Driver of Mobil 1 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing Earns Second Straight Top-Five
Date: Saturday, May 6
Event: Dawn 150
Series: ARCA Menards Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Length: 100 laps (150 miles)
Start/Finish: 2nd / 4th (Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)
Race Winner: Jesse Love of Venturini Motorsports (Toyota)
Overview:
Connor Mosack kept the momentum going in his second ARCA Menards Series start of 2023. The 24-year-old racer from Charlotte, North Carolina, finished fourth in the Dawn 150 Saturday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City after securing a second-place starting spot in the 100-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval. It marked another strong qualifying and race performance for Mosack as he took the pole in the ARCA season opener on Feb. 18 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway before finishing second. The Dawn 150 was Mosack’s 15th career ARCA start, but only his second with Joe Gibbs Racing, the powerhouse organization that won back-to-back ARCA owners’ titles in 2021 and 2022. Mosack’s Kansas performance bodes well for his next ARCA start May 26 at another intermediate-style oval – the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. In his one and only start at Charlotte last May, Mosack started fifth and finished fourth.
Connor Mosack driver of the No. 18 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
“I felt like we were really good on long runs, especially the first half of the race. We started running ‘em back down – we just lost so much ground to them on the starts, and I think I could’ve done a better job managing that and driving through it a little better. We tried to tighten up the car a little bit to help with that, but it ended up hurting us too much on the long runs. We still lost some ground on the initial restarts and we couldn’t get it back after that. That’s a little frustrating because I think we had a better car than that. If we had been on the pole and gotten out front, we would’ve had clean air and been in better shape to hold our position. But I definitely learned a lot and am looking forward to getting back with these guys at Charlotte.”
Notes:
● Since making his first ARCA Menards Series start at Kansas with an 11th-place drive on Oct. 23, 2021, Mosack has improved his finishing position each time he has returned to 1.5-mile oval. He finished fifth last May and bettered it in the Dawn 150 with a fourth-place result.
● Mosack’s fourth-place finish marked his 11th top-10 in 15 career ARCA starts.
● This was the second of six ARCA races where Mosack will drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023. Joe Gibbs Racing won the ARCA owners’ title in 2021 with Ty Gibbs and again last year with Drew Dollar and Sammy Smith splitting driving duties.
Next Up:
Mosack will be in a Super Late Model May 16 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and again May 25 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. He returns to the ARCA Menards Series May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway with Joe Gibbs Racing and races for a third straight day on May 27 when he competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte with Sam Hunt Racing.
