Treyten Lapcevich enters Phoenix with the hope of keeping alive his American dream

A strong run in Friday’s General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway could be pivotal when it comes to Treyten Lapecvich continuing his racing career in the United States.

The Canadian-born driver secured an opportunity to debut with Venturini Motorsports for a one-race deal in the ARCA Menards Series. With no other events lined up on his schedule for 2025, Lapcevich is determined to showcase the talent and poise that has followed him since he first started racing in his home country.

Even with the concerns surrounding his funding, Lapecvich is grateful to see his diligent work finally guide him to the ARCA platform. He sees the potential for more starts later in the year, but he knows being efficient at Phoenix is imperative toward making that possibility a reality.

“I feel like this is one of those moments I’ve been working on and building towards for a long time,” he said. “This is definitely a huge opportunity, and I’m really excited to get to Phoenix. I know we’re with a great team in Venturini Motorsports, so I’m looking forward to getting a start in the ARCA Menards Series and see what the season brings.

“We’re playing it by ear right now and taking it one race at a time.”

Success has followed the Lapcevich family no matter what types of cars they’ve raced. Treyten’s father Jeff was an accomplished road racer with starts in the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Treyten’s older brother Cayden became a NASCAR Canada Series champion in 2016.

When it came time for Treyten Lapecvich to climb behind the wheel, he immediately continued his family’s winning ways. His most impressive achievement was a stellar run during the 2023 Canada Series season, which saw him earn the championship by winning half of the 14 events and not recording a single finish outside the top 10.

The next logical step for Lapecvich was to take his talents to the U.S., where the accolades continued to accumulate. He secured his first Late Model Stock victory at North Wilkesboro Speedway before backing that performance with a dominant showing in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway.

Among the drivers in the field at Florence that night included current NASCAR Cup Series competitor Josh Berry and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who tailed Lapecvich for most of the second half until his fuel pump broke with 25 laps remaining.

Lapecvich admitted it took time to adjust to competing full-time in the U.S., but he felt he found his comfort zone as the year progressed. Shifting his focus away from Canada to the U.S. was an enormous risk, but one Lapecvich is still willing to take ahead of a 2025 campaign that brings more uncertainty than clarity.

“I had a great first year [in the U.S.],” he said. “There were a lot of great new tracks I went to and got to learn some different driving styles. The goal for any racer is the NASCAR Cup Series, and that goal only becomes attainable if you put yourself in a position to make that happen. That’s why you have to get to the United States.”

Phoenix is a different test for Lapecvich on his American odyssey. The one-mile complex will be the largest oval track on which he’s competed, comprised of several unique characteristics such as long, sweeping corners and a dogleg on the frontstretch that creates passing opportunities.

Only one 45-minute practice session leaves Lapecvich a small window to get acclimated to his car before qualifying. Despite this, he said the time spent with Venturini so far has provided him a solid baseline approach for Phoenix, one he hopes translates to a solid result when the green flag waves Friday evening.

“[Phoenix] is a lot faster in a short track sense that I’m used to,” Lapecvich said. “I was able to get on the [simulator] with TRD and Venturini, which definitely helped a lot with getting a sense of what the car is going to feel like. I’ve been doing a lot of iRacing, as well, to prepare on that front, along with watching some old races.

“Trying to understand what to expect before practice is what I’m currently focusing on.”

Friday will not be the first time Treyten has turned laps for Venturini in a real-life scenario. He accompanied the team down to Daytona International Speedway in January for the annual ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice, which helped him build some cohesion with his Venturini teammates ahead of this weekend.

Not only does Treyten have three teammates with which to share data, but also the experience of crew chief Ron Otto on his side. A long-time veteran, Otto has worked with the likes of Austin Hill, Doug Coby and Corey LaJoie, the latter of whom he guided to five victories during the 2012 East Series season.

Lapecvich believes he has everything needed to excel in what could be one of the most important races of his career. Nothing is guaranteed after the checkered flag on Friday, but he is not letting the ambiguity of his situation deter his focus.

A strong run against the ARCA Menards Series regulars in his No. 15 Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Toyota is Lapecvich’s goal, but his expectations are set much higher.

“I’m definitely gunning for the win,” he said. “We’re not points racing or anything like that, but sometimes it’s a good feeling to not worry about points and just going after the win.

“If we can’t get the win, I’d like to get out of Phoenix knowing I did everything I could on the track and left it all out there.”

The meticulous search for sustainability is not going to end for Lapecvich regardless of how Phoenix turns out. He intends to be around the track as much as possible and take whatever opportunity materializes, all so he can keep his American dream going.