Category: ARCA

Heim closes gap to Ty Gibbs in points
By Tadd Haislop
ARCARACING.COM

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 6, 2021) – Corey Heim’s worst run of the 2021 ARCA Menards Series season thus far came in June, when he finished seventh at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the last time the series competed on a road course.

He made up for that result Friday evening at Watkins Glen International, where the driver of the No. 20 Craftsman Toyota all but coasted to victory in the Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen, the series’ second and final road course race of the season.

Heim, who won his fifth ARCA Menards Series race of the year and sixth overall dating back to last season, closed the gap to points leader Ty Gibbs in the championship standings. Just two points separate the series’ top title contenders after 13 races.

“Everything we possibly could bring to the race track, we brought today,” said Heim, who led the final 18 of 41 laps on the 2.45-mile road course. “This Venturini Motorsports team has battled back from a lot this year. I’m really proud of them; this Craftsman Camry was rolling really good today.”

The entire complexion of Friday night’s race at Watkins Glen changed at the end of Lap 23. Chase Briscoe, who had taken the lead from Gibbs eight laps prior with what appeared to be the dominant car, was forced to pit with a suspension issue.

At the same time, Heim was catching and passing Gibbs for position. Because of Briscoe’s issue, what would have been a move for second became a pass for the lead when Heim got the best of Gibbs going into the bus stop at Watkins Glen.

“He’s just another car on the race track, and I was trying to get the lead,” Heim said. “Race him hard. Race him clean. And he did, too.”

Added Gibbs, who struggled with a left rear issue Friday: “My guys worked on it, and we tried to fix it, but that’s still not the reason we got beat. We still got beat by (Heim). Congratulations to the 20 group.

“We just kind of missed it today, and we’ll keep hammering down.”

Briscoe, the 2016 ARCA Menards Series champion who was competing on the platform for the first time since his title run, eventually had to park his car with the suspension issue. He finished 23rd after leading nine laps.

Austin Hill, who like Heim is scheduled to race in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Watkins Glen, finished second after passing Gibbs in the closing laps.

Gibbs finished third after leading 14 laps. Carson Hocevar and Brandon Jones finished fourth and fifth, respectively. All three will compete again Saturday at Watkins Glen in either the NASCAR Xfinity Series race (Gibbs and Jones) or the Truck Series race (Hocevar).

Riley Herbst, Taylor Gray, Nick Sanchez, Austin Wayne Self and Jack Wood rounded out the top 10 in the Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen.

Friday evening’s race represented Round 7 of the 2021 Sioux Chief Showdown, a 10-race series within the series designed to bring together the best of the ARCA Menards Series, the ARCA Menards Series East and the ARCA Menards Series West.

Heim, with his win at Watkins Glen, shrunk Gibbs’ lead in that series, too,

Friday’s Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen was almost completely clean, with one caution breaking up what otherwise was a green race. The yellow flag was displayed after Dale Quarterley spun into the wall after contact with Drew Dollar on Lap 17.

The NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen race weekend continues with a first for Watkins Glen as Saturday will feature a double-header of NASCAR racing, starting off with the United Rentals 167 at The Glen at 12:30 p.m. ET in the return of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to The Glen for the first time since 2000. That will be followed up by the Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 at 4 p.m. ET. Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen will cap off the weekend at 3 p.m. ET.

To purchase NASCAR race tickets, camping and additional information, call 1-866-461-RACE or visit TheGlen.com. Fans can view the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedules and purchase tickets at nascar.com/tickets.

About Watkins Glen International

Located within five hours and 300 miles of 25 percent of the U.S. population, Watkins Glen International is the premier road racing facility in North America, four-times voted “Best NASCAR Track” by readers of USA Today. Keep up with The Glen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For tickets, camping, and additional information, call 1-866-461-RACE or visit www.TheGlen.com.

2021 Watkins Glen International Schedule
May 21-23 – Ferrari Challenge North America
June 18-20 – SCCA Majors Super Tour
June 24-27 – IMSA Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen
July 1-2 – IMSA WeatherTech 240 at The Glen
July 9-11 – Masters & HSR Race Weekend
August 4-8 – NASCAR Go Bowling at The Glen
September 9-12 – Hilliard U.S. Vintage Grand Prix
September 16-19 – GT World Challenge America
October 29-30 – Finger Lakes Beer Festival Presented by Chemung Canal Trust Co.

