Daytona pre-race practice
(Photo: James Gilbert/NASCAR)

Daytona pre-race practice: Entry list breakdown and storylines for 2023 session

www.arcaracing.com January 12, 2023

The ARCA Menards Series will make its 60th visit to Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 18 for the Daytona 200. But before that event kicks off ARCA’s 71st season, many of the teams and drivers entered for the race — and many who aren’t — will make a trip to the World Center of Racing for the series’ annual pre-race practice.

Defending series champion Nick Sanchez headlines the pre-race practice entry list, as he will take the wheel in one of two cars entered by Rev Racing. The other will be shared by Andres Perez de Lara, who made his series debut last year at Bristol Motor Speedway and scored a runner-up finish in the ARCA Menards Series West race at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last October, and series newcomer Lavar Scott.

Venturini Motorsports, a team that fell just short of the owners championship in 2022, is back with four drivers for the pre-race practice. They include two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion Jesse Love, who will be a contender for the ARCA Menards Series championship in 2023.

Jesse Love
Jesse Love (Photo: NASCAR/Jeffrey Phelps)

Gus Dean, the 2016 Talladega Superspeedway ARCA race winner, will again take the wheel at Daytona for VMS, as will Toni Breidinger and Amber Balcaen. VMS has won the last five ARCA Menards Series races at Daytona with drivers Michael Self, Harrison Burton and Corey Heim.

Joe Gibbs Racing returns to the ARCA Menards Series in 2023 and will field cars at the Daytona pre-race practice for both Connor Mosack and William Sawalich. Sawalich, just 16, is eligible to participate in the practice but, due to his age, will not be entered for the race.

Actor-turned-driver Frankie Muniz is scheduled to test with Rette Jones Racing, the team that finished third at Daytona in 2019 with Canadian driver Grant Quinlan and second in 2017 with team co-owner Terry Jones at the wheel.

Frankie Muniz
Frankie Muniz

Muniz made his debut at the Daytona pre-race practice last year, when he made a handful of laps in one of Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Racing Team cars.

Hillenburg’s multitude of cars will be shared by a total of 14 different drivers over the two days, including the six drivers — West Series champion Jake Drew, East Series Bounty Rookie of the Year Leland Honeyman, ARCA Midwest Tour rookie of the year Harley Jankowski, ARCA CRA Super Series top rookie Billy Van Meter, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Jon McKennedy and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Layne Riggs — who are part of the 2023 Road to Daytona program.

Team co-owner Willie Mullins is one of five drivers who will make laps in Mullins Racing cars. Brayton Laster, Kayla Surles, 2022 Hickory Motor Speedway champion Landon Huffman and Peruvian Mario Hart will also see action in one of the team’s two cars.

Veteran drivers Dale Quarterley, Sean Corr, Tim Richmond, Greg Van Alst, Scott Melton, Andy Jankowiak and Jason Kitzmiller all return and will be joined by first-timers C.W. Lemoine, Landen Lewis, Amber Slagle and Gage Rodgers, among others.

A total of 60 drivers have registered, and 35 cars have been pre-entered.

Live timing will be available through the two-day test session at ARCARacing.com, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13-14, with Sunday reserved as a rain date. On-track activity both days is scheduled from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. ET.

The Daytona 200 will be televised live on FS1 starting at 1:30 p.m. ET with a live stream available on the Fox Sports App.