PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Series opener at Daytona arrives with pizzazz around a stacked entry list

The ARCA Menards Series will begin its 72nd season of competition Saturday afternoon with the running of the Daytona ARCA 200 at Daytona International Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

The event marks the 61st time the ARCA Menards Series has raced on the 2.5-mile oval at The World Center of Racing, the traditional home of the opening round of the ARCA campaign.

Beginning with Earl Balmer, Jack Bowsher and Nelson Stacy, 46 drivers have captured checkered flags in ARCA competition at Daytona. They include drivers like Iggy Katona, Ramo Stott, Benny Parsons, Kyle Petty, Tim Richmond, Jeff Purvis, Kenny Irwin Jr., Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Grant Enfinger, Harrison Burton, Corey Heim, defending winner Greg Van Alst and the all-time leader in ARCA wins at Daytona, Bobby Gerhart.

This year, a stacked entry list featuring 50 teams and drivers will attempt to qualify for 40 starting positions in the Daytona ARCA 200, but only one will earn a trip to Victory Lane.

Tickets for the Daytona ARCA 200 can be purchased here. Below is everything you need to know for Saturday’s Daytona ARCA 200.

Daytona ARCA 200 at Daytona International Speedway

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Arguably the best story of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season came from the first race of the year at Daytona International Speedway, where Greg Van Alst drove by Jason White on the final lap to win his first ARCA event on the series’ grandest stage.

A lot happened to Van Alst after his victory at Daytona last year, including a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series crash at Talladega Superspeedwau in which he fractured a vertebra in his back. He’s now healthy and ready to race once again as he looks to defend his victory from one season ago at Daytona.

A stacked field will be attempting to deny Van Alst that honor. Among the drivers on the entry list is Marco Andretti, the grandson of famed Indy car driver and Daytona 500 winner Mario Andretti, who will be making his series debut at Daytona. NASCAR Cup Series Chicago Street Course victor Shane van Gisbergen will also be making his ARCA debut aboard the No. 28 for the Pinnacle Racing Group.

Three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore has partnered with Rette Jones Racing to make his ARCA Menards Series debut after taking part in the Road to Daytona program in January. Another Whelen Modified Tour star, Patrick Emerling, is also set for his Daytona ARCA debut.

Series regulars are bountiful on the entry list, with full-season drivers like Christian Rose, Andres Perez, Lavar Scott, Kris Wright, Amber Balcaen, Toni Breidinger and Caleb Costner all hoping to take home their first ARCA Menards Series victories.

Other notable names on the entry list are Joe Gibbs Racing’s Tanner Gray, East Series victor Jake Finch, two-time ARCA winner Gus Dean, perennial Daytona contenders Willie Mullins and Sean Corr, Japan’s Takuma Koga and Luxembourg’s Gil Linster, among others.

In all, 22 states and five foreign countries are represented among the 50 drivers hoping to compete for a victory at Daytona on Saturday afternoon.

The complete entry list for the Daytona ARCA 200 can be found here.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series races at Daytona
• ARCA Menards Series drivers at Daytona

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Daytona ARCA 200 is limited to 34 starters plus six provisionals for a maximum starting field of 40. This event will run under the 2024 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Timed sessions by group. Groups determined by random draw. No adjustments or repairs may be made on car after taking the green flag at Start/Finish line. All cars must make a qualifying attempt, and all drivers must practice before they can qualify.

RACE PIT STOP: Modified live pit stop procedure. There will be a Competition Caution at or near lap 40. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is eight (8).