Dover International Speedway honors Jimmie Johnson as ‘The Monster Mile Master’ during his final full-time season
RCR Post Race Report – Dover 200 Race 1
Anthony Alfredo and the ADS/Footing First Chevrolet Team Score 11th Place Finish in Monster Mile Debut
Finish: 11th
Start: 26th
Points: 10th
“We had a solid 11th place finish today in our No. 21 ADS/Footing First Chevrolet. I wish we could’ve had a top-10 finish, but we had to fight forward from a 26th starting position today. We worked our way inside the top 15 fairly quickly. It was just extremely difficult to pass here. My Richard Childress Racing guys did awesome on pit road. My crew chief, Andy Street, and spotter, Derek Kneeland, both did a great job helping me figure this place out and get the car better, especially for that last run. It was much closer to where it needed to be at the end of the race. We need to do a little more work to prepare for tomorrow, but with the invert of the top-15 positions, we should be starting around fifth. Hopefully we can capitalize on that! I’m thankful to have ADS Pipe and Footing First on board our Chevrolet Camaro. Overall, it was a solid run and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race.” -Anthony Alfredo
Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Dover: Race 1
Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Dover International Speedway: Race 1
Race: Drydene 200
Date: August 22, 2020
___________________________________________________
No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 1st
Stage 1: 1st (Ninth stage win of 2020)
Stage 2: 2nd
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 49
Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+72)
Notes:
Austin Cindric and the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang team won a stage and finished a close second in the Drydene 200 Saturday afternoon at Dover International Speedway. The Mooresville, N.C. native led 49 laps and racked up his seventh consecutive finish second or better. Cindric leads all drivers with nine stage wins this season and has finished eighth or better in five starts at Dover. The driver of the No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang continues to lead the NXS driver standings, 72 markers ahead of second place, Chase Briscoe.
Cindric started first in the 200-mile, 200-lap race after the field was per the rule book and led wire to wire to win the first 45-lap stage despite his Mustang being tight on exit. Crew chief Brian Wilson called him to pit road during the stage caution for four tires, fuel, and minor adjustments and Cindric restarted second when the race went green on lap 51.
Soon after the race restarted Cindric fell in line third and said he was loose. He had a close call on lap 77 when Chase Briscoe spun while inside Cindric off Turn 2, bringing out the third caution. Cindric restated third and fought back to finish second when Stage 2 concluded on lap 90. Wilson once again made the call to pit during the stage caution for four tires and adjustments to the PPG Ford and Cindric restarted fourth when the race restarted on lap 96.
Cindric wasted no time recapturing the runner-up position, quickly moving up to second. The fifth caution on lap 150 fell within the fuel window to make it to the end of the race. Cindric pitted for service under the yellow and restarted along leader Justin Allgaier on lap 154. But despite his best efforts, the driver of the PPG Ford couldn’t find a way around his rival over the final 46 laps.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action tomorrow afternoon at Dover, the completion of its doubleheader weekend. The green flag is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET with live coverage on NBCSN, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
Quote: “Track position was extremely important. The track didn’t quite move around. When we’d get a restart about 10-15 laps in you could be good being the first guy up or making hay in traffic, but we have some things we can execute better on, but it was a great points day and getting our PPG Mustang in the top three is great and hopefully it’s something to build on for tomorrow.”
Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric Takes Runner-Up Spot in First Half of Dover Doubleheader
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020
DRYDENE 200 – DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES
FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
2nd — Austin Cindric
10th — Chase Briscoe
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang — “Track position was extremely important. The track didn’t quite move around. When we’d get a restart about 10-15 laps in you could be good being the first guy up or making hay in traffic, but we have some things we can execute better on, but it was a great points day and getting our PPG Mustang in the top three is great and hopefully it’s something to build on for tomorrow.”
