Last October at Lucas Oil Raceway, Chandler Smith (No. 20 JBL Audio Toyota) spent most of the race lurking in the shadows behind leader Ty Gibbs (No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota). Smith waited until it was almost too late to make his move, assuming the lead (and, after a brief delay, the win) as the first raindrops hit the track mere laps after Gibbs crashed out. When Gibbs found mechanical trouble on Friday night, Smith was already well out in front of the field and pulled away to pick up the win in the Calypso Lemonade 200 along with many of ARCA’s special awards.
For the first time since the return to racing in the ARCA Menards Series, General Tire Pole Qualifying was used to determine the starting lineup at the 0.686-mile short track. Smith’s speed of 111.499 mph earned him the top billing of the field, the first pole of the 2020 season for the Talking Rock, GA driver. Smith is the fourth different General Tire Pole award winner this year; Venturini Motorsports teammate Michael Self (No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota) is the only driver with two pole starts thanks to the lineups at Talladega and Pocono being set on owner points.
One driver that was not too pleased after General Tire Pole Qualifying was GMS Racing driver Sam Mayer (No. 21 Brogdon Family Foundation Chevrolet), whose best lap was only quick enough for eighth in the starting lineup. Mayer picked his way through the field over the course of the 200-lap event and nearly drove all the way to the lead in the waning laps before settling for a solid second-place result. For gaining six positions from his qualifying run, the K&N Hard Charger award was bestowed upon Mayer.
Smith was beaten to the punch by Ty Gibbs on the opening start of the race and allowed the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to lead the first 38 laps of the race. Smith reeled him back in and edged Gibbs to the stripe to lead the 39th lap. Smith never relinquished the lead for the rest of the night. With 162 laps led on the evening, Smith was the Valvoline Lap Leader for the night. However, with Gibbs adding 38 laps led to his personal yearlong total, Gibbs retained the lead in the season Valvoline Lap Leader standings. Gibbs has 225 laps led to Smith’s 177. Michael Self is a distant third with 72 laps led.
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The Richmond Water Heaters Halfway Leader was Smith for the first time this season, becoming the fourth different halfway leader in the first five races. Gibbs is the only driver to be ahead of the field at the crossed flags twice so far on the season.
Smith was also the Bounty Rookie of the Race thanks to the win, coming just one week after his 18th birthday. Bounty Rookie of the Year point leader Hailie Deegan (No. 4 Monster Energy Ford) thrilled the Indianapolis crowd with a third-place finish that allowed her some breathing room over fellow rookie Drew Dollar (No. 15 Lynx Capital/Dollar Concrete Toyota). Deegan now leads Dollar by a margin of 194-182 points after Dollar experienced mechanical woes at LOR. Dollar finished 14th, a distant 15 laps behind Smith at the checkered flag.
Winning the race from the pole gave Smith’s car owner/crew chief Billy Venturini the nod as the Cometic Crew Chief of the Race. Venturini, the reigning Cometic Crew Chief of the Year, is third in the 2020 standings led by No. 25 Venturini Motorsports crew chief Kevin Reed. Reed calls the shots for Michael Self as a team car to the No. 20. Sandwiched in between the two VMS crew chiefs in the standings is Mark McFarland, crew chief for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota piloted by Ty Gibbs and Riley Herbst. McFarland lost ground on Reed when engine problems sidelined driver Ty Gibbs permanently on lap 90 at LOR, relegating the team to a 15th-place finish.
The Calypso Lemonade 200 served as the second race in the revamped and reloaded Sioux Chief Showdown in-season championship. The first race, the General Tire 150 at Phoenix in March, was also won by Chandler Smith. The quick start to the ten-race chase has Smith atop the standings with 86 points. Michael Self and Hailie Deegan are locked in a tie for second with 78 points, eight markers behind Smith. The Sioux Chief Showdown will return at Iowa on July 18 with the Shore Lunch 150.
UPDATED: 2020 Sioux Chief Showdown Standings
The next event on the ARCA Menards Series schedule is the General Tire 150 from Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, July 11. The race will serve as the fourth installment of the General Tire Superspeedway Challenge that is currently helmed by No. 15 car owner Bill Venturini with driver Drew Dollar. The battle for the prestigious in-season owners’ championship is still extremely close, as No. 25 car owner Cathy Venturini (with driver Michael Self) and No. 18 car owner Coy Gibbs (with driver Ty Gibbs) lurk within two points of the lead. Tune in to FS1 for live television coverage beginning at 2:30 PM Eastern on Saturday as AMS teams return to battle at Kentucky for the first time since the 2017 season.
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