Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: ARCA Menards Series

  • ARCA adds more races to the 2020 schedule

    ARCA adds more races to the 2020 schedule

    After a few months of waiting, the ARCA Menards Series has added a few more races to their 2020 schedule.

    NASCAR announced today that three more events have been added to the current ARCA schedule. Those races include Pocono Raceway on Friday, June 26 at 6 p.m. ET, Wednesday, July 15 at Charlotte Motor Speedway at 4 p.m. ET, while the third and currently the latest race on the schedule will be held on Friday, July 24 at Kansas Speedway at 10 p.m. ET. All three of the races can be seen on Fox Sports 1.

    Originally, Chicagoland Speedway was supposed to host a race on July 24, but it has now been replaced with Kansas. As for Charlotte Motor Speedway, the ARCA Series will race before the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star race, scheduled for later that night. Also of note, Kansas Speedway normally serves as the season finale for the ARCA Championship and has done so the last couple of seasons. It is yet to be determined whether Kansas will serve as the championship race for ARCA later in October.

    The ARCA Menards Series will return next Saturday night on June 13 at Toledo Speedway with the ARCA East Series, with a green-flag time of 6 p.m. ET. The Toledo race will also serve as an all-day event.

  • Interview: Locked Down With Thad Moffitt

    Interview: Locked Down With Thad Moffitt

    In continuation of our series “Locked Down,” Speedway Media catches with DGR-Crosley ARCA driver, Thad Moffitt, to find out what he has been up to during the break from racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    SM: It has been a while since we’ve had racing on-track. How have you been holding up during this time off?

    TM: ” It has been tough, but I’ve been doing a lot of iRacing and working out keeping myself prepared for when we go back racing,” Moffitt said. “Also I’ve enjoyed a lot of quality family time that I usually don’t get being on the road so much.”

    SM: Virtual racing has taken off by storm. Have you been one of the few that have been participating in virtual races? If so, what kind of races have you been partaking in?

    TM: “I have been running the Saturday Night Thunder races,” he said. “I’ve also run a few of the short track series by NBCSN. I’ve also been running a lot of the fixed races.”

    SM: Drivers are always looking to learn more about specific tracks. With this time off, do you feel as though iRaces are preparing you to keep your mental focus when you revisit the tracks you race later this year?

    TM: “I believe that it is a great tool to help with throttle control and your hand-eye coordination but I don’t think you can simulate the actual feeling of going 200 mph,” Moffitt said. “But, iRacing is definitely the closest I’ve been to real racing without driving a car.”

    SM: You have a unique story/background, as you are Richard Petty’s grandson. How much has he meant to you in your early career? I’m sure he has given you some great advice.

    TM: “I have definitely been surrounded by many great people early in my career with my Grandpa and my uncle Kyle being two of my biggest mentors,” he said. “My grandfather is always the first person to give me constructive criticism because he knows I can run better at times, but also tells me when I do something right. He’s given me many pointers from day one. Things as small as to how to hold the steering wheel based on handling conditions of the car.”

    SM: Only two races have been completed this year but do you feel as though this year has started off better than last year? If so, how is this year better than last year?

    TM:  “I feel more confident going into this year,” Moffitt said. “We showed great speed in both of the races thus far with the exception of blowing a tire at Phoenix. I made multiple mistakes at Phoenix but I know I had a top-five car for sure. I believe you will see me and my DGR Crosley team in victory lane multiple times before it’s all said and done this year. They are a great group of guys and we all work very well together and show up to win every time we hit the track.”

    SM: Speaking of wins, whenever you get that first what will the celebration be like?

    TM: “Ha-ha. I guess we will have to wait and see later this year but I’m sure it will be special.”

    SM: Is there anything you have in mind in 2020 that you would like to improve on from last year?

    TM: “One of the biggest things I need to improve on is being more aggressive,” he said. “I’ve lacked aggression in certain situations and I realize that and know it’s something I need to work on.”

    SM: Once we get back racing, whenever that is, what tracks do you have your eye on that you think you can perform well at or maybe win at?

    TM: “With the schedule kind of up in the air, I have no idea where that race will be but I feel like Charlotte will be a really good race for us because I ran well there last year and so did the DGR-Crosley team,” Moffitt said. “I believe in their car we will have a shot to win. I’m also eyeing some of the short tracks that I’m returning to for a second time like Salem and Lucas Oil Raceway.”

    SM:  During this time off, have you been able to catch up on anything or find a new hobby that you might otherwise not have the time for?

    TM:  “I’ve more so been watching my old races and old Cup races just waiting to get the call to get back into the car,” Moffitt said. “My whole family lives and breathes NASCAR so it’s always been our main focus at any point in time.”

    SM: This time can also be discouraging to everyone. What have you done to keep positive and look at the big picture moving forward?

    TM:  “Luckily I’ve been surrounded by very positive people and we’ve all kept a great outlook on the situation,” he said. “But, most of all, I’ve been looking to the man upstairs because I believe everything happens for a reason and he has a greater plan for each of us that we just don’t know yet.”

    SM: What’s one thing you miss about being at the track?