HOW VALUABLE IS IT TO HAVE A SOLID DAY TODAY? “It makes it a lot easier for my team, I can tell you that. I had a great battle there with Justin. Obviously, he wanted it really bad. I knew that wasn’t gonna be an easy pass, so hopefully we can take it to him tomorrow. I mean, he drove the wheels off that thing. I don’t know if you guys watched my onboard camera much, but he was sideways from the beginning of the run to the end of the run, so props to him and those guys and we’ll try to do better tomorrow.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Highpoint.com Ford Mustang — WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WERE YOU DEALING WITH? “The wreck, I haven’t seen it, but I felt like I was really loose as it was and it would just get so tight there off of two and arou nd the air it just spun me out so fast and it knocked the toe out and everything else. The wheel was going 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock and I was all but wrecking down every straightaway and we were burying the splitter, so to come back and run 10th is obviously really good for our Highpoint.com Ford. Obviously, I want a lot more. The way these last six or seven races have gone we haven’t been where we had been earlier in the year, so I feel like we can get it turned around tomorrow. We’ll probably go to a backup and hopefully it’s a little bit better.”
HOW MUCH OF A CHALLENGE COMING FROM THE BACK IN A BACKUP? “I didn’t even realize I was gonna have to start in the back. That’s gonna be tough, but we did it here last year. We qualified on the pole and still had to start last and came back and led a lot of laps. I think the biggest thing is you don’t know how that car is gonna drive. We can tune on what we thought this one needed, but that other car, even though they’re built the exact same, can always drive different. Hopefully, we’re a little bit better tomorrow. I felt like we were pretty decent today, but we just never got clean air and I think that would have made a big difference, so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”
POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang — WHAT HAS MADE THIS TEAM SO STRONG THIS SUMMER? “I think we’ve honestly been strong all year. I feel like we’ve brought some incredibly fast race cars since the start of the season with Vegas as a great example all the way up to Kentucky and now. I’m proud of that effort and my guys have been working hard. I do the best I can to prepare. I love coming to this racetrack. I’m glad we had a really good run here today. Hopefully, we can learn from today, apply it to tomorrow and maybe execute just a little bit better. It was a little bit of a track position race, but you can’t get too caught up in trying to win every race because these things are pretty hard to do. To come away with a second-place finish and Justin was obviously really hungry. That was gonna be a hard pass to make if it wasn’t on pit road, so congrats to him and try and do one spot better tomorrow.”
HOW DO YOU THINK THE TRACK WITH CHANGE TOMORROW? “When we’ve done the doubleheader weekends at Homestead and Kentucky I’ve tried as best as we could as a team to use it as a learning experience. I mean, we know we don’t have practice for the rest of the year, so whatever we can do to make our race cars better between the two races, you’re never gonna have a better A to B. Now, I will say being where we’re located geographically that there’s a good chance the track will be wet and it will be green again, but that’s kind of how this racetrack ebbs and flows. I expect the racetrack to be starting about the same tomorrow morning as it is now.”
DID YOU GET A GOOD LAUNCH ON THE BOTTOM AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT LANE? “It was a track position race and if I was gonna give myself any shot to win the race, it was gonna be on a restart. Finishing second or finishing third nobody really cares. It doesn’t really matter. When you’re NASCAR racing you don’t get a trophy for it and the points are a small difference, so try and win races. That’s probably why I did it. That’s the conversation I had with myself. In Ross’ shoes, I probably would have done the same thing he did, picking the second row on the top, but obviously we were able to take advantage of it and still hold the second-place track position, but, yeah, I did it to try and give myself a shot at the win.”
THOUGHTS ON THE CHOOSE CONE? “At this track I’m not sure it affects it as much as when you’d maybe go somewhere like Michigan or maybe Texas at the latter part of the year — Martinsville. I saw it being 50/50 as far as your advantage to gain a whole lot, especially if you’re within the top five — you kind of just do whatever the other guy doesn’t do. But, it was fine. I think the communication for that, you have to really nail down with your spotter, especially as it gets more complicated, but I’m all for it.”
