Brett Winningham - Results from #40

Nick Sanchez scored his third career ARCA Menards Series victory in Saturday’s Dutch Boy 150 at Kansas Speedway. Winning last October at the 1.5-mile oval, as well in his previous start at Talladega, Sanchez led the field for 42 circuits after problems struck Corey Heim and Drew Dollar while racing for the lead.

Sanchez leaves the 1.5-mile oval with two top-five and three top 10 finishes through four ARCA races this season.

Rajah Caruth, Sanchez’s teammate, finished runner-up in the No. 6 Chevrolet after an eighth-place start. Caruth carries two top-fives and three top 10s going into the next event at Charlotte later this month.

Daniel Dye rounded out a tough day in the third position. The driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet fell behind a lap after not beating the pace car off pit road during the lap 50 competition caution. 

Gus Dean and Connor Mosack rounded out the top five. In just his fifth career start, Mosack records his first career ARCA Menards Series top-five finish.

Will Kimmel, Greg Van Alst, Ron Vandermeir Jr., Amber Balcean and Toni Breidinger rounded out the top 10.

On lap 59 while battling for the lead, Corey Heim and Drew Dollar made contact with one another and spun through the infield grass. Leader of 56 circuits, Heim was unable to continue while Dollar was able to manage for eight more laps before bringing out another caution. Dollar then went behind the wall after completing only 67 laps. Dollar finished 15th as a result of the DNF while Heim finished 16th.

The series moves onto Charlotte Motor Speedway for the General Tire 150 on May 27th at 6:00 p.m. ET. Coverage of the event airs live on FS1.

Sammy Smith took home his sixth career ARCA Menards Series East victory at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on Saturday. Qualifying second for the race, Smith picked up his third East victory of 2022.

Jake Finch led most of the laps early from the pole with eventual race winner Sammy Smith all over his back bumper. Finch later faded to around third when he had a slow restart that allowed Taylor Gray to pass for the runner-up position. Making his third career East start on Saturday, Finch used the front bumper to retake the spot from Gray late to finish second.

Taylor Gray came into Saturday’s Music City 200 chasing his second East victory of the season. The 17-year-old, qualifying fourth, took home third place.

Mason Mingus and Leland Honeyman rounded out the top five.

Taking home top 10 finishes were Tanner Arms, Michael Lira, Donald Theetge, Matt Wilson, and Ryan Roulette.

Christian Rose ran top five all throughout the Music City 200 until an unknown issue forced them to the garage. The No. 42 crew was unable to diagnose the cause and finished 12th as a result of the DNF.

Two of the three cautions were for segment breaks while the lone yellow for an on-track incident involved Matt Wilson receiving contact from Michael Lira on the backstretch. Ryan Roulette just avoided the spun car of Wilson.

The East series will take a month off before returning at Iowa Speedway in a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series on June 11th. Coverage of that event will air live on MAVTV and FloRacing.

NASCAR announced major penalties following the race weekend at Dover Motor Speedway on Tuesday afternoon. The heavy penalties impacted a pair of XFINITY and Cup Series teams.

Crew chief Chris Gabehart and crew members Derrell Edwards and Blake Houston from the No. 11 Cup Series team of Denny Hamlin have each been suspended from the next four events for a loss of tire / wheel during the Monday portion of the postponed Drydene 400.

Crew Chief Matt Swiderski and crew members Keiston France and Jonathan Willard for the No. 16 NCS team driven by AJ Allmendinger have also been suspended from the next four events for a loss of tire / wheel during the event. 

Crew chief Bruce Schlicker with the No. 16 XFINITY team of AJ Allmendinger has been fined $5,000 for lug nut(s) not properly installed.

Crew chief Taylor Moyer and crew members Orane Ossowski and Markus Pierce-Brewster have each been suspended for the next four NASCAR Xfintiy Series Championship points events. The four race suspension comes after Sam Mayer’s car lost a tire / wheel after leaving his pit box.

Jason Houghtaling has been indefinitely suspended for violating section 4.4.e:

“Member actions that could result in a fine and/or indefinite suspension, or termination:

• Actions by a NASCAR Member that NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock car racing or NASCAR.
• Statement and/or communication made public (including social media platforms) that demeans, criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.
• Being charged with or convicted of significant criminal violations (e.g. Domestic Violence, Trafficking, Assault), or having had determinations rendered by criminal or civil authorities that in NASCAR’s judgment necessitate action. NASCAR will not pre-judge guilt or innocence in the criminal or civil legal system, or the guilt or innocence of the Member, but rather review each matter in its own context and circumstances and with regards to its potential effects upon the sport.
• Violations of NASCAR’s Sports Gambling Policy.”

Taylor Gray scored his first career ARCA Menards Series East victory on Friday at Dover Motor Speedway. Gray, piloting the No. 17 David Gilliland Racing Ford, led 115 of the 125 laps.

The young racer holds 10 top-five and 13 top 10 finishes through 13 career East races.

