PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 06: Ty Gibbs, driver of the #18 Monster Energy / Terrible Herbst-ORCA Toyota, looks on before the ARCA Menards General Tire 150 on March 6, 2020 at Phoenix Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. (Adam Glanzman/ARCA Racing)
Ty Gibbs, driver of the #18 Monster Energy / Terrible Herbst-ORCA Toyota, is ready to get back racing next weekend at Ohio's Toledo Speedway. (Adam Glanzman/ARCA Racing)

Ty Gibbs & Sam Mayer Ready To Get Back To Racing At Toledo

www.arcaracing.com June 4, 2020

For Sam Mayer, it’s been been three and a half months since he’s started the 2020 season in near perfect fashion.

And for Ty Gibbs, it’s been nearly as long since he stood outside Victory Lane wondering – for the second time in as many races – how a win had slipped away.

Both will finally be able to turn their attention from thinking about racing to actually climbing behind the wheel, when the ARCA Menards Series East resumes its season on Saturday, June 13, at Toledo Speedway. The Herr’s Potato Chips 200 presented by Federated Car Care will be the first race back after the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the season in March.

“A lot of people will think it’s a restart to the year,” Sam Mayer told the media in a video conference call this week. “I already have two of three races won, so I like to think it’s the same year and the same me. Hopefully that’s the case.”

Mayer started the season with a win at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in the ARCA Menards East in February, and followed it up three weeks later in the ARCA Menards Series West opener at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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Since, the 16-year-old Wisconsin native has focused on keeping his racing skills as sharp as he can.

“I have been trying to do as much iRacing as I can,” said Mayer, who finished fifth at Toledo in the ARCA Menards Series last year. “I got to keep a steering wheel in my hands.

“I have been doing a lot of working out. There is a big difference in staying in shape and staying in race shape. I try to do as much go karting as I can to stay in good physical shape.”

“A lot of times in a week you run out of time when you’re racing every weekend,” said Gibbs, who also spoke with the media this week via video conference. “The little things are the things you strive for and they’re hard to get sometimes

“We are just ready to go back racing. It’s like being grounded. I am ready to go out and play.”

Gibbs qualified fourth and finished second to Chandler Smith at Toledo in 2019, when weather shorted the race to 152 laps.

RACING-REFERENCE: 2019 Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200

It was another ‘what might have been moment’ for the 17-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver. In 20 races across the ARCA Menards, as well as the East and West series, Gibbs has two wins and 16 top fives — including eight runner-up finishes. He finished third at New Smyrna, and the last time he was on the track, he led 122 laps before late cautions and subsequent restarts relegated him to third.

Gibbs said he’s used the time off to focus on the mental part of his racing development.

“It’s good to take time to be by yourself,” said Gibbs. “It was good to be by myself and focus and work on myself. I feel better. I changed some stuff I needed to change. I am ready to go back on June 13.”

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Although the ARCA Menards Series hasn’t raced, Gibbs has been able to get seat time in a late model in the interim. It’s prepared him a little for the atmosphere at Toledo, which will be limited to essential race personnel only and no spectators per state and local guidelines.

“It’s going to be fun, but it’s going to be weird without the fans there,” said Gibbs, who added it won’t change his mindset. “I still love racing race cars, and I still love to win, so it’s going to be the same deal.