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE IN THIS ZONE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW? “Honestly, some of it’s not up to me, but I’m the one driving the race car. I feel very blessed to be within a group of guys that feed off each other. My guys know how hard I work, whether if it’s working out in the middle of the week or preparation during the week. I know how hard they work at the race shop and the same thing applies when we hit the racetrack. We’re prepared and we feed off of each other’s talents. I’m surrounded by a lot of talented people, so when you put all that together and you execute on a race weekend and you have great equipment and great partners, a lot is possible. I’m glad that as my boss would say, ‘Effort Equal Results.’ I don’t expect it to be easy for the whole year, but not that this has been easy. I felt like I drove my butt off today and you’ve got to do that every race and that’s what makes this fun, that’s what makes it challenging, so it makes me look forward to tomorrow.”
HOW MUCH ATTENTION ARE YOU PAYING TO INDY RIGHT NOW? “I was almost late to the airport watching Carb Day practice, so if that tells you anything. I’ll probably be asking for in-race updates at the stage breaks tomorrow. This will be the first time in a really long time, probably since I was one or two years old, that I haven’t been at the Indy 500. That fact that one of my favorite racetracks turned out to be a doubleheader weekend and prevented me from going to the Indy 500 is kind of a bummer, but it’s obviously a strange year there anyway. It’s definitely a passion of mine. It’s definitely got a lot of family history for me. That’s a place where both sides of my family have a lot of history. For my immediate family, myself, my mom, my brother and my dad, that’s somewhere, whether my brother has been in college or he lives in England now — whatever the four of us are all doing in life we get to meet up there every year and sit on the pit wall during the grid walk and just kind of watch the world go by and watch a great race. I know there’s a lot of family traditions and that’s why I know it’s so hard for Mr. Penske to not have fans. There’s a loyal fan base for that race and obviously the spectacle that it is, but I promise you I’ll be watching on TV and rooting on our four cars.”
DO YOU HAVE A PICK FOR TOMORROW? “It seems like Newgarden is probably one of our best cars and Dixon is probably an easy pick. I think Rossi will be there at the end, but if I’m 100 percent honest I would love to see Helio win his fourth. I know it would be a strange year to do it, but that guy has worked so hard. He’s coming off his first rain win at Road America. I know how happy he was about that, so I want it really bad for him. Hopefully, he can find his way to the front and pull it off.”
Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — Dover 8.22.20
BURTON, HERBST DRIVE TO SOLID FINISHES AT DOVER
Rookie Harrison Burton earns 10th top-five finish of the season.
DOVER, Delaware (August 22, 2020) – Harrison Burton (fifth) and Riley Herbst (sixth) scored top-10 finishes to lead Toyota in the Drydene 200 at the Dover International Speedway on Saturday afternoon.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Dover International Speedway
Race 20 of 33 – 200 miles, 200 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Allgaier*
2nd, Austin Cindric*
3rd, Ross Chastain*
4th, Noah Gragson*
5th, HARRISON BURTON
6th, RILEY HERBST
16th, BRANDON JONES
22nd, STEPHEN LEICHT
26th, STEFAN PARSONS
29th, CHAD FINCHUM
36th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 Fields/DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your run today overall?
“It was a good run. We weren’t as good as we wanted to be today. We had a fast Fields/DEX Imaging Supra – on the long run especially. That last run, I’ve never been that loose into turn three here. Chattering the left-rear tire and the right-rear tire, pretty scary feeling. Really happy that we got a top-five out of it. Felt like we ran better than that all day. Should have been better than that. As bad as it was at the end there compared to how good we were in the beginning, I’m happy we kind of ran somewhat similar. Overall, a good day. Got good stage points and everything. It all matters, it all adds up. Hopefully we can go kick their butts tomorrow.”
Where did your team need to be better in order to run with the 7 and the 22 in today’s race?
