Christian Rose, driver of the #32 West Virginia Tourism #AlmostHeaven Ford, before the ARCA Daytona 200 for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on February 18, 2023. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
(Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

After welcoming first child, Christian Rose enjoys a solid day at Daytona

www.arcaracing.com March 1, 2023

Even if he finished last in the 39-car starting field at Daytona International Speedway during the Daytona 200 on Feb. 18, it would have been a perfect start to the racing season for Christian Rose.

The driver of the No. 32 Visit West Virginia Ford for AM Racing didn’t finish last – he finished a solid 12th – but the perfect start to the season had nothing to do with what happened on the race track. Rose and his wife Brooke welcomed their first child, their son River Lawrence Rose, to their family just after he returned from the pre-race practice at Daytona on Jan. 16. Anything after that milestone moment was going to be a nice bonus.

Thankfully for Rose and his Kevin Cywinski-led team, they performed above everyone’s expectations in the ARCA Menards Series season opener at Daytona.

RELATED: Christian Rose’s ARCA stats

“I like being the kind of guy that lays in the weeds and surprises people,” Rose said. “We had a really great race car and I know we could have contended for the win if we hadn’t lost some ground early in the going and had to spend a lot of time getting the car fixed.”

Rose was running in the pack just after the start when the car directly in front of him slowed. He was able to get off the gas and avoid contact, but those behind him couldn’t. He got shoved into the slower car and knocked the radiator ductwork loose. A timely caution just a few laps later allowed him to make several pit stops for repairs.

“If we’re in any sort of contention in the points later in the season, I am going to look back at what happened at Daytona and give my team all the credit,” he said. “We were running really hot after we knocked the ductwork loose and we could have easily overheated and blown the engine. We’d have finished almost last instead of 12th. That’s about a 25-point swing. That could be really important later in the season.”

Once the damage was mitigated, Rose was able to work his way through the field and led laps for the first time in his ARCA career.

“It was really great to get up there and lead laps for the first time, and to do it at Daytona was even more special,” he said. “I am a rookie and I still have a lot to learn about racing at Daytona and Talladega. I really wish we didn’t get behind early in the race because I think we would have been up there fighting for the lead all day and in contention at the finish.”

That’s not to say he wasn’t in contention. Rose was in the midst of a snarling pack of cars racing off Turn 4 coming to the checkered flag.

“I thought we were all going to wreck,” he said. “We were all playing bumper cars at 190 miles an hour. I got bounced into the wall twice between Turn 4 and the finish line.

“We went to the top on that last restart and the 6 car (Jack Wood) threw a big block on us,” he continued. “I think if we had anyone working with us on the last few laps we’d have had a good chance at the win. We were ahead of the 18 car (Connor Mosack) with 10 laps to go and he went on to finish second, so we know we had a great car and a good chance at it.”

Rose has watched the last lap a few times trying to learn what to do in a similar circumstance at Talladega.

“It gives me more anxiety watching it than it did doing it,” he said with a laugh.