DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 9, 2026) – Gus Dean (No. 25 Nitro Motorsports Toyota) made his first laps at Daytona International Speedway since he won the race in 2024. “It feels good to be back. I can’t thank my Nitro Motorsports team enough for their hard work. Nick (Tucker, co-car-owner), Shane (Wilson, crew chief), and the rest of the Nitro Motorsports have worked hard to bring six competitive and fast race cars to the track. We made changes throughout the day that allowed us to be in a great position to turn that fast lap in the draft. It felt great to get back on the track at Daytona for the first time since the win in 2024 and I’m looking forward to tomorrow and helping the entire organization get ready for the season-opener next month.”
- Nitro Motorsports fielded six cars on the opening day of the two-day pre-race practice session, and all six were at the top of the leaderboard. Dean led the way followed by Gavan Boschele (No. 90B Nitro Motorsports Toyota), Jake Finch (No. 15 Phoenix Toyota), Thomas Annunziata (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Toyota), Isabella Robusto (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota), and Jake Bollman (No. 20 Nitro Motorsports Toyota).
- YouTube superstar Garrett Mitchell (No. 30 Kennetix Ford), known to his millions of fans as Cleetus McFarland, was seventh on the opening day, the first non-Nitro Motorsports driver.
- Andy Jankowiak (No. 71 KLAS Motorsports Chevrolet) was eighth quickest on the first day of activity.
- Amber Balcaen (No. 24 Sigma Performance Services Ford) was evaluated and released from the Infield Care Center after an incident in turn three left her car with significant nose damage. Balcaen reported a cut tire at the end of the straightaway and said the car jumped out from under her as she entered the turn. Balcaen returned to the track later in the day in the backup car and was ninth quickest.
- Taylor Reimer (No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet) was tenth quickest, the third of the eight female drivers entered to finish the day in the top ten.
- The two Joe Gibbs Racing entries for Giovanni Ruggiero (No. 18G JBL Toyota) and Max Reaves (No. 18M Cook Out Toyota) ended the day in 13th and 14th on the charts, but were separated by just 0.012 of a second on the stopwatch. Reaves will compete for the in the ARCA Menards Series East title in 2026 while Ruggiero, a full-time driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will race for JGR in the ARCA Menards Series opener at Daytona in February.
- CARS Tour late model regular Timothy “Mini” Tyrell (No. 17 Cook Racing Technologies Chevrolet) made his first laps at Daytona International Speedway, ending the day in 20th position.
- Bob Martin (No. 52 Martin Racing Toytota) was also evaluated and released after an incident exiting turn two. Martin said he had been fighting a loose condition all day and the car stepped out from under him and he couldn’t catch it.
- Alex Clubb (No. 03 A. Clubb Lawncare Ford) had a transmission failure on his first run of the day. He will replace the transmission overnight with plans to be on track for Saturday’s session.
- A total of 79 drivers and 49 cars are registered for the pre-race practice; a total of 65 drivers made at least one lap in Friday’s session.
About ARCA
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum in Toledo, Ohio, and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018, is the leading grassroots stock car sanctioning body in the United States. Bridging the gap between NASCAR’s top three national touring series and weekly and regional tour racing all across the country, the organization sanctions over 100 races per year in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, ASA STARS National Tour, ASA CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour, ASA Southern Super Series plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways. For more information about ARCA visit www.arcaracing.com, or follow ARCA on Facebook (@ARCARacing) and Twitter (@ARCA_Racing).
About Menards
A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more. To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!
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