“At the end of the race, we were just really loose on corner entry. Especially into turn three. That just puts you behind the whole way through the corner. You lose your entry speed and then you have to try to make it up in the center and end up getting tight normally. Then it messes up your corner exit. Being loose in is really tough. I think we did a good job adjusting all day and just had a heat cycle on tires and it went completely the other way – just got super, super loose. That was strange. I feel like we need to tighten up for tomorrow, but not really sure why it took such a huge swing and started chattering the rear tires. We’re going to look into that more and hopefully come back tomorrow and get the win.”
What will you go to work on tonight and how will you prepare for tomorrow’s race?
“The biggest thing is just watching the race back and seeing what, as a driver, what you can do better. I have great confidence in my guys to make the right calls and put us in good situations balance-wise for the race tomorrow. I feel like I’m excited. If you give us some time to go to work, normally my guys are going to be better than everyone else. I’m definitely excited to come back tomorrow and hopefully put it on.”
RILEY HERBST, No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
How was your race today?
“It was good. It was good to come home sixth. I should have been a little higher. Our Monster Energy Supra was a fourth-place race car. Track position is so difficult here. It was a good learning day. We have another shot tomorrow, so hopefully we will be able to go get ‘Miles,’ a super cool trophy.”
What do you think that you learned today that will translate into tomorrow?
“Just the way the track rubbers up and changes throughout the race will definitely affect tomorrow’s setup and how we approach tomorrow.”
# # #
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Zinsser “SmartCoat” Brand to sponsor ARCA Menards Series event at Lebanon I-44 Speedway
Rescheduled ARCA Event is Also Sioux Chief Showdown Race
Toledo, Ohio (August 22, 2020) – Rust-Oleum, Track Enterprises and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) announced today that the “SmartCoat” brand of Zinsser Paint will sponsor the newly announced ARCA Menards Series event at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Missouri. The race has been relocated from its original location and date at Madison International Speedway.
The Zinsser SmartCoat 200 is scheduled for Saturday, September 5 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT. ARCA practice and General Tire Pole Qualifying will precede the 200-lap/100-mile feature event. The race is set for live flag-to-flag broadcast on MAVTV and will be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
“We’re excited and honored to sponsor this exciting day of racing,” said Don Muench, Senior Vice President of Sales, at Rust-Oleum. “What a great way to celebrate our longstanding and valuable partnership with Menards. We wish all the drivers good luck!”
The Zinsser SmartCoat 200 will be the fourteenth race of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series schedule. In addition, the event will mark the eighth round of the Sioux Chief Showdown, ARCA’s short-track super series which brings drivers and teams from the ARCA Menards Series East and West together with AMS series regulars in a 10 race “series within a series.”
Central Missouri area Menards stores will offer local race fans the chance to “Save Big Money” by purchasing advance, discounted race tickets to the Zinsser SmartCoat 200 beginning on Monday, August 24. Tickets at participating Menards locations are just $20.
“We are excited to be racing at a new track in an area we have stores,” said Jeff Abbott, Promotions Manager and Spokesperson for Menards. “Missouri is a growing market for Menards, and we know there are a lot of race fans in the area.”
“We’re motivated to bring the ARCA Menards Series to I-44, and to showcase the series to the great race fans in the area,” said Bob Sargent, President of Track Enterprises. “I-44 is a great little racetrack. It’s a great fit for the ARCA Menards Series cars and we look forward to another great race and being a part of the Sioux Chief Showdown.”
ABOUT Zinsser SmartCoat
Zinsser® SmartCoat Advanced Paint & Primer in One makes painting simple. Our interactive tools on smartcoat.com take the guesswork out of any wall paint project. Available in more than 550 colors, Zinsser® SmartCoat offers superior adhesion, ultra smooth coverage, and exceptional washability. It’s ideal for walls, trims, cabinets and doors. Sheens include flat, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss. SmartCoat conveniently comes in sample sizes, quart, 1 gallon and 5 gallon quantities. Say hello to the next generation of stress-free, intelligent paint!