2021 Watkins Glen International NASCAR Weekend Schedule
August 6 – Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen – ARCA Menards Series Race
August 7 – United Rentals 167 at The Glen – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race
August 7 – Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 – NASCAR Xfinity Series Race
August 8 – Go Bowling at The Glen – NASCAR Cup Series Race

Jack Wood, No. 21 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet

START: 13th
FINISH: 10th

Race Notes:

• GMS Racing driver Jack Wood made his seventh career ARCA Menards Series start at Watkins Glen International, his first road course start in the series.
• Wood qualified his No. 21 Chevrolet in 13th position and gained valuable experience as he made his way through the field.
• The rookie continued to improve his running order throughout the night, eventually driving into the Top 10 in the latter stages of the 41-lap race.
• As the race came to a close, Wood crossed the line with a respectable 10th place run, notching his fourth career Top 10 finish in ARCA competition.
• Jack Wood returns to Watkins Glen for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, looking to complete his double duty weekend with another solid run.

Quote:

“Racing in the ARCA Menards Series at Watkins Glen was a great experience and I gained extremely valuable seat time for tomorrow’s truck race. I am excited to see what I can translate over to my No. 24 Silverado as I continue to grow as a driver. Thank you to Chad Bryant and the entire team for making today’s race an enjoyable one. I couldn’t do it without the support of GMS Racing and Chevrolet Accessories, so I appreciate their belief in me as I continue to chase my dream.”

ABOUT GMS RACING

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Chase Purdy and Jack Wood. The team also competes in the ARCA Menards Series with Daniel Dye. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championship and 2020 Sioux Chief Showdown Championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://gmsracing.net/.

Friday, August 6
Track: Watkins Glen International, 2.45-mile road course
Race: 13 of 20
Event: Clean Harbors 100 (41 laps, 100 miles)

Taylor Gray, No. 17 Ripper Coffee Ford Fusion

Start: 12th

Finish: 7th

• Gray qualified 12th for his debut at Watkins Glen International. He moved into ninth on the opening lap and and was seventh by lap 11.
• Yellow flag waved on lap 17 and ARCA officials deemed it the competition caution for pit stops. The 17 crew changed four tires, added fuel and made a trackbar adjustment.
• The 16 year old ran in sixth until lap 26 when he swapped positions with teammate Riley Herbst and settled into seventh.
• Gray battled a super tight handling Fusion for the remaining fifteen laps, but held on and ultimately finished seventh. He will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut tomorrow afternoon.

Thad Moffitt, No. 46 Clean Harbors Ford Fusion

Start: 15th

Finish: 11th

• Moffitt qualified 15th in the Clean Harbors Fusion for the Clean Harbors 100.
• He was up to 13th after the opening lap, but after the grill got packed full of grass he was forced to pit and fell to 22nd. He lost a lap to the leaders on lap 14 when he was running in the 18th position.
• The caution flag waved on lap 17 and Moffitt received the free pass to get back on the lead lap. The caution served as the halfway break and the No. 46 team pitted for tires, fuel and adjustments to help free up the car in the right-hand turns.
• Moffitt restarted in the 16th position and advanced five spots up to the 11th position when the checkered flag flew on his first race at the 2.45-mile road course.

Riley Herbst, No. 54 Dixie Vodka Tony’s Tea Ford Fusion

Start: 11th

Finish: 6th

• Herbst qualified 11th in the Dixie Vodka Tony’s Tea Fusion, but suffered an engine failure late in the practice session and was forced to start at the rear of the field.
• The Las Vegas native had the No. 54 into the top-12 on lap six and into the top-10 by lap 11. He was in ninth when the caution flag waved on lap 17.
• The caution was declared the competition caution for pit stops and the team changed four tires, fueled up and made adjustments for the second half of the race.
• Herbst moved into eighth on the restart and was up to fifth with seven laps to go, but fell back one position with four to go and finished the Clean Harbors 100 in sixth.

Next event: Henry Ford Health System 200 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan on August 20 at 6 p.m. ET.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.: Fresh off a modest top-10 finish in this past Saturday night’s Calypso Lemonade 200 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway, Kris Wright and Rette Jones Racing invade the Finger Lakes of New York ready to pull an upset and win Friday evening’s Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen.

