Derek Griffith during the ARCA Menards Series Skips Western Outfitters 175 at New Smyrna Speedway on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020 in New Smyrna, Fla. (Photo by Matt Stamey)
Derek Griffith won the General Tire Pole Award in addition to several other awards during the ARCA Menards Series Skips Western Outfitters 175 at New Smyrna Speedway on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020 in New Smyrna, Fla. (Matt Stamey/ARCA Racing)

Derek Griffith Dominates New Smyrna Special Awards In Debut

Official Release February 15, 2020

It’s not easy to go out and run up front all night in your first career ARCA Menards Series East start.

Yes, Derek Griffith did just that in the Skip’s Western Outfitters 175 from New Smyrna Speedway.

Griffith came up just short of claiming the victory in the No. 2 Chad Bryant Racing Ford, finishing in second place on the Florida high-banked half mile. But he managed to rake in nearly every one of the ARCA special awards as consolation in his series debut.

Griffith kicked off the activities for the evening by laying down the fastest lap in General Tire Pole Qualifying, with a lap of 18.673 seconds (92.540 mph).

Griffith kept up his outstanding speed once the race got underway, leading the opening 92 laps en route to a final total of 144 laps led on the night. Griffith was the halfway leader, earning him the Richmond Water Heaters Halfway Leader Award, as well as the Valvoline Lap Leader Award for spending the most time out front during the race.

For his runner-up finish, Griffith took home the Bounty Rookie of the Race trophy. It was easier to count the number of drivers in Monday’s field that weren’t ARCA Menards Series East rookies, as 18 of the 23 starters were Bounty Rookie Challenge contenders. The rookie party was spoiled by 16-year-old Sam Mayer, who won the East rookie honors last year en route to the championship.

RACING-REFERENCE: Skip’s Western Outfitters 175

Griffith’s impressive drive netted his crew chief/car owner Chad Bryant the Cometic Crew Chief of the Race award for leading the young driver to a second-place finish after qualifying on the pole. Bryant was one of eight owners listed as having a car at Daytona on Saturday for the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire as well as at New Smyrna.

Bryant was also one of six crew chiefs pulling double-duty on the weekend, having called the shots for Jacob Heafner at Daytona. While the Daytona race ended on a sour note for Bryant, with both cars from his Chard Bryant Racing team being collected in the same accident, his fortunes nearly reversed on the short track at New Smyrna.

There was just one special award that Griffith had no intentions of chasing on Monday night, and for good reason: the K&N Filters Hard Charger Award. The Hard Charger award is given to the driver who improves the most positions from their starting spot to their finish at the end of the race.

Parker Retzlaff (No. 42 Ponsse Toyota) wound up as the Hard Charger, finishing in eighth place after qualifying 15th. Retzlaff now has three top 10 finishes in as many East starts dating back to last season.

The next race on the ARCA Menards Series East schedule will be on Saturday, March 14 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. I

Live coverage of the event will be carried on the TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, beginning at 7 p.m. CST. The replay of the race will air on NBCSN at 6 p.m. EST on Monday, March 23.