ABOUT MENARDS
Menards home improvement stores are well known throughout the Midwest for a complete selection of high-quality, name brand merchandise and all the tools, materials and supplies for any job. Menards offers full-service lumberyards, beautiful garden centers, name brand appliances, pet & wildlife products and even a line of convenience groceries to provide a one-stop shopping experience. Whether just needing a light bulb, gallon of paint or household supplies, or building a deck, fence or new home, there is something for everyone at Menards whether a beginning do-it-yourselfer or more experienced contractor.
A family-owned and run company started in 1958; Menards currently operates 305 stores located in 14 Midwestern states. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low-price leader; it’s no wonder their famous slogan – “SAVE BIG MONEY” – is so widely known and easy to remember. Menards does things right – the company’s strength and success can be seen in the well-stocked and maintained stores, the lowest prices in town, and the way Guests are always treated like family.
ABOUT TRACK ENTERPRISES
Track Enterprises is a racing promotion company that oversees popular events that feature top touring series like the ARCA Racing Series, USAC Racing, Dirtcar UMP, POWRi Racing, All Star Circuit Of Champions, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, CRA, Southern Super Series, and more. The company also oversees all racing promotions at Macon Speedway, Lincoln Speedway, and the Terre Haute Action Track. For more information on the upcoming racing schedule, visit www.trackenterprises.com
ABOUT ARCA
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading and most versatile auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
Zane Smith conquers the Monster Mile
Rookie of the Year contender Zane Smith won his second NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victory of the 2020 season Friday afternoon at Dover International Speedway. Smith was almost picture-perfect throughout the 200 lap event, finishing fourth in Stage 1 and winning the second stage. Smith led the final 33 laps that included one late-race restart en route to victory.
““What an awesome truck,” Smith said. “I think we all know that I suck at restarts, but I picked a good time to have a good one. Man, two wins. This is by far the most fun I’ve ever had racing in my career. I’m just so blessed to be here.”
Three stages split the 200-mile race with the first ending on Lap 45, the second on Lap 90, and the final on Lap 200. Brett Moffitt was on the pole as the starting lineup was determined based on finishing position from the previous race (50%), ranking in team owner points (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%).
Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 45
It didn’t take long for yellows to start flying, especially early on. Tate Fogleman in the No. 02 brought out the first yellow on Lap 6 when he went sideways off Turn 4 but avoided any major damage. The second caution was the scheduled competition caution on Lap 20 to check tire wear.
Moffitt was strong through the first 27 laps of the race, but Georgia native Austin Hill swiped the lead and held on to the top spot for the remainder of Stage 1. Crafton, Ankrum, Smith, Moffitt, Creed, Eckes, Enfinger, Lessard, and Gilliland rounded out the top 10.
Stage 2: Lap 52 – Lap 90
Stage 2 only saw minor incidents, but there were many close moments that could have prompted more cautions.
One of those moments came for Johnny Sauter, as his No. 13 ThorSport machine got loose and high in Turns 1 and 2 after the restart.
Another close call came on Lap 56 when Grant Enfinger and Tanner Gray slid up the track in Turn 4. Both went on without any major contact.
There was a lead change during the remaining laps of Stage 2 when Derek Kraus in the Bill McAnally machine took the lead from Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Chandler Smith on Lap 79.
Ten laps later, the fourth yellow flew when Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates Christian Eckes and Smith make slight contact with each other in Turn 4. Unfortunately for Smith, he would be on the receiving end, and wound up spinning out Also collected in the process was Sheldon Creed and Ben Rhodes, who received some damage.
With the yellow coming out so late in the stage, the stage ended under caution, giving Stage 2 to Zane Smith. Kraus, Eckes, Creed, Moffitt, Rhodes, Gilliland, Sauter, Ankrum, and Crafton completed the top 10.
Stage 3: Lap 97 – Lap 200
When Stage 3 got underway, NASCAR officials reviewed a restart when it looked liked Eckes got a jump on the leader, but it was later determined that the restart was all clear as it appeared Smith could not get going.