Watkins Glen marks the fourth and final planned race of a limited ARCA Menards Series schedule with the Mooresville, N.C.-based team.

With two top-10 finishes in three races entering the final ARCA road course race of the season, Wright and his Mark Rette-led team are eager to get a second chance to turn left and right after getting spun on the first lap at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in early June.

“We had such a fantastic race car in June but really didn’t have anything to show for it,” said Wright who finished eighth at Mid-Ohio after getting one of his two lost laps back.

“Mark and the Rette Jones Racing team set the race car perfectly and we did put some pressure on the leaders late in the race – but it was more about give and take and making sure we had something we could take to Watkins Glen.”

Wright, 26, has already been dubbed a pre-race favorite for the 13th ARCA race of the season considering his road course racing accomplishments outside of NASCAR and his prior experience at the 2.450-mile, 11-turn road course.

Wright began his transition to stock cars last season following a successful stint in Sports Cars, including a second-place finish in the LMP2 class in the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The Wexford, Pa. native also claimed the IMSA Prototype Challenge championship (LMP3) in 2019 after scoring the IMSA Prototype Challenge Rookie of the Year honors in 2017.

Last June, Wright also competed in two ARCA Menards Series West races on the road course of Utah Motorsports Campus where he finished second and third, respectively.

Following the ARCA Menards Series race, Wright will also compete in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race driving for Sam Hunt Racing. The 82-lap race will be his fifth start of 2021.

“It’s no surprise to anyone that I am a fan of road courses,” added Wright. “I think I have a very good craft when it comes to passing and braking and I’d like to showcase that not only on Friday but Saturday too.”
His experience at WGI hails from his impressive season in IMSA Prototype Challenge competition.

“I love Watkins Glen. It’s the place of my first IMSA Pro win in 2017,” he added. “It should be interesting though to run the Cup layout because all I’ve ever run is the whole track.

“This is my last planned ARCA Menards Series start of the season at this point and I’d like to do nothing more than not only earn my best finish in the series but hopefully put Rette Jones Racing back in Victory Lane.”

Long-time Wright partner Wright Automotive Group will serve as the primary marketing partner for Wright’s third ARCA start of the season.

Since 1927, family-owned and operated Wright Automotive Group and WrightCars.com has been serving the Pittsburg area’s automotive needs featuring its Chevrolet, Buick, GMS, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, Lotus, Genesis and Explorer Vans brands.

They offer an extensive selection of new and pre-owned inventory in Pennsylvania.

Find the perfect vehicle for your lifestyle at Wright Automotive Group.

“We had a good rebound from Pocono last weekend at Winchester, but everyone is amped up for Watkins Glen,” offered Rette. “We’re going to Watkins Glen with our mission on winning. We felt like we had one of the fastest cars at Mid-Ohio but getting bunted at Lap 1 – we never had a chance to fully recover.

“Kris has done an amazing job for us and I’d like nothing more than to end our schedule together with his best finish in the series.”

In his previous eight ARCA Menards Series races, Wright has four career top-10 finishes, including a career-high seventh twice at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Kansas Speedway in 2020.

In addition to Wright Automotive Group, iHeart Radio, F.N.B. Corporation, PPG, Ford Performance, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems, Jones Group Demolition and Abatement and JRi Shocks join the team as partners this weekend.

RJR is co-owned by Canadian entrepreneur and former race car driver Terry Jones.

For more on Kris Wright, please visit, kriswrightmotorsports.com, like him on Facebook (Kris Wright Racing) and follow him on Twitter (@KrisOnNASCAR).

For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing) or follow them on Twitter (@RetteJones30).

The Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen (41 laps | 100.45 miles) is the 13th of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session is set from 3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).

About Rette Jones Racing:

Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the intent of building a successful racing operation built around the fundamentals of hard work and a never give up attitude.

Owned by racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, RJR plan to field a full-time entry in 2021 in the ARCA Menards Series East, while also hopeful to field vehicles in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).

The winning ARCA East team also offers technical and setup intel as part of its technical alliance partnership program.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – With the help of Willie Mullins and Mullins Racing, veteran racer Dale Quarterley is dusting off his driving suit to compete in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series Clean Harbors 100 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Quarterley, who made a name for himself racing in the AMA Superbike series before making a successful transition to stock cars, will make his first start in a NASCAR-sanctioned series since the 2019 season on Friday afternoon.