    TM: “The biggest thing I miss is the feeling when you strap in and the green is about to drop and nothing else in the world matters,” Moffitt said. But another thing I miss is getting to meet all the new people every weekend and interact with the fans and letting them get to know me a little better.”

    SM: Wrapping it up, what’s one goal or objective that you hope to achieve before the 2020 season is over?

    TM: “One of the biggest goals coming into the season was to win and then win again and again, so I stand by that goal and hope to win multiple races in the 2020 season.”

    Fans of Thad can follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

    So far in Moffitt’s young racing career, the North Carolina native has made 17 starts during a span of over four years dating back to his first ARCA start at the age of 16 at Nashville. Out of those 17 starts, the 19-year-old has one top-five and six top-10 finishes with a best finish of fifth occurring in the season opener at Daytona.

  • Four Takeaways from the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway

    Four Takeaways from the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway

    The ARCA Menards Series visited Phoenix Raceway this past weekend for their series debut. A total of about 25 cars made the field with no one going home. Only one car withdrew from the entry list and that was the No. 48 of Brad Smith. As expected in the ARCA Series, the Venturini Motorsports teams are tough to beat, even when they faced some adversity throughout the General Tire 150. Despite Chandler Smith (No relation to Brad) not dominating the whole race as Ty Gibbs did, he found himself with an opportunity to win with a one-lap to go restart. With the Venturini teams taking the top two spots, there were some stories race fans might have missed in the second race of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season. 

    1. Chandler Smith Scores Surprise Win At Phoenix – As mentioned, Smith didn’t dominate the whole race and didn’t seem to even have the car to win. But, a late-race yellow saw the Venturini cars come down pit road and Smith got the two-tire call. After one final caution, the Talking Rock, Georgia native found himself P1 on the last lap restart. There were some final hard charges from Ty Gibbs and teammate Michael Self in the last turn, but Smith held them off to score his eighth career ARCA Menards Series win.

    2. Armani Williams Places 17th In Series Debut – Probably one of the most unique stories of the night was Detroit, Michigan native Armani Williams finishing 17th in the first race of his career. What makes it an interesting story is that Williams was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 5. Despite being diagnosed, that does not slow down the Michigan native as he is living his dream of being a racecar driver. Williams had a partnership from Centria Autism, a nationally known provider that does therapy and provides varied services, as well as injury services. Nonetheless, this was one of the stories overlooked. Williams has six NASCAR Pinty Series starts, two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East Series starts. His best finish in his young NASCAR career so far is ninth in the Pinty Series that came in 2018 at New Hampshire.

    3. Bret Holmes Black Flagged After Restart Confusion – Late in the race following a caution, there was some confusion regarding the restart order as to who was restarting where. As a result, several laps were wasted in trying to figure out the restart order. One driver, unfortunately, caught the backlash and that was the No. 23 of Bret Holmes. Holmes was penalized for a restart violation and relegated to a disappointing 15th place finish, four laps down. A forgettable night for sure for the family owned team.

    4. Sam Mayer Has Disappointing Season Opener – Anytime Sam Mayer is entered in the field whether it is the ARCA East or ARCA West Series, he is a fan favorite to win the race. Mayer was making his first start of the season at Phoenix Raceway and had hoped to make some noise as he had done in the first two races of the season falling under the East and West category. Mayer qualified fourth and was in contention for a top-five finish in the mid-stages of the race. However, a mechanical issue took out the GMS Racing driver late in the race on Lap 87. Mayer was credited with a 20th place finish. 
  • Chandler Smith holds off teammate Michael Self for General Tire 150 victory at Phoenix

    Chandler Smith holds off teammate Michael Self for General Tire 150 victory at Phoenix

    It wasn’t easy as Chandler Smith had to battle through adversity, a caution filled race, and hard-charging Ty Gibbs and teammate Michael Self to win the first-ever ARCA Menards Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

    “Give it to this man (Billy Venturini, Crew Chief) right here,” Smith said to Fox Sports 1. “This combination is one of a kind. If we wouldn’t have made that call, we wouldn’t have won the race. We made a gamble and this is why we’re in victory lane. Can’t thank JBL, Toyota enough for all they gave me. Billy (Venturini) gave me a handful tonight with this JBL Toyota, but look where we ended up, all came down for a reason!”

    Qualifying was held earlier in the day before the race and Ty Gibbs qualified on the pole with Michael Self on the outside pole.

    The cautions didn’t take long to start flying as the first one fell on Lap 10 of the General Tire 150. The No. 06 of Tim Richmond spun out of Turn 4 after hitting the wall. A second caution took place on Lap 31 for the No. 22 for Christian McGhee who spun in Turn 4 after contact with the No. 16 of Gio Seclzi.

    During a restart on Lap 36, Self had issues getting going as he either missed a shift or was having some sort of electrical problem. Self lost a ton of spots after restarting in the second position. But it didn’t take long for the caution to fly again, as this time the No. 16 of Seclzi once again spun around in Turn 2. And with that, it seemed as though there would only be a few laps of green flag racing until another caution occurred. A couple of more cautions flew, one for Self on Lap 52 and one for the No. 99 of Gracie Trotter.

