General Tire Stock Car Weekly: February 14, 2024
Catch up on the latest news around the ARCA Menards Series every Wednesday with the General Tire Stock Car Weekly!
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This Week: Daytona ARCA 200, Daytona International Speedway
When to Watch: Saturday, 1:30PM ET, FS1/FOX Sports App
Last Year’s Winner: Greg Van Alst
Ready for one of the most no-holds-barred stock car races of the year? The first race of the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season is going to be just that. The season-opening Daytona ARCA 200 is always filled to the brim with top entries, but this year, it’s got a whopping 50 cars vying for 40 spots in qualifying. That’s a throwback to days long since past in many other racing series—and it should be a thrill from the first qualifying lap to the checkered flag.
If you’re not a big stock car racing person, the names you’ll probably know best are Marco Andretti and Shane Van Gisbergen. Andretti is running 14 ARCA races this year for Cook Racing Technologies alongside a seven-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign, while Van Gisbergen will pull double duty on Saturday as he begins his first full NASCAR Xfinity Series season later in the day. He’ll run for Pinnacle Racing Group, runners-up in last year’s ARCA East standings with Luke Fenhaus, in the ARCA race.
Part-timers are the name of the game in ARCA, but a handful of drivers will be kicking off a title chase in Daytona. Venturini Motorsports will have Kris Wright, Amber Balcaen, and Toni Breidinger all going for the 2024 title, while Rev Racing’s Andres Perez de Lara and Lavar Scott and AM Racing’s Christian Rose are also signed up for the full campaign. Joe Gibbs Racing will run for the owner’s title once again, but with William Sawalich not yet 18 years old, Tanner Gray will fill in at Daytona as the first of six races on larger tracks where Sawalich isn’t eligible to run.
Other notable limited schedule and one-off entries at Daytona include two more Venturini cars for Jake Finch and Gus Dean, defending race winner Greg Van Alst, Leland Honeyman Jr., and a litany of fan favorites like Sean Corr, Andy Jankowiak, Willie Mullins, Ed Pompa, and Brayton Laster.
WATCH ARCA RACING
ARCA Menards Series races are shown live on FS1 or FS2 (streamed live on the FOX Sports App and FloRacing). Standalone ARCA Menards Series East and West events are streamed live on FloRacing and shown on tape delay on TV. Check local listings for more details.