Jesse Love was the other driver other than Gray to lead laps in the General Tire 125 event. The fourth-place starter leaves Dover with his first top-five finish in the ARCA Menards Series East division. 

Conner Jones finished third after starting sixth on the leaderboard. Jones, just 16-years of age, picks up his second East top-five finish.

Rajah Caruth and Sammy Smith rounded out the top five.

Taking home top 10s were Jake Finch, Jonathan Shafer, Leland Honeyman, Daniel Escoto, and Christian Rose.

Two of the four yellow flags were for the scheduled breaks at laps 40 and 80. The first yellow involved the stalled vehicle of Stephanie Moyer at the entrance of pit road while the final yellow was for debris.

The next event will take place at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on May 7th. Coverage of the race will take place live on FloRacing.

NASCAR announced penalties on Wednesday following the Talladega Superspeedway weekend.

The lone penalty impacted the No. 78 NASCAR Cup Series team with driver BJ McLeod. Crew chief  Lee Leslie and crew members Kevin Teaf and Alpha Lamin have been each suspended from the next four Championship Series' events through All-Star weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for a loss/separation of the wheel.

It isn’t the first such penalty of the season, as teams continue adjusting to the new single-lugnut on NASCAR’s NextGen car.

ARCA Menards Series officials announced Wednesday that driver Daniel Dye has been indefinitely suspended for a behavoral penalty that occurred off-track. The driver, from DeLand, Florida, violated section 12-8.1.E.2 of the ARCA rulebook:

“E. Being charged with or convicted of significant criminal violations (e.g. Domestic Violence, Trafficking, Assault), or having had determinations rendered by criminal or civil authorities that in ARCA’s judgement necessitate action. ARCA will not pre-judge guilt or innocence in the criminal or civil legal system, or the guilt or innocence of the Member, but rather review each matter in its own context and circumstances and with regards to its potential effects upon the sport.”

Dye was arrested on a felony battery charge in Volusia County, Florida, on Tuesday. 

Dye has a victory across nine ARCA Menards Series starts.

Statement from GMS Racing:

“GMS Racing is aware of the current situation surrounding Daniel Dye. Daniel and the Dye family are cooperating with local law enforcement. No further comment will be made on the subject until more information becomes available.”

Landen Lewis made his first career ARCA Menards Series West start at Kern County Raceway while picking up his first career ARCA West division victory on Saturday. Lewis, piloting the No. 42 19th green / MMI Services Chevrolet, started third. 

“I don’t know what to say! I’m kinda speechless at the moment,” exclaimed Lewis in victory lane. “I just want to thank all the fans for coming out as this place is pretty freaking awesome! I’m definitely making the trip back and definitely running on the West tour more.”

Lewis, 16-years of age, isn’t new to the ARCA Racing Series fold. The North Carolina native made three ARCA Menards Series starts last season and earned a victory at DuQuoin from the pole position.

“I was confident yesterday when we walked into the gate,” Lewis added when asked if he was confident about his car ending the night in victory lane. “When we unloaded yesterday, I knew we had a car for the race.”

Jake Drew took home the runner-up spot sitting 0.899 seconds behind Lewis. Per FloRacing, Drew, leaving Kern with three top-fives and three top finishes through three West events this season, holds the series points lead.

“P2 Drew, I guess. It’s been a nickname for a while,” Drew began his post-race interview. “We had a really good car of course and just came a little bit short there at the end. Seems like every time someone from out of town shows up that’s who we have to fight with. That’s okay. That’s what competition is for.”

“I feel pretty confident that we still have the point lead,” Drew continued. “It’s a lot better feeling than we were last year chasing the whole time. So having the point lead definitely helps out.” 

Cole Moore rounded out the top three finishers after holding off Tanner Reif in the closing laps.

Pole sitter Paul Pedroncelli Jr. rounded out the top five finishers.

Taking home top 10s were Todd Souza, Trevor Huddleston, Austin Herzog, Takuma Koga, and Amber Slagle. 

Three cautions slowed the NAPA Auto Parts 150 with the first of those for debris. The second was for the halfway break at lap 75 while the third was for Joey Iest on lap 103 for a blown engine. Iest finished 17th as the result of the DNF. 

The ARCA Menards Series West will take a nearly two-month hiatus and will go left and right on the road course at Portland Raceway on June 4th. Coverage of the event will air live on FloRacing.

Justin Bonsignore took home his 32nd career checkered flag in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Richmond Raceway on Friday. Bonsignore, who also started on the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 pole, led the field for 57 of the 150 circuits.

Tommy Catalano led the most laps of the event but fell 0.374 seconds short of getting his first career Modified Tour victory. Catalano started sixth in his No. 54 machine and left Richmond with his third top-five and 13th top 10 finish.

Chuck Hossfeld rounded out the top three finishers, earning his first top 10 finish since 2019. The veteran racer holding seven victories through 158 starts in the Whelen Modified Tour since 1999 leaves with 50 top-five and 87 top 10 finishes.

Kyle Ebersole and Tyler Repkema rounded out the top five.