    Howie DiSavino III in the No. 32 was involved in an incident on Lap 78 sending him into the wall after contact from the No. 15 of Drew Dollar. Just a few laps after a restart with 64 to go, GMS Racing driver Sam Mayer was on pit road due to radiator problems.

    Finally, after the cautions slowed down, the General Tire 150 saw a small green flag run with Ty Gibbs still dominating the race. Then, late in the race, a caution was seen with 23 to go as the No. 46 of Thad Moffitt hit the wall in Turn 3 when a right-front tire went down. The impact was hard enough that this relegated Moffitt to an 18th pace finish. Under the yellow, Gibbs and the rest of the top five came down to make their modified live pit stops.

    Due to the late-race pit stop, Gibbs lost the lead and it was assumed by former ARCA champion Zane Smith. However, before the restart with 11 to go, there was a lot of confusion between the top runners on who was starting where, as many drivers had differing opinions. One driver, Bret Holmes, was black flagged for violating the restart order. Shortly after the restart, the yellow slowed the pace with eight to go, as Dollar and Jesse Love made hard contact with each other in Turn 4.

    Since the incident occurred so late in the race, the race was put into a green-white-checker finish. Chandler Smith was the leader on the restart and despite hard charges by Gibbs and Self, the Talking Rock, Georgia native held on to score the eighth win of his ARCA Menards Series career.

    “I lied,” Smith continued to Fox Sports 1. “We weren’t the car to beat, we just happened to win the race. We weren’t the best car tonight. There was at least one maybe or two better. I knew if we had track position, he’s (Michael Self) is so tough to beat. He’s a racecar driver. We led with a couple to go and won the race.”

    After leading most of the race, Ty Gibbs came home to a frustrating third place.

    “I have no words to summarize it or I’ll get in trouble,” Gibbs said to Fox Sports 1. “I can’t thank Joe Gibbs Racing, Monster Energy, everybody that’s apart of this deal. That’s all I can really say. I’m just really frustrated with what happened (restart confusion). This is just really embarrassing to the sport. Otherwise, I just can’t thank everybody enough.”

    Smith led twice for 12 laps en route to victory. There were eight cautions for 56 laps and five leaders among six lead changes.

    Official Results

    1. Chandler Smith, led 12 laps
    2. Michael Self, led one lap
    3. Ty Gibbs, led 122 laps
    4. Tanner Gray, led eight laps
    5. Zane Smith, led seven laps
    6. Nick Sanchez
    7. Hailie Deegan
    8. Chase Cabre
    9. Lawless Alan
    10. Gio Scelzi
    11. Dawson Cram
    12. Christian McGhee
    13. Takuma Koga, one lap down
    14. Drew Dollar, one lap down
    15. Bret Holmes, four laps down
    16. Jesse Love, OUT
    17. Armani Williams, 20 laps down
    18. Thad Moffitt, OUT
    19. Tom Berte, 42 laps down
    20. Sam Mayer, OUT
    21. Howie DiSavino III, OUT
    22. Gracie Trotter, OUT
    23. Tim Richmond, OUT
    24. Ryan Huff, OUT

    Up Next: The next time the ARCA Menards Series will be on-track again is April 19 at Salem Speedway.

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Phoenix

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Phoenix

    After well over a month off, the ARCA Menards Series makes its debut at Phoenix International Raceway this Friday night for the second race of the season. Even though the track will be new to ARCA, many drivers who are entered in this race have already competed on this circuit in some sort of fashion. Currently, just 25 cars are on the ARCA Menards preliminary entry list.

    Despite Phoenix being a new track to the ARCA Series, Venturini Motorsports has four starts here including a start in the NASCAR Southwest Tour and one start in what was then, the NASCAR SuperTruck Series 25-years ago. The most recent start for the team came in 2011 when Auto Club winner Alex Bowman had a seventh-place effort that year.

    However, this year, VMS drivers Chandler Smith, Drew Dollar and Michael Self will try to tackle the one-mile speedway located in Avondale, Arizona.

    VMS driver Drew Dollar has one start under the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Series that came last year. Dollar started fifth and finished 18th due to a crash on Lap 95. The result may not show it, but Dollar claims this track is to his liking.

    “I am ready to get out to Phoenix Raceway this weekend and get back into my No. 15 Toyota Camry,” Dollar said. “I was able to race there once last season in the ARCA West Series and learned a lot about the track. Phoenix (Raceway) is definitely one of my favorite tracks and one of the races that I have really been looking forward to.”

    One driver, however, is making his 2020 racing debut and that’s Talking Rock, Georgia native Chandler Smith. Smith has just one start at Phoenix that came in the Truck Series last year, where he finished third last November.

    “I am really looking forward to Phoenix this week and kick-starting my 2020 race season,” Smith said. “Running the truck race there last year helped prepare me for Friday night’s race and I am excited to get back in my No. 20 JBL Audio Toyota Camry and start back with my Venturini Motorsports team.”

