Jade Avedisian took a step toward her ultimate NASCAR goal of “racing on Sundays,” and she’s doing it with the support of some of the biggest names in NASCAR history.

The 18-year-old California native officially signed a multi-race deal with Venturini Motorsports on Tuesday, marking her ARCA Menards Series debut. The team is bolstering its roster with the recent return of driver Kris Wright. Avedisian will drive the No. 25 Yahoo Toyota Camry on Aug. 31 at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois, one of the series’ most iconic tracks.

The Southern Illinois 100 is a 100-lap race that will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and available for streaming on the platform’s mobile sports app. This event is the 16th of 20 races in the ARCA Menards Series schedule, which has been dominated by Brendan Queen, who has won 4 out of 11 races this season.

Avedisian will also pilot her Mobil 1-backed Toyota in the ARCA West Series at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 10. She called the opportunity one that she’s already dreamed of, especially with a chance to win with a team as established as Venturini Motorsports.

Avedisian has been in acceleration mode since winning the 2023 Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series title, becoming the first female driver to podium on a preliminary night at the Chili Bowl Nationals. That same year, her calculated aggression and poise on dirt earned her praise from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

She continued her development in the USAC National Midget and Xtreme Midget Series with Keith Kunz Motorsports while logging full-time road course and pavement experience in the Toyota GR Cup with Nitro Motorsports. She also dipped into Late Model Stock Cars, which saw the action called by Dale Jr. on commentary. This led to her appearing on his podcast, where she laid out her NASCAR inspirations and future.

“I grew up watching drivers like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson, both with similar open-wheel backgrounds,” Avedisian said. “I feel dirt racers just hit different. The car has a lot more feel; it helps when transitioning to a heavy stock car. The most important goal right now is experience. Thinking about walking into the series and winning is a stretch, but I have confidence in myself.”

Avedisian appeared on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast during a special episode highlighting the “Next Generation of Women Racers.” The NASCAR legend praised her fearless yet composed racing style.

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“You made this aggressive move,” Earnhardt Jr. said, recalling her pass at the CARS Tour season opener in New River. “And I was impressed by the tenacity you showed in that moment. At 18, I was more conservative; you just had so much confidence.”

Avedisian suffered a concussion after flipping her car at Farmer City last year, which sidelined her for nearly two months and kept her out of the Chili Bowl entirely. But Earnhardt Jr. still referred to the young driver as “an asset to any series she races in” and that he would be “going to watch as a fan as she works her way through the ranks.”