POCONO, Pa.: With momentum on his side after earning his career-best ARCA Menards Series finish last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, rookie Ryan Huff heads to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway eyeing his first career top-10 finish in Friday’s General Tire #ANYWHEREISPOSSIBLE 200.
Hoping to bounce back from bad luck in the opening two races of the season at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, Huff utilized the 76-lap General Tire 200 to gain knowledge not only about superspeedway racing but race etiquette too.
A 12th-place finish at the 2.66-mile superspeedway keeps the Williamsburg, Va. native optimistic he can tame the 2.5-mile triangle of Pocono – the same way he did at Talladega.
The answer? Patience.
“Patience paid off at Talladega,” said Huff. “It wasn’t a very chaotic race as I thought it would have been, but it still offered situations where patience proved to be critical. I know Pocono is not Talladega, but I think some of the same fundamentals that I used last weekend – hopefully can be applied this weekend.”
Huff doesn’t have any prior experience at the Tricky Triangle and with just an hour practice session in groups on Friday to have his formal introduction with one of the most demanding tracks on the ARCA circuit, Huff hopes to find a good balance in practice and make strides during the 80-lap race.
“It’s just going to be about finding a rhythm and comfort zone in practice,” added Huff. “I’ve been told that Pocono is going to be challenging but I’m up for the challenge. We’re bringing a new car to the track this weekend and I think that will be beneficial for us.”
Over the past month, Ryan Huff Motorsports acquired equipment from RMFS Racing which had been previously driven by Travis Braden. With Braden’s success driving the No. 27 Ford Fusions in ARCA competition, Huff will have the opportunity to drive one of his cars in his Pocono debut.
“We were fortunate to get our hands on some pretty good equipment,” sounded Huff. “Working with Fast Track Racing and Andy Hillenburg has been great for these last couple of races but we had the chance to bring some additional resources to the table and I’m hopeful we can capitalize on it.”
As for Friday, Huff is hopeful for a top-10 finish.
“If I’m patient and able to drive a smart and clean race, I think we can accomplish a top-10 finish,” he said. “I believe I’m going to have a car capable of putting me inside the top-10, it’s going to be my responsibility to stay there.”
HB Hankins will assume the role as the primary partner of Huff’s No. 10 Ford Fusion for the fourth race of the season.
In addition to HB Hankins, Land & Coates and Southeastern Services will serve as associate marketing partners for the event.
Following Pocono, Huff hopes to return to ARCA Menards Series action at Lucas Oil Raceway on July 3, 2020 for the Calypso Lemonade 200.
For more on Ryan Huff, follow him on Twitter (@driverRyanHuff) and like him on Facebook (@driverRyanHuff).
The General Tire #ANYWHEREISPOSSIBLE 200 (80 laps | 200 miles) is the fourth of 20 races on the 2020 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Fri., June 26 with an hour session from 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (Eastern).