    Rounding out the VMS stable is veteran Michael Self. It’s been since 2013 that Self made his last start there. That year, he finished ninth after starting third. Although he does have a win which came in 2012.

    “Phoenix is such a special track to me for so many reasons,” Self said. “It’s not just a track that I’ve won at, it’s the track where I learned how to big-track race. Early in my stock car career I really struggled there because I just didn’t know what to do on an oval that size. I specifically remember sitting down with my old West crew chief Steve Portenga after a bad run there during the 2012 spring race and talking through the technique of driving there.

    “After he explained how he used to drive the track it seemed like things started to click for me. My driving style changed everywhere, and I won my first K&N West Series race not long after that and followed it up with my win at Phoenix (Raceway) in the fall of that same year. After that, I loved it and couldn’t wait to get back. I really have been waiting seven years to race there again.”

    Ryan Huff is back in the No. 10 Fast Track Racing Team owned by Andy Hillenburg. Huff made his series debut at Daytona last month with a respectable 21st place finish. This weekend will be another new challenge for the Virginia native, but Huff is just lucky to be there.

    “I’m very thankful for this second opportunity to race with Fast Track Racing this weekend at Phoenix,” said Huff. “We were making good strides during the race at Daytona before mechanical issues sidelined us during the race. This weekend, I want to go to Phoenix, continue to learn these cars and finish what we started at Daytona.”

    With Friday being his first start at Phoenix, Huff will have practice time but he has noted that he’s watched footage to gain more knowledge about the track.

    “Of course, we’ll utilize practice on Friday to our ability to get us a good setup for qualifying and then the race,” Huff said. I think we’ll see a difference the way the car handles – practicing and qualifying during the race and running the race under the lights. We just have to do a good job on keeping up with the balance of our car and hope when it comes to the closing laps we’re contending for a strong finish.”

    Not new to Phoenix is upcoming star, Hailie Deegan. Deegan has one start at the track that came last year where she finished fourth after starting 17th. The Arizona native hopes to have another stellar performance this time around but says you have to keep your eye on restarts.

    “Phoenix is really fun,” Deegan said. “I’d say the restarts are the most fun. You can be four-wide going into turn two and it gets sketchy sometimes. It’s a place where a driver can make up for what the car is doing and kind of technique it a little bit, which I think with DGR-Crosley having a good run there last year they had a fast car. I know they didn’t get the finish they wanted, but I’m excited to go back there with a good Toter Ford Fusion, a good setup and a good team. Hopefully, all that leads to a good finish.”

    Deegan’s teammate Tanner Gray is also back in the field for his second ARCA start of the season. His only career start came last November, where Gray finished 17th, one lap down in the DGR camp.

    “I’m excited to be back in the ARCA car and working with Blake (Bainbridge) and the 17 team again this weekend,” Gray said. “We have a couple of weeks off on the truck side, so it’s always nice to be able to stay in the car and get some experience at tracks that we will be visiting later in the season. I raced at Phoenix last fall in the Truck Series, and we really struggled as a whole. I feel like I have a better handle and more success on the mile-and-a-half tracks right now. It’s definitely a good thing that I can pick up some extra track time and get some more experience on the shorter tracks, especially knowing that Phoenix is the season finale in the Truck Series this year.”

    Sam Mayer has been on a roll this season under the ARCA brand, winning on the West and East side. Even though this will be his first ARCA start this year, the GMS Racing driver made one start last year at Phoenix where he had a solid run by winning the pole and finishing second after leading 63 laps.

    “I feel really confident heading into Phoenix with GMS,” Mayer said. “Last time we were there we had the fastest car, and I feel like we’re going to be like that again. I’m excited to have the opportunity to go three-for-three in 2020.”

    Mayer also has one Truck start to his name as he finished 19th.

    On Friday night, there will be many new drivers making their first-ever start. This rings true for Chad Bryant Racing driver Christian McGhee who will pilot the No. 22 in his first ARCA start.

    “What an unbelievable opportunity for me to be apart of the Chad Bryant Racing team this weekend at Phoenix,” said McGhee. “This is a great chance for me to make some noise in the ARCA Menards Series with one of the strongest teams in the series. I’m hoping that we can have a strong performance together on Friday night in what is expected to be a very stacked field of race cars.”

    McGhee continued, saying that the team had some great performances at Phoenix last year.

    “The Chad Bryant Racing cars were fast last fall at Phoenix and most recently dominated the ARCA Menards Series East race at New Smyrna, so I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel and driving some of the best equipment out there,” he said. “I do realize that there is going to be a learning curve for me a little bit – at least at first getting used to the car but hopefully with guidance of Paul (Andrews) and Chad (Bryant team owner) we can get up to speed quickly and keep ourselves in the headlight throughout the race.”

    “Obviously, we’re going to Phoenix to win but I think if we leave there with a top-five finish – no one would complain about that either. I just can’t wait to get to the race track.”

    With all that said, other drivers trying to compete this Friday night include Armani Williams, Chase Cabre, Tim Richmond, Nick Sanchez, Tom Berte, Lawless Alan, Gio Scelzi, Zane Smith, Ty Gibbs, Jesse Love, Bret Holmes, Howie DiSavino III, Thad Moffitt, Takuma Koga and Gracie Trotter.

