Michael Self driver of the #25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota looks on after practice before the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 100 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida on August 14, 2020. (James Gilbert/ARCA Racing)
Michael Self, driver of the #25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota, leads the ARCA Menards Series and Sioux Chief Showdown after his win in the General Tire 100 at the Daytona Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida on August 14, 2020. (James Gilbert/ARCA Racing)

ARCA Menards Rewind: What We Learned at Daytona Road Course

www.arcaracing.com August 16, 2020

It took a return to the “World Center of Racing” for Michael Self to rediscover his winning ways.

In the process, he made history, gave himself some breathing room in the ARCA Menards Series standings and took over the top spot in the Sioux Chief Showdown.

Ty Gibbs may have settled for second, but he showed himself a quick study on turning right and left; a pair of road-course ringers came up short; and the Bounty Rookie of the Year battle between Hailie Deegan and Drew Dollar got even closer.

Here is what we learned from the General Tire 100 at the DAYTONA Road Course on Friday.

General Tire 100 at the DAYTONA Road Course: Results | Race Recap

Michael Self Finds Victory Lane Again

Although he was wearing his protective face mask after climbing out of the No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota in Victory Lane, it didn’t take much to realize Self was grinning ear-to-ear.

“Man, that was so much fun racing with him,” said Self of his race-long battle with Gibbs. “I hope he had as much fun as I did there at the end of that first stage. That’s what rain racing on the road course is supposed to be about man. That was so much fun. Ty’s a great kid.

“But, man, what a fun day.”

The win was the ninth career ARCA Menards Series victory in 51 starts over six seasons for Self, one more than he collected in 71 starts over six seasons running in the West Series. But more importantly for Self, it was his first road course win in the series. He had two in the West, both at Minnesota’s Brainard International Raceway.

RELATED: Michael Self Career Stats | Self’s ARCA Career Wins

“This is such a big deal for me, to come and win on a road course,” said Self. “I’ve been telling people for years I’m a great road racer, and I’ve been backing it up with coaching guys.

“This was so much fun. This was so cool to come win on a road course.”

The start of Friday’s race was pushed back three hours because of lightning in the area, and teams kept their rain-course tires on even after the midway break.

“Rain’s the great equalizer,” said Self. “It takes a lot equipment out of it, and it’s guys that are searching around and searching for grip. That’s one thing I’ve always prided myself in and always really put on my clients, that they have to do. And that paid off tonight.”

Self also ended a streak of nine straight races in which he saw Bret Holmes chip away at his points lead. What was 26 after the second race of the season was down to just four after last Sunday’s race at Michigan International Raceway. It’s now back to 15 after Self’s win and Holmes’ eighth-place finish.

Self also took over the Sioux Chief Showdown lead after six of 10 races, as previous leader and Venturini Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith struggled to a ninth-place finish at Daytona.

Gibbs ‘Settles’ for Second

Finishing second to Self on a road course would have been enough, for any driver not named Ty Gibbs.

But the 17-year-old grandson of the NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs has set impossibly high standards for himself. Of course, he’s met them on numerous occasions, as his eight wins across the ARCA Menards, East and West series over the last two seasons can attest.

“Hopefully I’ll go back and work harder on myself,” said Gibbs after his 10th career runner-up finish. “It’s just frustrating. I could have won.

“I try to make myself the best driver I possibly can be. I want to win so bad, it’s hard to lose. That’s my only issue.”

While Gibbs won’t turn 18 until 12 days before the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October, he is in the hunt for the Sioux Chief Showdown title. He is third, training Self by just seven – with Mayer and Gibbs also right in front of him as they head to WWT Raceway at Gateway in Madison, Illinois, on Saturday, Aug. 29. Gibbs used a bump-and-run last year on Mayer on the final lap at Gateway last year for his first career ARCA Menards win.

Sam Mayer & Colin Braun Pick Up Third

Sam Mayer is just three points behind Self in the Sioux Chief Showdown standings, thanks in large part to gutting out a third-place finish along with relief driver

Mayer suffered a right hand injury in a road course race last weekend in his home state of Wisconsin at Road America. He wore a brace on it, and had Braun, a former Rolex 24 winner and NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series driver on standby. With no cautions over the first half of the race, Mayer stayed in the car as long as he could. At the break, however, he turned over the seat to Braun.

Braun briefly got by Gibbs for second, but eventually brought the No. 21 Jim Kelly Foundation Chevrolet home third.

“We fired off really good at the start of the race when the race course was really wet, and I was able to hold on pretty good,” said Mayer. “But I really couldn’t go much further. I’m glad we had that halfway break.

Said Braun, who hadn’t been in a stock car on a road course since 2011: “I was a little worried when I got to second, honestly. … I got myself up to second and went, ‘I don’t really know where I’m supposed to brake here going into the bus stop. I haven’t done a lap yet. So for me, I sort of overachieved early.”

Bounty Rookie Challenge Update

Deegan finished sixth, edging Max McLaughlin at the finish line, for her 10th top 10 in 12 starts in her first full season in the ARCA Menards Series. That position enabled her to move into a tie for third in the championship standings with fellow Bounty Rookie of the Year candidate Dollar, who finished 12th.

Hailie Deegan driver of the #4 Monster Ford and Max McLaughlin driver of the #1 Mohawk Northeast Toyota cross the finish line during the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 100 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida on August 14, 2020. (James Gilbert/ARCA Racing)
Hailie Deegan, driver of the #4 Monster Ford, and Max McLaughlin, driver of the #1 Mohawk Northeast Toyota, cross the finish line during the General Tire 100 for the ARCA Menards Series at the Daytona International Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida on August 14, 2020. (James Gilbert/ARCA Racing)

Taylor Gray, 15, was the top finishing rookie in fourth. Gray got road-course experience in June when he was fourth and 11th in the ARCA Menards Series West doubleheader at Utah Motorsports Campus.

Notes

  • Will Rodgers started 19th when the field was set by Sioux Chief Showdown owners points, and quickly drove into the top 10. He worked his way up to fourth at the break, before settling for fifth.
  • Another road course driver, Parker Chase, had a strong run go away in the second half of the race. Chase was fifth at the halfway break but finished 10th. “Our race didn’t go as we had hoped. I thought we were in a good position at the end of the first segment, but it turns out that that was the best part of our race,” said Chase. “On the restart for the second segment, a couple of cars got together and I had to get into the grass to avoid them and lost a lot of time to the others ahead. Then, we were plagued by the transmission getting stuck in second gear which really spoiled our night.”
  • Ayrton Ori, 16, was making his debut for Visconti Motorsports with a USF 2000 background. He was in the top 10 but was running eighth with two laps to go when he suffered a left front flat and damage after getting off course. Ori wound up 17th.