton, Ontario, Canada native has competed in several Late Model races back at home, keeping himself in rhythm behind the wheel and fine-tuning his craft on Canada's challenging short tracks.
"I have stayed busy finishing the race season back home in Ontario, racing every weekend up in Canada," Steckly said. "It's been great for seat time and has helped me stay focused.
"Every lap I turn gives me more confidence, and I think that experience will carry over to races like Winchester, where you have to be at your absolute best."
While out of the hunt for the ASA STARS National Tour championship, Steckly -- the son of NASCAR Canada Series champion Scott Steckly -- remains eager to deliver at Winchester and the season finale at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in early November.
For the young Canadian, the goal is not only to end the year on a high note but also to give Rette Jones Racing a much-needed boost of momentum heading into the offseason and their 2026 campaign.
"Going into the last two races, I hope we can have race-winning speed and maybe hopefully pick up a win," said Steckly.
"We've shown flashes of that speed before, and now it's all about executing clean laps, staying out of trouble, and capitalizing when the moment presents itself. I don't want to leave anything on the table -- I want our team to walk away knowing we left every bit of effort and speed out there on the track."
Auto Parts Centres (APC) | Canusa will again be featured on Steckly's No. 30 Ford Mustang this year in ASA STARS National Tour competition.
APC Auto Parts Centres | Canusa is a family-owned automotive parts business started in 1981 with over 65 branches stretching across Ontario.
APC's target market is purely trade-based, supplying garages, specialty installers, dealerships, and muffler shops throughout the province.
Auto Parts Centres takes full advantage of the marketing power of motorsports by sponsoring numerous race cars and speedways around the province.
APC is the proud title sponsor in the APC Pro Late Model Touring Series that has been recognized as one of Canada's top series.
Mark Rette, Steckly's crew chief and co-owner of Rette Jones Racing, knows how critical the final stretch of the season is for the No. 30 team.
A former ARCA championship-winning crew chief, Rette has seen both the highs and lows in recent weeks -- from back-to-back top-10s at Anderson and Owosso to the disappointment of Toledo.
Now, he views Sunday's 400-lap showdown at Winchester as another opportunity to showcase the strides the team has made in 2025.
"We've had speed and some really solid runs lately with back-to-back top-10s at Anderson and Owosso, but Toledo was tough to swallow," said Rette.
"That's part of racing, though -- you take the good with the bad and keep moving forward. Winchester is one of those places that will test every part of your program, and I feel like it's another opportunity to show how far this team has come in just our second season.
"If we can stay out of trouble and execute, I believe Kyle and this No. 30 group are capable of a big finish."
In addition to back-to-back APC United Late Model Series championships (2023 - 2024), Steckly's accolades include seven APC United Late Model Series wins, the 2023 Grisdale Triple Crown Champion and Gold Rush 123 winner, along with multiple podium finishes in the NASCAR Canada Series.
The Winchester 400 presented by Vore's Welding & Steel will mark race 11 on the Appalachian Sucker Punch ASA STARS National Tour calendar, drawing an elite field of national champions, short track standouts and rising stars.
With the prestigious race on deck, the team will have two rounds of practice on Friday, October 11 and Saturday, October 12, followed by qualifying Saturday evening, launching at 5:45 p.m.
On Sunday, October 13, at 11:30 a.m., fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite drivers during an on-track autograph session -- just ahead of the green flag for the race at 1:00 PM ET.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch the races live via TrackTV.com, providing full flag-to-flag event coverage.
For more on Kyle Steckly, like him on Facebook (Kyle Steckly Racing) and follow him on Instagram (@kyle_steckly) and X | Twitter (@KyleSteckly).
For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing), or follow them on Instagram (@RetteJones30) and X | Twitter (@RetteJones30).
About Auto Parts Centres (APC) | Canusa:
Auto Parts Centres (APC) | Canusa is a family-owned automotive parts business started in 1981 with over 65 branches stretching across Ontario. APC's target market is purely trade-based, supplying garages, specialty installers, dealerships, and muffler shops throughout the province.
Auto Parts Centres takes full advantage of the marketing power of motorsports by sponsoring numerous race cars and speedways around the province. APC is the proud title sponsor in the APC Pro Late Model Touring Series that has been recognized as one of Canada's top series.
About Rette Jones Racing:
Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the mission of building a competitive racing organization grounded in hard work, perseverance, and a racer's mentality.
Owned by veteran racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, the team is set to field full-time entries in both the 2025 ASA STARS National Tour and the NASCAR Euro Series.
Additionally, RJR plans to compete in select events across the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR national series platforms.
Beyond its own racing efforts, Rette Jones Racing provides technical support and setup intelligence through its growing technical alliance partnership program.