    Friday’s race is scheduled to be the first under the Sioux Chief Showdown championship. The rest of the schedule includes Iowa, Gateway, Bristol, Memphis, Salem, Elko, Lucas Oil Raceway, Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen.

    It will be a one day show as normal for the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The one and only practice session takes place at 10 a.m. MT/Noon ET, with no live TV coverage. Qualifying is set for 2:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. ET. The General Tire 150 is scheduled to get underway shortly after 5 p.m. MT/6 pm. CT/7 p.m.ET, live on Fox Sports 1. More coverage throughout the day can also be found on arcaracing.com.

  • Exclusive-Getting to know ARCA Menards Series/Fast Track Racing member Dick Doheny.

    Exclusive-Getting to know ARCA Menards Series/Fast Track Racing member Dick Doheny.

    In this week’s interview Speedway Media catches up with Fast Track Racing crew member and former ARCA Menards Series driver, Dick Doheny.

    Doheny has a unique relationship with Andy Hillenburg, former owner of Rockingham Speedway and current owner of Fast Track Racing. Last year he would start the race and then get out of the car to crew chief for someone else on the team. But in 2020, Doheny has stepped away from driving duties and is building race cars for the Fast Track Racing team. During the interview, we talk to Doheny how the opportunity came about to race ARCA, why he is good friends with driver Ed Pompa, and the advice he would give to drivers.

    SM: You have a unique story in racing. You start a race, run a few laps and then get out of the car to work as the crew chief for the same team. Explain how that all came about?

    Doheny: “Last year, we started with three cars committed at Daytona and Talladega,” he said. “Only with the point structure in ARCA, we decided to fill in the remaining three races of the first five. It kind of snowballed from there.”

    SM: Do you find it challenging having to race a few laps and get out in time to crew chief for someone else?

    Doheny: “Yes, it can be,” Doheny said. “While the rest of the crew tries to keep me apprised of what is going on with the other cars, I still have to play catch-up after I get out of the car. In practice, I try to go out early and get my stuff done, then I can concentrate on getting the No. 11 car up to speed. It can get confusing at times, but having just been on the track, it can also help in giving feedback to the other drivers.”

    SM: With that in mind, what brought you to racing and how did you get connected with Andy (Hillenburg, Team Owner) to give you your shot?

    Doheny: “I have always been a big fan of auto racing,” he said. “I decided to give it a try myself. After pit crewing on a few local race teams, I built myself a Hobby Stock and then a Late Model and I got to run a Small Block Dirt Modified a few times. I had some success with a few wins and a track championship. Like a lot of racers, life happened. The bank doesn’t want to hear that you can’t pay the mortgage because you had to put a new motor in the race car. So, racing got put on hold while I helped raise a family. After several years, I felt that I needed to scratch the itch and did one of Andy’s three-day racing schools. I’ve been scratching ever since. I don’t think Andy was as impressed with my abilities as much as my willingness to work cheap.”

    SM: While being connected with the team, you and Ed Pompa have become great friends through the years. Describe why that friendship is very special between the two of you?

    Doheny: “Ed (Pompa) and I go back a long way,” Doheny said. “I would tell you how long, but then you would know we are a couple of old farts. We grew up in the same small town, working in family businesses. While we went to different schools, we knew each other from working in racing. At the time, I was driving at the local short track, Ed was the track photographer. We both ran tech for a radio control racing club. We both wound up at Fast Track from completely different directions. Ed has concentrated primarily on driving, while I have come to realize I am better at building them (cars) than driving them.”

    SM: I’ve heard for some drivers that racing is a hobby for them. Is that a correct term to say that?

    Doheny: “Everybody has a hobby,” he explained. “Some people whack a little ball and go chase it. I can say that because my son-in-law is a golf pro. Some people whack a ball and someone else chases it (softball), while I build race cars and drive in circles. Fortunately, for me, I get to do my hobby full-time.”

    SM: Before you made your career debut at Pocono in 2006, what else were you doing? In follow up to that, what are you doing aside from racing?

    Doheny: “I own a small building mechanical business,” Doheny said. “It’s HVAC design, building automation, etc. Most of what I do is design and planning. So my nights and weekends are spent on the computer doing that. I still go home about half a dozen times a year to oversee large projects.”

    SM: Do you wish you were full-time actively and winning races?

    Doheny: Sure, but I need to be realistic about it,” he said. “If you put me in a top-flight NASCAR Cup ride, I would still probably finish last, if I could even make the show. Like I said, I’m better at building them than driving them.”

    SM: What is it about the ARCA Menards Series you enjoy so much?

    Doheny: ARCA is just a big family,” Doheny said. “I can go from discussing ideas with an ex-Cup crew chief one minute and then with another grassroots weekend warrior the next minute. We all fight like crazy to beat each other, but in the end, if you have a problem, everyone, ARCA officials and series competitors will be the first one to give you a hand.”

    SM: Every racer always remembers their first time at Daytona. What was it like going there for the first time?

