PIT BOX: Phoenix Raceway Welcomes ARCA Menards Series

The ARCA Menards Series will make its inaugural trip to Arizona, and will mark the occasion by kicking off the 10-race Sioux Chief Showdown.

Friday’s General Tire 150 will feature a pair of drivers, in Michael Self and Ty Gibbs, who have already visited Victory Lane at the 1-mile desert track, albeit in different formats. And it will provide a challenge to a host of drivers who are visiting for the first time.

GENERAL TIRE 150 at PHOENIX RACEWAY

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Just four years ago, then 16-year-old Todd Gilliland won his first three races of the season – the East opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, and 2016’s first two West events.

Now it’s a 16-year-old from Wisconsin who’s looking to duplicate that feat.

Sam Mayer won the ARCA Menards Series East New Smyrna, and then went back-to-back with an ARCA Menards Series West win at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He’ll head to a track where he won the pole and finished second in last year’s West finale.

He’ll have plenty of competition, namely Self and Gibbs.

Self, who came up short in the ARCA Menards Series title chase last year, opened the season with a win at Daytona International Speedway. He scored his Phoenix win back in 2012. And Gibbs, who was third at New Smyrna, outran Mayer in the closing stages of last year’s Phoenix race.

They’ll be joined in the field by Chandler Smith, who won five of his 11 ARCA Menards Series starts last season in a limited schedule, and Hailie Deegan, who ran an impressive second to Self at Daytona. Drew Dollar, Thad Moffitt and Bret Holmes are all coming off top 10s runs at Daytona as well.

In addition to counting toward the larger ARCA Menards Series championship, Phoenix will be the first race for the Sioux Chief Showdown. That championship features a mix of short track speedways such as Phoenix, Iowa, Gateway, Bristol and Memphis; short-track bullrings like Salem, Elko and Lucas Oil Raceway; and road courses with Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen.

RACING REFERENCE: Previous West races at Phoenix

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the General Tire 150 is limited to 30, including provisional positions. The first 27 drivers will secure starting positions based on qualifying for the General Tire 150. The remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. This event will be run under the 2020 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Group qualifying. No adjustments or repairs may be made on car after taking the green flag at Start/Finish line. All cars must make a qualifying attempt, and all drivers must practice before they can qualify.

RACE PIT STOP: Modified live pit stop procedure.

The General Tire 150 will be 150 laps (150 miles) and is to be run in one (1) segment.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Four (4) tires for the race plus eight (8) in the pits for a total of twelve (12) tires.

A team representative must designate qualifying and race tires to NASCAR Officials at the designated time. Teams will be allowed to bring one (1) set of tires from home to register for practice session(s). Tires must be proper code and registered with NASCAR Officials prior to the beginning of the practice sessions.