He’ll do so piloting the No. 3 Van Dyk Recycling Solutions Chevrolet, which is being run as part of a partnership with Mullins Racing.

“When I stopped racing full-time in what was then the K&N Series, I started taking on some outside customer work. I was doing some vintage stock cars and the Mullins family happened to be pitted next to me one weekend at VIR,” said the 60-year-old Quarterley. “In the midst of us running and listening to those guys talk as they tried to make adjustments to their car and make it better, I finally got frustrated and walked over there and offered to help them.

“Since then I’ve helped them in multiple situations and they’ve helped us a few times too.”

Mullins, who is the listed owner of the car, said the opportunity to partner with Quarterley for Friday’s race is a chance for him to work with one of his own personal motorsport heroes.

“This goes back to when I was a little kid and you’d watch the modifieds up in New Hampshire and you’d see Dale Quarterley racing there and then you’d see Superbikes and Dale Quarterley was racing that,” Mullins said. “This is kind of cool to have one of my heroes and me working together a little bit.”

Quarterley is a native of Westfield, Mass., and owns six victories in the ARCA Menards Series East (then NASCAR Busch North Series), including two victories on the road course at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park. He also owns one NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumph, which also came at Lime Rock Park.

In addition to his stock car success, Quarterley is the most successful privateer rider in AMA Superbike history. He secured the AMA Battle of the Twins Title and two AMA Endurance Championships during his career that also saw him win a national AMA Superbike race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1993, which helped him place second overall in the season-long championship.

Mullins firmly believes this is his best chance to lay claim to a victory in ARCA competition, even if it is just as the listed car owner.

“This will be one of my best chances to possibly be a winning car owner at Watkins Glen,” Mullins said “This is going to be something to talk about for years to come. Dale has already run in the top-five when he runs these races, he’s not a slouch inside of a road course car.”

During his career, Quarterley has made 11 starts in East Series competition at Watkins Glen. During those races he earned two poles, three top-five and six top-10 finishes, with a best finish of third on two occasions.

Quarterley, who has made one previous ARCA start during his career, returns to stock car racing at Watkins Glen after a few years away and his goals are the same as they’ve always been: run up front and win the race.

“I at least need to have fun, not just driving, but showing up. Things got to be so difficult but it wasn’t worth doing,” Quarterley said. “Now that NASCAR owns ARCA and the series has, from what I hear, calmed down some, I’m going to go test the waters again.

“I only have one speed. Unless I make myself back off. We go as fast as we possibly can the whole time we’re there.”

The Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen is scheduled to begin shortly after 6 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live by FS1.

For more information on Mullins Racing, please visit mullinsracing.net, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mullinsracing and follow them on Twitter at @mullins_racing.

Friday, August 6
Track: Watkins Glen International, 2.45-mile road course
Race: 13 of 20
Event: Clean Harbors 100 (41 laps, 100 miles)

Schedule
Practice/Qualifying: 3:15 p.m. ET
Race: 6:00 p.m. ET (FS1)

Taylor Gray, No. 17 Ripper Coffee Ford Fusion

• Gray enters Watkins Glen International for his fifth straight ARCA Menards Series race in as many weeks. He will also make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on Saturday afternoon.
• The 16-year-old driver has never been to the 11-turn, 2.45 mile road course in New York.
• Gray comes into this weekend with three career road course events under his belt all coming in 2020 with the ARCA and ARCA West series’. He finished fourth and 11th in West action at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele and fourth at the Daytona Road Course.
• Chad Johnston has called 20 career Cup road course races (nine of them at Watkins Glen) with one win, three top-fives and eight top-10s. The win came at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway with Martin Truex, Jr. in 2013. Johnston and the No. 17 ARCA team will stay over to crew Gray’s No. 17 truck on Saturday.