Eckes and Moffitt traded the lead and both led for multiple laps, before Smith grabbed the lead again with 46 to go, a few laps until the final round of green-flag pit stops began.
Those final pit stops would come with less than 40 to go, with Moffitt being the first to start the cycle of stops. A few drivers had troubles during pit stops, as Raphael Lessard and Tanner Gray would be penalized for a commitment line violation. Creed also received a penalty for pitting outside the box.
California native, Smith, however, cycled back out into the lead with 32 to go.
It looked as though Smith would run away with the victory at first, keeping his teammate Moffitt at bay. But a late-race yellow occurred with eight laps to go for Stewart Friesen spinning in Turns 1 and 2.
Despite the late restart, Smith was able to fend off Matt Crafton for the victory and GMS Racing’s fifth win overall as a team.
There were five cautions for 27 laps and 13 lead changes among 10 drivers. Smith led three times for 50 laps and picked up six playoff points. In addition, Smith picks up $50,000 due to the “Triple Truck Challenge.”
Official Results following the KDI Office Technology 200 at Dover.
- Zane Smith, won Stage 2, led 50 laps
- Matt Crafton, led one lap
- Brett Moffitt, led 50 laps
- Todd Gilliland, led two laps
- Ben Rhodes
- Johnny Sauter
- Tyler Ankrum
- Austin Hill, won Stage 1, led 21 laps
- Stewart Friesen
- Derek Kraus, led nine laps
- Christian Eckes, led 34 laps
- Carson Hocevar, 1 lap down
- Grant Enfinger, 1 lap down
- Ty Majeski, 1 lap down
- Sam Mayer, 1 lap down
- Spencer Davis, 1 lap down
- Tanner Gray, 2 laps down, led one lap
- Bayley Currey, 2 laps down
- Raphael Lessard, 2 laps down
- Chandler Smith, 2 laps down, led 31 laps
- Timmy Hill, 3 laps down
- Sheldon Creed, 4 laps down, led one lap
- Austin Wayne Self, 4 laps down
- Jordan Anderson, 4 laps down
- Dawson Cram, 5 laps down
- JJ Yeley, 6 laps down
- Tate Fogleman, 7 laps down
- Spencer Boyd, 7 laps down
- Jennifer Jo Cobb, 11 laps down
- Tyler Hill, 12 laps down
- Tim Viens, 20 laps down
- Clay Greenfield, OUT, Suspension
- Bryant Barnhill, OUT, Ignition
- Parker Kligerman, OUT, Engine
- Norm Benning, OUT, Brakes
Playoff Points
- Zane Smith, 2 wins, 14 points
- Sheldon Creed, 2 wins, 14 points
- Grant Enfinger, 2 wins, 11 points
- Austin Hill, 1 win, 7 points
- Matt Crafton, 1 win, 5 points
- Brett Moffitt, +94, 4 points
- Christian Eckes, +76
- Ben Rhodes, +76
- Tyler Ankrum, +9
- Todd Gilliland, +4
Below the cut line - Derek Kraus, -4
- Tanner Gray, -63
- Johnny Sauter, -71
- Raphael Lessard, -73
Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway Sunday, Aug. 30 live on Fox Sports 1.
Sam Mayer victorious in ARCA Menards East Series race at Dover
Sam Mayer capitalized on Ty Gibbs’s misfortune to take home his second ARCA Menards East Series victory of the 2020 season. Gibbs’s misfortune came with 15 to go when he made hard contact with the wall off Turn 2 after what appeared to be a right-front tire go down. Despite Gibbs’ issue, Wisconsin native, Mayer, had already grabbed the lead with less than 25 to go and came home with the victory.
“I got a really, really good restart and I don’t think he (Ty Gibbs) expected me too,” Mayer said. “We got a really good restart and was able to get inside of him, and he took the air off my door. You know, if you’re the leader, you have the right to do that because you want to keep the lead obviously. You expect to get a good restart, but when you don’t, you have to fight for it.”