    Doheny: “Not going through the tunnel as I had already been there as pit crew, but rolling out of the garage,” he said. “The first five laps were spent saying to myself, ‘holy crap! This is Daytona! What am I doing here’? At the end of the first practice, my spotter said, “welcome to Daytona, you can cross this off your bucket list.” I replied, ‘this was never on my bucket list.’ Back when I was running my local short track, I had never considered that someday I would be able to race at a place like Daytona.”

    SM: Since then, you’ve had some pretty special moments in ARCA. What’s been your favorite racing memory in your career so far?

    Doheny: “Probably some of the obvious ones,” the New Yorker said. “The first Daytona start (2014), 12th at Springfield, and ninth in the final points (2019). However, also building and crewing cars that have been competitive.”

    SM: That said, you finished ninth in ARCA points in 2019 while driving and being a crew chief at the same time. Do you pay attention to that and if so, what does that say about you and the team? What are your goals in 2020? How long do you plan to keep doing ARCA?

    Doheny: “Andy came to me early in the season and said, he thought I could wind up with a top-10 points finish,” Doheny said. “I was more like, let’s get the other cars performing where they need to need to be first. By the end of the season, I was willing to flat tow a car to Kansas just for the points. Fast Track Racing consists of two full-time people and three part-timers in the shop. Last year, we put three cars in the top-15 in points and two drivers in the top-10. I think overachievers would be a good description. We have been able to consistently race in the top-15. For 2020, I want to see that change to top-10s. Personally, I’ll keep going in ARCA until they throw me out.”

    SM: If someone came to you after your career is over and asked if you would do it all over again, would you? If not, what would you change differently?

    Doheny: “On one hand, I wish I had started earlier,” he said. “However, I would never have been able to have the home life with my family that I have. So no, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

    SM: To wrap things up, what advice do you have, if any, for future drivers or crew chiefs that hope to make a career out of it?

    Doheny: Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut,” Doheny said. “Show me what you can do, just don’t tell me. The people in charge will see your abilities and act accordingly. Working long hours, being on the road, not having a weekend off is all tough. But the results can be very gratifying. Above all, have fun doing what you do.”

  • Four Takeaways From Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Menards At Daytona

    Four Takeaways From Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Menards At Daytona

    The ARCA Menards Series was back in action this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway and it was a solid race for the most part. There were a lot of new faces in the ARCA field at Daytona trying to make their first start at the most historic place in racing.

    Some new, some old, but they all had the same mindset. Go out there and win, or in some cases, bring the car home in one piece and be satisfied with a top-five finish when others expected you not to finish there. Either way, the 2020 Lucas Oil 200 was a new era for the ARCA Menards Series officially falling under the NASCAR banner. Despite falling under the new banner, you didn’t really notice any major difference, unless you looked hard enough.

    With that out of the way, here are the four takeaways from the Lucas Oil 200 event.

    1. Venturini back in victory lane – Whenever it comes to an ARCA race, you can almost always expect a Venturini car winning the race, or coming up short. Many wondered if the organization could follow up their impressive 2019 season by winning half the races, the Owners Championship, and of course, the prize everyone is chasing, the ARCA Menards Series title. Well, those questions were answered on Saturday when returning driver Michael Self claimed his first-ever Daytona pole. Having a fast car, Self was hoping to do a repeat performance from two years ago in 2018 by winning that race. It was a wreck-fest of a race, but the Venturini driver avoided all of them and found himself in contention to win at the end. Self wound up leading 61 of the scheduled 80 laps en route to victory. Not a bad first step in 2020 in hopes of getting back to the championship after falling short last year.
    2. Wreck-Fest Extravaganza – When it comes to Daytona, you never know what to expect until the race begins. In some races, the race goes the complete distance without a yellow, while others can be a wreck-filled race. Saturday’s race was a wreck-fest with 33.8 % of the race running under yellow. The pace was slowed by six cautions for 27 laps. Just 17 out of the 33 cars were running at the finish. A wild way to open up the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season.
    3. Deegan shines in first outing at Daytona – It wasn’t easy for her, but NASCAR superstar Hailie Deegan had a decent performance at Daytona. The DGR-Crosley driver qualified seventh and finished second after all the chaos especially after being caught up in an incident of her own. Toward the end of the race on Lap 51, Deegan caught the No. 11 machine the wrong way off Turn 2 and sent Chuck Hiers into the wall. While most certainly Deegan did not mean to do so, the Fast Track Racing team might make it tough on her in the races to come whenever she tries to pass them.
    4. Sean Corr continues to impress – Sean Corr is a name many people might not hear all that much, but he is always there at the finish, at least in the Superspeedway races. In 2013, Corr notched his first top-five finish at Daytona by finishing fifth. He followed that up again a couple of years later at Talladega by finishing fifth again. The Goshen, New York native also did the same in last year’s Daytona race. Coming into 2020, Corr was hoping to do the same. The No. 8 NESCO Chevrolet qualified 20th and ran solidly throughout the event. When it came down to it, Corr found himself again in the same position and was able to capitalize. In fact, he scored his best career finish to date in the ARCA Menards Series by finishing fourth.
  • Michael Self sweeps at Daytona after starting on pole

    Michael Self sweeps at Daytona after starting on pole

    In what was a wreck-filled race and day, one driver was able to survive the madness and that was Venturini Motorsports’ Michael Self who brought home the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway to win the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire.