Thad Moffitt, No. 46 Clean Harbors Ford Fusion

• When the green flag drops on Friday evening, it will be Moffitt’s 13th start of the ARCA Menards Series season.
• Although this will be the first time at Watkins Glen for the 20-year-old driver, he has one career start at the Daytona Road Course last year and finished third at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course back in June.
• The North Carolina native earned his fifth top-five and 10th top-10 of the season with a fourth-place finish at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway last Saturday night. He earned K&N Filters Hard Charger honors for driving from 10th to fourth.
• Moffitt will carry the Clean Harbors colors on his No. 46 Fusion this week in the aptly named Clean Harbors 100.

Riley Herbst, No. 54 Dixie Vodka Tony’s Tea Ford Fusion

• Riley Herbst joins DGR for the ARCA Menards Series race on Friday evening. He last drove for the team in February with the Truck Series at the Daytona Road Course and finished fifth.
• The Las Vegas native has 51 career ARCA starts with two victories, 19 top-fives and 34 top-10s and one General Tire Pole Award.
• Between ARCA, Trucks and the Xfinity Series, the 22 year old has 10 career starts on road courses with two top-fives and four top-10s.
• The 41-lap race on Friday evening will allow Herbst to get his first laps around Watkins Glen prior to the Xfinity Series race on Saturday afternoon.

Jack Wood, No. 21 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet
Watkins Glen International Stats

- Jack Wood has no previous ARCA Menards Series starts on a road course.

2021 ARCA Menards Series Stats

• Starts: 6, Best start: 4th, Best finish: 4th, Laps led: 5, Avg finish: 12.8

Notes:

• Jack Wood returns to the seat of the No. 21 GMS Racing ARCA Chevrolet for the first time since Pocono Raceway in June after Daniel Dye took over the reigns in the series’ last four races.
• Wood was promoted to the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the remainder of the 2021 season, but returns to ARCA eyeing additional seat time ahead of this weekend’s truck race at Watkins Glen.

-In six ARCA starts, Wood has a best career ARCA finish of 4th which came at Kansas Speedway in April. The rookie has a best career NCWTS finish of 11th which came at Nashville Superspeedway in June.

• Driver 21 will celebrate his 21st birthday on Saturday during the NCWTS race at the Glen.
• The No. 21 Chevrolet will return to its white and black paint scheme from the start of this season and will have backing from Chevy Accessories.
• The 41-lap, 100-mile ARCA Menards Series Clean Harbors 100 will air live on FS1, beginning at 6:00 PM ET.

Daniel Dye will return to the seat of the No. 21 GMS Racing ARCA entry at the Milwaukee Mile on August 29th.

Quote:

“I’m excited to go to my first road course race with my GMS Racing ARCA team. It will be a great way for me to get some laps around Watkins Glen before the drop of the green flag Saturday for the truck race as well. As long as we keep our nose clean and run a smart race I think we should have ourselves a solid run Friday.”

ABOUT GMS RACING

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Chase Purdy, and Jack Wood. The team also competes in the ARCA Racing Series with Daniel Dye. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championship and 2020 Sioux Chief Showdown Championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://www.gmsracing.net/

SOCIAL MEDIA

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow GMS Racing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

TOOELE, UT, August 2, 2021 – Bridget Burgess and BMI Racing headed east with the HMH Construction Chevrolet to Colorado National Speedway for round 4 of the ARCA Menards West.

Throughout the day, there was a weather watch with officials warning the teams there may be a change of schedule due to potential rain. Just as Bridget was getting into the car to start practice/qualifying the clouds opened and the rain started to fall. While there was hope that it would ease, unfortunately, it did not, and practice was cancelled with the race being moved up to a 7 pm start time.

The lineup was determined by owners’ points with Bridget starting 10th in the HMH Construction Chevrolet for the NAPA Auto Parts Colorado 150. A stacked field of 18 cars accelerated past the grandstand as the green flag dropped.

Due to the lack of practice ARCA had a planned competition caution at lap 25 to allow the teams to make any changes needed. Bridget chose to stay out commenting over the radio “the car feels good, no changes needed”.

Bridget continued working her lines for the rest of the race, working hard to hold her position at some points, as well as making gains and moving up to 7th during the race. The last 10 laps were a battle and Bridget did her best to hold on to the position but unfortunately couldn’t and finished the race in 9th, her 2nd top 10 of the year in the HMH Construction Chevrolet.

While Bridget was disappointed with her performance over the last 10 laps of the race, she felt it was a good learning experience, knowing what the weaknesses are that she needs to work on.