“I understand that and I ended up giving it right back to him. I packed his air under his spoiler and he (Gibbs) got a little bit loose, he was able to gather it up and I let him go because I got a little bit tight under him. So, it was pretty much a whole aerodynamic mess under that restart. It was a lot of fun though. That’s how I ended up getting by Ty (Gibbs) is packing the air under his spoiler and getting loose, side draft him and clear myself into (Turn) 1. It was a really good car, I can’t thank GMS Racing enough.”
The General Tire 125 from Dover International Speedway consisted of three segment breaks. The first came on Lap 35, the second on Lap 70, and the checkered flag on Lap 125.
Through the first two segments, there were some drivers who were off the pace. Rookie of the Year contender, Nick Sanchez, had his motor expire and he had to leave the race early. Sanchez was credited with a 16th place finish. One other competitor who was off the pace as well was Justin S. Carroll in the No. 91 Toyota. Carroll went behind the wall on Lap 26 and would not return. The Virginia native ended up placing 14th in the final results.
Meanwhile, with Gibbs out front and checking out, there was some intense action between Venturini Motorsports teammates, Drew Dollar and Mason Diaz. The two drivers were racing each other hard and both nearly crashed off Turn 4 at one point. Thankfully, both would keep on racing for position.
Loose continued to be the word of the day in the General Tire 125. Multiple drivers such as Taylor Gray and race winner Sam Mayer were loose early on. Unfortunately for Gray, he fought an ill-handling car and fell off the pace. Gray hit the wall a couple of times off Turn 4, ruining a good finish as the DGR-Crosley driver came home ninth, the last car on the lead lap.
After the two segments were completed through Lap 70, the action really picked up when the third and final segment got underway.
Mayer and Gibbs got loose on Lap 76 in Turns 1 and 2 which almost made them both wreck and take each other out of contention. During that moment, Mayer received some slight damage from contact with Gibbs’s left-rear quarter panel. Gibbs was able to keep on racing and so did Mayer, but Mayer regrouped and passed Gibbs for the lead with 20 to go.
Just a few laps later, Gibbs’s accident occurred which prompted ARCA Menards Series officials to display the red flag for clean up. Fortunately for Gibbs, he was unhurt after his hard hit with the wall.
An 11-lap dash to the finish ensued but no one proved to be a match for Mayer as he scored the checkered flag.
While Mayer enjoyed his victory, DGR-Crosley team owner David Gilliland, made a special cameo appearance driving in his own No. 54 Ford. Gilliland brought his car home to a second-place finish.
“We came up a little bit short,” Gilliland said. “Sam (Mayer) and those No. 21 guys had a heck of a race car. It was a lot of fun to get back in and race in the ARCA Menards Series. Obviously, I am a huge supporter of it (the series) on the ownership side. I watched my son (Todd Gilliland) raced in it. But, this is my first one (race). We had a fast Ford, just came up a little bit short.”
There were three cautions for 10 laps and one lead change among two different leaders.
Official Results following the General Tire 125.
- Sam Mayer, led 21 laps
- David Gilliland
- Mason Diaz
- Max McLaughlin
- Drew Dollar
- Corey Heim
- Parker Retzlaff
- Chase Cabre
- Taylor Gray
- Chuck Buchanan JR, 9 laps down
- Kyle Sieg, 9 laps down
- Ty Gibbs, OUT, Accident
- Ed Pompa, 59 laps down
- Justin S. Carroll, OUT, Mechanical
- Tommy Vigh Jr, OUT, Electrical
- Nick Sanchez, OUT, Mechanical
- Joe Graf Jr, OUT, Mechanical
Sam Mayer leads Ty Gibbs by 13 points in the championship points standings.
Up Next: The ARCA Menards East Series will visit New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 12 for Round No. 4 of the 2020 season.
