ARCA Menards rewind: Takeaways from Phoenix Raceway

www.arcaracing.com March 14, 2022

The season continued for the ARCA Menards Series on Friday night at Phoenix Raceway with the running of the General Tire 150, which also served as the opening rounds of the ARCA Menards Series West and Sioux Chief Showdown seasons.

A trio of drivers took turns at the front of the field throughout the race that was extended by overtime to 154 laps, ending with a new driver visiting ARCA Menards Series Victory Lane for the first time in his young career.

RACE RESULTS: General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway

Taylor Gray emerged as the winner following an emotional week for his David Gilliland Racing crew while Daniel Dye and Rajah Caruth flexed their own muscles with strong performances early in the season.

Below are the key takeaways from Friday’s General Tire 150 at Phoenix, beginning with Gray’s emotional victory amid tragedy.

Gray & DGR deliver emotional victory

Typically Victory Lane following a race is filled with excitement and joy, but a different sort of emotion was on display after Gray’s triumph in the General Tire 150.

On Friday, Gray and his DGR team were still grieving the loss of hauler driver Steven Stotts, who died in a traffic accident Tuesday while transporting Gray’s No. 17 Ford to Phoenix for the General Tire 150. Two other members of the team — John Zaverl and Michael Mizzelle — were also injured in the incident.

Taylor Gray
A detailed view of Taylor Gray’s No. 17 Ford Performance Ford ahead of the General Tire 150 for the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West at Phoenix Raceway on March 11, 2022. (Adam Glanzman/ARCA Racing)

Determined to race on in memory of Stotts, the team scrambled to prepare the car Gray was scheduled to race this week at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, and get it to Phoenix in time for Friday’s race.

With the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series off last weekend, the team used the hauler that typically transports Hailie Deegan’s No. 1 Ford F-150 to get Gray’s new race car to Phoenix.

The team didn’t miss a beat, qualifying second to defending ARCA Menards Series East champion Sammy Smith. He took the lead from Smith on the opening lap and led the first 16 circuits before giving up the lead to Smith after a restart on Lap 17.

The two would trade the lead multiple times before Daniel Dye emerged as a contender late in the race. Dye was the leader during a restart on Lap 138 when Gray took the lead for the final time with a pass that was voted the Reese’s Sweet Move of the Race.

Gray ultimately kept the field behind him during two more restarts to earn the victory for himself, his team and for Stotts. It was not only his first ARCA Menards Series victory, but also his fourth West Series triumph.

It was an emotional moment for all involved, including team co-owner David Gilliland.

“It means everything. This is for Steven and his family. They’ve been in our hearts and prayers all week. Very, very tough week,” Gilliland said. “The team really pulled together to get out here and get a car out here. Taylor did a great job. Just couldn’t be prouder of this race team.

“Steven’s family is watching this race. This is for you guys.”

An emotional Gray, fighting back tears in Victory Lane, dedicated the victory to Stotts, Zaverl and Mizzelle.

“The reason we’re here today is Steven, Michael and John,” Gray said. “I don’t know why we’d be here if we didn’t think they’d want us to be here. This is for them. This is all for them.”

Dye continues strong start, takes ARCA point lead

Two races into the ARCA Menards Series season, and Dye has established himself as a serious threat to win the ARCA Menards Series championship.

Wheeling the No. 43 Chevrolet for GMS Racing, Dye raced to a third-place finish in the opening race of the year at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19. He backed it up with a runner-up finish Friday at Phoenix, though it could have easily been a victory if not for a caution flag that waved on Lap 131.

At the time of the caution, Dye, who had taken the lead shortly after a restart on Lap 108, had a comfortable lead of roughly four seconds. He would lose the lead during the subsequent restart on Lap 138 to eventual winner Gray.

He later lamented his decision to restart on the top line for that particular restart, a choice he believed cost him the victory.

“It’s going to sting for a really long time, but really fast car. I’m super proud to be a part of this GMS Racing organization,” Dye said. “Super excited with what we’re going to do this year.”

Despite the loss, Dye departed Phoenix as the ARCA Menards Series championship leader for the first time in his career. He holds an 11-point advantage on Rajah Caruth as the series prepares for Round 3 of the season at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23.

Caruth turns heads with impressive performance

On the subject of Caruth, the Rev Racing driver turned in an impressive performance in his second race at Phoenix Raceway.

Starting seventh, Caruth piloted the No. 61 Chevrolet into the top five early and kept it there for most of the race.

The 19-year-old racer, who is looking for his first victory on the ARCA Menards Series platform, got as high as second late in the race before dropping to fourth during the final overtime restart.

It was his second top-five finish in ARCA Menards Series competition. His first came last October at Indiana’s Salem Speedway, where he finished third.

This is Caruth’s first full ARCA Menards Series season after contesting the entire East Series schedule last year, when he finished third in the season-long championship.

With performances like the one he put together Friday, it’s a question of when, not if, Caruth will earn his first ARCA Menards Series victory.

NOTES:

  • Sammy Smith set a track record in qualifying with a lap at 133.769 mph. He led the most laps, 79, and scored his second consecutive ARCA Menards Series top-five finish (dating back to last September at Bristol Motor Speedway) with a third-place result. Smith also won the ARCA Menards Series East season opener at New Smyrna Speedway in February.
  • Jake Drew was the highest finishing ARCA Menards Series West regular, crossing the line fifth. Drew finished 2022 tied with Jesse Love for the West Series championship but lost on a tiebreaker. The next highest finishing West Series regular was Cole Moore in 11th.
  • Jesse Love made his first ARCA Menards Series start since his win last October at Salem, finishing sixth.
  • Chase Briscoe, the 2016 ARCA Menards Series champion, became the 200th winner in NASCAR Cup Series history with his victory in Sunday’s Ruoff Mortgage 500. Briscoe earned six victories during his championship season driving for Briggs Cunningham, which ultimately led to Briscoe signing a developmental contract with Ford Performance in early 2017.
  • Brian Kaltreider arrived at the track after the combined practice and qualifying session. He and his crew unloaded and got the car through tech in time for the start of the General Tire 150, but they were only able to complete two laps. Kaltreider, who is returning to the series after losing all of his equipment in a fire two years ago, was delayed by two snowstorms on the way from his base in Pennsylvania, and by a thief who stole the license plate off his trailer in Oklahoma.
  • JR Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry made his second ARCA Menards Series start in Friday’s race. Driving a car fielded by Steve McGowan, Berry started 11th and finished eighth. He followed that up by finishing third in Saturday’s Xfinity Series United Rentals 200 at the one-mile tri-oval.
  • Five drivers achieved their best career ARCA Menards Series finishes at Phoenix: winner Taylor Gray, fifth-place Jake Drew, 10th-place Connor Mosack, 11th-place Cole Moore and 17th-place Paul Pedroncelli Jr.
  • Six drivers achieved their best career ARCA Menards Series West finishes at Phoenix: second-place Daniel Dye, third-place Sammy Smith, fourth-place Rajah Caruth, 15th-place Toni Breidinger, 22nd-place Ryan Roulette and 25th-place Sebastian Arias.