    Self qualified on the pole and pretty much stayed out front for the majority of the race. Most importantly, he missed several wrecks including a big one that happened on Lap 49. In the end, Self accomplished his second win at Daytona for Venturini Motorsports, having also won in 2018.

    “It’s unbelievable. I can tell you the second time is every bit as sweet as the first,” he said. “And to do it with this group of people around me. Sinclair Oil, Toyota, my family here, a bunch of my friends here. It’s no secret, it’s a little extra special to come to Daytona. And to do it here with these guys makes it more special on top of that. Just a truly amazing day for us a little bit surreal.”

    After a long off-season, the ARCA Menards Series drivers had their first race of the season on a sunny and cool Saturday afternoon in Daytona Beach, Florida. It didn’t take long though for the cautions to start flying. In fact, the first quarter of the race was run almost under caution.

    The cautions started out on the first lap of the race. Andy Seuss in the No. 02 OUR Motorsports got tangled up going into Turn 3. Seuss had contact with World of Outlaw star David Gravel, which sent Seuss spinning in the grass and coming back up the track collecting Scott Reeves in the No. 88 and Eric Caudell in the No. 7. Then on Lap 11, the caution came out again for the No. 97 of Jason Kitzmiller. Kitzmiller had an engine failure on track, which prompted ARCA officials to throw the caution. The same would happen again just after a Lap 16 restart for Brad Smith in the No. 48. Smith also experienced an engine failure that ended his day early.

    A restart came on Lap 24 and we saw a few green flag laps before another caution fell. On Lap 38, a big wreck occurred going into Turn 1. Several drivers were involved including Natalie Decker, Willie Mullins, David Gravel, Connor Hall, Dave Mader III, John Ferrier, and J.J. Pack.

    It seemed like the word caution would be the drinking word for the Lucas Oil 200, at least for the first half of the race. A yellow slowed the pace once more on Lap 49 for the No. 11 of Chuck Hiers in the Andy Hillenburg entry. Hiers got an accidental bump draft that went wrong after a slight shove from Hailie Deegan in the No. 4 off Turn 2. Hiers’ No. 11 slammed the backstretch wall and the car was totaled and was done for the night.

    It seemed like this race would never get some green flag laps under its belt, but a long green-flag run broke out after a restart on Lap 55. The drivers maintained their cool and continued to set a smooth pace, hoping for a clean race to the finish.

    Some activity started to develop, however, with 15 to go. Smoke began to come out of the back of the No. 17 of DGR-Crosley driver Tanner Gray. Gray, who was Deegan’s teammate for this race, was eventually black flagged for excessive smoke. Gray brought his car down pit road and was done early due to a blown engine.

    While a caution did not come out for Gray, it came out for debris with 10 to go on the backstretch. It appeared as though this debris came from the No. 28 of David Gravel as when he came down pit road, the entire right side of the door came off his car. In what is mandatory for the ARCA Series, Gravel needed a window to go back on the track and finish the race. He was able to get a window, but his whole right side was tapped up in order to finish.

    A late-race restart came with four laps to go with Michael Self, Hailie Deegan, Drew Dollar and Bret Holmes out front, all searching for their first Daytona victory. With very little time, Deegan tried all she could to make a move on Self, but eventually she ran out of time to get a run on the No. 25 machine as Self went on to take the checkered flag at Daytona.

    This was Self’s first victory at Daytona International Speedway. Self led 61 of the scheduled 80 laps to earn his eighth ARCA Menards Series victory.

    Despite falling short, Deegan was still excited about her second-place finish in her Daytona debut.

    “Pretty much at the end there, all I wanted to do was finish,” she said. “My goal for this race was top three to top-five was a victory for me. I was totally fine finishing second. I wasn’t going to try to do anything to Michael. It is a long season and I have to race against these guys week in and week out. It is best to stay on good terms with them.”

    Official Results

    1. Michael Self
    2. Hailie Deegan
    3. Drew Dollar
    4. Sean Corr
    5. Thad Moffitt
    6. Jason White
    7. Riley Herbst
    8. Willie Mullins
    9. Bret Holmes
    10. Scott Melton
    11. Thomas Praytor
    12. David Gravel, one lap down
    13. Charles Buchanan Jr., one lap down
    14. Con Nicolopoulos, four laps down
    15. Benny Chastain, five laps down
    16. Tanner Gray, 10 laps down
    17. Eric Caudell, 13 laps down
    18. Tim Richmond, 25 laps down
    19. Chuck Hiers, OUT
    20. Connor Hall, OUT
    21. Ryan Huff, OUT
    22. Ryan Repko, OUT
    23. Gus Dean, OUT
    24. J.J. Pack, OUT
    25. Dominique Van Wieringen, OUT
    26. Natalie Decker, OUT
    27. Jacob Heafner, OUT
    28. Andy Seuss, OUT
    29. John Ferrier, OUT
    30. Dave Mader III, OUT
    31. Brad Smith, OUT
    32. John Kitzmiller, OUT
    33. Scott Reeves, OUT

    Up Next: The ARCA Menards Series takes a few weeks before their next race on Friday, March 6 at Phoenix International Raceway.