Rounding out the top 10 were Eric Goodale, Jimmy Blewett, Jon McKennedy, Donny Lia and Ron Silk.

Max McLaughlin led 10 circuits of the event and sat inside the top five for the majority of the race until late. McLaughlin’s No. 77 machine fell off and wasn’t able to rebound forward. He’ll take home the 12th spot.

Ryan Newman was one of the favorites coming into the event at Richmond piloting the No. 39 Pacematic / PSR Products machine. Leader of two laps and the fifth-place starter, Newman finished 13th and one lap down on the leaderboard.

The series will take a one-month hiatus and return at Riverhead Raceway on May 14th. Fans can watch the race live via FloRacing.

Tanner Reif dominated the NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday by leading all 150 laps and then some in an ARCA Overtime finish. Reif, just 16-years-old from Las Vegas, Nevada, started on the pole with a time of 18.436, 97.635 mph.

“This is the best damn day of my life,” said an excited and out-of-breath Reif in victory lane. “I think it’s the first of many. I think we’re here to stay. I really think so as the team did such a good job.”

Cole Moore finishes 1.494 seconds behind race winner Tanner Reif. The second-place starter piloting the No. 99 BBB Industries Chevrolet leaves Irwindale with his fifth top-five and eighth career ARCA West top 10 finish. 

“Second was really good for what we had,” said Moore. 

Moore is already circling the next race at Kern County Raceway on the calendar next month.

“Going to Kern the next race, one of my favorite tracks, we’ll be a threat upfront for sure.”

Reif scored his first career win in just his second career start. He placed 16th in the season opener at Phoenix.

“I’ve trained every day and dedicated my life to this,” continued Reif. “I’ve put in more work than I think I have done for anything.”

Austin Herzog picked up his first career ARCA West top-five finish on Saturday at Irwindale. Herzog, sporting NAPA as the sponsor on his No. 16 Chevrolet, started eighth out of 15 cars. 

Jake Drew and Paul Pedroncelli Jr. rounded out the top five finishers.

Trevor Huddleston gave chase to leader Tanner Reif all evening long in his No. 50 entry. However, in the green-white-checker restart with two to go, Huddleston made contact with Jake Drew and Cole Moore and slid back to sixth. Huddleston began the night in fourth.

Takuma Koga, Sebastian Arias, Todd Souza, and Joey Iest rounded out the top 10.

Iest brought out the caution on lap 60 when his No. 54 machine made hard contact with the outside wall. Iest showed strength upfront, sitting second on the leaderboard when the incident occured.

The final yellow of the night came out with four circuits to go when lapped car Chris Lowden received a tap from third-place runner Jake Drew. Lowden’s No. 11 then slid up into the outside wall. 

Lowden finished 13th and 10 laps down.

Only two yellows as a result of on-track incidents slowed the field while the second caution of the night was for the halfway break at lap 75.

The ARCA Menards Series West will return on April 23rd at Kern County Raceway Park. Coverage of the event will air live on FloRacing.

The ARCA Menards Series combined with the ARCA Menards Series West for a combination race at Phoenix Raceway on Friday. The General Tire 150 served as the second race on the calendar for the ARCA Menards Series while it served as the season opener for the West series.

Taylor Gray, coming into the event with heavy hearts after hauler driver Steven Stotts lost his life in a fatal highway accident en route to Phoenix Raceway on Tuesday that also injured team members Michael Mizzelle and John Zaverl, led 43 of the 154 laps in the ARCA Overtime finish.

“All those guys, you know, really tough to beat. We had a really good race car tonight. What a fast car,” said an emotional Taylor Gray in victory lane. “The reason we’re here today is because of Steven (Stotts), Michael (Mizzelle) and John (Zaverl). I don’t know why I would be here if we didn’t think they wouldn’t want us to be here.”

Gray, with 11 ARCA West starts, captured his fourth career West victory.

Daniel Dye picked up his fifth career top five finish with his runner-up at Phoenix. Dye had a dominant car–even leading the field by over four seconds with under 20 to go–when D.L. Wilson spun to bring out the seventh yellow on lap 142. The driver led two times for 32 laps.

“We had a great car as GMS brought a really good Chevrolet,” said Dye. “Just came down to a decision that I’ll never make again–picking the top at Phoenix on the money restart–just not smart doing that at a short track.”

Pole starter Sammy Smith rounded out the top three finishers in Friday’s General Tire 150. Smith started on the pole and scored his 12th top five across all three ARCA Racing divisions.

Rajah Caruth and Jake Drew rounded out the top five.

Taking home top 10s were Jesse Love, Nick Sanchez, Josh Berry, Derek Kraus and Connor Mosack.

The event, featuring nine yellow flags that included an ARCA overtime finish, had three leaders and eight lead changes.

The ARCA Menards Series moves to Talladega Superspeedway on April 23rd, airing live on FS1 and MRN Radio. As for the ARCA Menards Series West, they’ll be back in action on March 26th at Irwindale Speedway, airing live on FloRacing.