A replay of Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts Colorado 150 will broadcast on NBCSN on Wednesday, Aug. 11, starting at 3 p.m. ET.

Bridget’s next race will be the ARCA Menards West will return to action on Aug. 21 with a 150-lap race at California’s Irwindale Speedway.

Bridget is powered by these great companies:
HMH Construction, GEARWRENCH, Rugged Radios, Cometic Gasket, Circle Track Warehouse, Ferrea Racing Components, FK Rod Ends, Fragola Performance Systems, GC Cooling Fan, GT Radial, Hawk Performance, Impact Race Products, K&N Filters, Kellerstrass, Konig, Lucas Oil, Miller Electric, ProAm, PSC Motorsports, Streamline Customer Designs, Sunoco Race Fuel, Tilton, XS Power

Facebook page: BridgetBurgess8 | Instagram: BridgetBurgess8 | Twitter: 8BridgetBurgess

Daniel Dye, No. 21 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet

START: 4th

FINISH: 13th

Race Notes:

• In his fourth career ARCA Menards Series national start, and first-ever laps at Winchester Speedway, Daniel Dye qualified the GMS Racing Chevrolet fourth.
• The 17-year-old Daytona Beach, Florida driver, would advance into the third spot during the opening stages of Saturday’s ARCA Calypso Lemonade 200.
• Chad Bryant and the GMS Racing ARCA crew had the No. 21 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet dialed in from the drop of the green flag, with Dye battling with and matching lap times with the leaders.
• After the first scheduled caution at lap-75, the GMS crew made very minor adjustments to No. 21 Solar-Fit Chevy, as Dye was pleased with the overall balance of his car.
• While battling for the third position on lap 83, Daniel was turned into the outside wall by another competitor, resulting in extensive front and rear damage, ending the strong run Dye and the team had going through the race’s opening stages.

Quote:

“Extremely disappointed how our night was ended here at Winchester. Chad and the GMS guys brought another really fast Chevrolet to the track, and I believe we would’ve had a car capable of competing for the win. Huge thank you to GMS Racing, Chevy, Solar-Fit, and all our partners and crew guys for all their support and hard work. Milwaukee can’t come soon enough.”

Next:

— Daniel will return to the GMS Racing No. 21 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet SS on Sunday, August 29, at the Milwaukee Mile.

Saturday, July 31
Track: Winchester Speedway, .5-mile oval
Race: 12 of 20
Event: Calypso Lemonade 200 (200 laps, 100 miles)

Taylor Gray, No. 17 Ripper Coffee Ford Fusion

Start: 5th
Finish: 5th

• Gray qualified fifth for the Calypso Lemonade 200. A caution on lap 34 for a spinning car moved him into fourth, where he would stay until the competition caution waved on lap 75.
• The driver reported he was sliding the tires too much and the team would pit for right-side tires, fuel and trackbar adjustments to gear up for the next 50 laps.
• After restarting in fourth, the Ford driver quickly moved into third. Contact with the 21 resulted in a red flag on lap 84 and the No. 17 Fusion sustained damage to the left front fender.
• Gray settled into fifth when the race resumed and was running there when the second competition caution came out on lap 125.
• A four-tire pit stop and damage repair by the Ripper Coffee crew was in order during the break and Gray restarted in fifth.
• The 16 year old was running in fourth when caution waved with two laps remaining to set up a green-white-checkered finish. He would battle hard on the restart and bring home a fifth-place result.

Thad Moffitt, No. 46 Clean Harbors Ford Fusion

Start: 10th
Finish: 4th

• Moffitt earned the 10th starting position for his first ever race at Winchester Speedway.
• A caution on lap 34 saw the No. 46 up to the eighth position. He would restart in seventh and advance one additional spot to sixth before the competition caution on lap 75.
• The team made a two-tire stop with fuel and adjustments to help with center turn and restarted the second stage in sixth.
• The Clean Harbors Fusion moved into fifth on the restart and after the lap 84 red flag, took command of the third position.
• During the second competition caution, the team changed four tires and added fuel. On the restart, the Clean Harbors Fusion would settle into fifth.
• A yellow with two laps remaining set up a green-white-checkered finish and Moffitt would drive to a fourth-place run.

Next event: Clean Harbors 100 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York on August 6 at 6 p.m. ET.