  • Michael Self claims pole for ARCA season opener at Daytona

    Michael Self claims pole for ARCA season opener at Daytona

    Michael Self, with a lap time of 49.43, qualified on the pole for today’s ARCA Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona pole is the first time that Self qualified first at Daytona and the first time since the No. 25 Venturini Motorsports car qualified on the front row since 2018 when Natalie Decker accomplished that feat.

    “Probably up until last year, qualifying was a bit of a sour point for me because I always have such bad qualifying results,” Self said. “But we kind of squashed that last year […] to get it here at Daytona International Speedway, it’s really special for Sinclair Oil, Venturini Motorsports and Toyota.”

    Self, however, is no stranger to qualifying on the pole at superspeedways. In fact, his first career pole came at Talladega in 2018, where the Utah native qualified first and finished third after leading 21 laps. Despite the small success at superspeedways, Self has yet to win a race at Daytona or Talladega, but today may be the day he crosses that off the list.

    Andy Seuss, Dave Mader III, Jason White, Drew Dollar, Riley Herbst, Hailie Deegan, Connor Hall, David Gravel and Dominique Van Wieringen completed the top-10 starters at Daytona.

    The Lucas Oil 200 goes green today at 4:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.

    Official Starting Line Up

    1. Michael Self
    2. Andy Seuss
    3. Dave Mader III
    4. Jason White
    5. Drew Dollar
    6. Riley Herbst
    7. Hailie Deegan
    8. Connor Hall
    9. David Gravel
    10. Dominique Van Wieringen
    11. Tanner Gray
    12. Jacob Heafner
    13. Ryan Repko
    14. Gus Dean
    15. Jason Kitzmiller
    16. J.J. Pack
    17. Chuck Hiers
    18. Bret Holmes
    19. Natalie Decker
    20. Sean Corr
    21. Willie Mullins
    22. Thomas Praytor
    23. Scott Melton
    24. John Ferrier
    25. Benny Chastain
    26. Eric Caudell
    27. Tim Richmond
    28. Scott Reeves
    29. Brad Smith
    30. Ryan Huff
    31. Chuck Buchanan JR
    32. Con Nicolopoulos
    33. Thad Moffitt

  • Deegan and Hall set pace at Daytona in ARCA practice

    Deegan and Hall set pace at Daytona in ARCA practice

    After a long off-season, the ARCA Menards Series drivers were back on track today at Daytona International Speedway. There were two practice sessions that took place in the afternoon with most of the field taking laps.

    In the first practice, it was NASCAR Superstar Hailie Deegan placing fastest in the No. 4 DGR-Crosley Ford with a lap time of 49.027 seconds at a speed of 183.572 mph. In the final practice session, ARCA newcomer, Connor Hall, set the pace for Chad Bryant Racing in the No. 22 with a time of 49.476 seconds at 181.906 mph.

    While this will be Deegan’s first full-time season in the ARCA Menards Series, it won’t be her first rodeo as she has six starts to her credit with a best finish of fifth at Indianapolis Raceway Park last season. Despite not having much superspeedway experience, she was still able to learn some things for tomorrow’s Lucas Oil 200.

    “That was the real drafting practice that I had with more than five cars,” she said. “I needed that, and I didn’t get a lot of that in the test. It was really good leading the pack too. Felt super stable, not darty at all.”

    One practice was good enough for the Temecula, California native as she did not compete in the final practice session.

    Well over 32 cars took to the track in the first practice session with Deegan being the fastest followed by Drew Dollar in the Venturini Motorsports No. 15 Toyota, Tanner Gray in the No. 17 DGR-Crosley Ford, Riley Herbst in the No. 18 Toyota, Bret Holmes in the No. 23 Chevrolet, Connor Hall in the No. 22 Ford, Jacob Heafner in the No. 77 Ford, Gus Dean in the No. 32 Chevrolet, Michael Self in the No. 25 Toyota and Ryan Repko in the No. 20 Toyota rounding out the top-10.

    As for the final practice, it was a who’s who in the top-10. Hall was fastest with Dave Mader III in second, Dominique Van Wieringen in third, Willie Mullins in fourth, Sean Corr in fifth, Jason White in sixth, Thad Moffitt in seventh, Natalie Decker in eighth, Chuck Hiers in ninth, and Jacob Heafner completing the top-10 in the final practice session. Only 24 cars participated in the session. Michael Self, Drew Dollar, Ryan Repko and Riley Herbst did not take a lap in final practice.

    With both practice sessions done for the day, the ARCA Menards Series drivers will take to the track tomorrow with group qualifying scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET with no live TV coverage. That will set the field for the annual Lucas Oil 200 at 4:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1.