DGR Crosley ARCA Menards Series Advance: Lucas Oil Raceway

Hailie Deegan, No. 4 CRAFTSMAN Ford Fusion
 
Hailie Deegan kept her top-10 streak alive last weekend at Pocono Raceway with another seventh-place finish. She has not finished outside of the top 10 in her four starts in the ARCA Menards Series this season and hopes to improve on that this Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway (LOR) in Brownsburg, Ind.
 
Deegan has one prior start at LOR. Last year she started seventh and finished fifth at the short track. This race will be the first short-track race of the ARCA season. To date, the smallest track they have competed on is the one-mile oval of Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.
 
Deegan will be racing a rebuilt Ford Fusion from last season, which she has not raced yet this year. CRAFTSMAN will sponsor Deegan’ s No. 4 Ford Fusion at LOR. CRAFTSMAN is an American icon that homeowners, home builders, auto enthusiasts and master mechanics have trusted since 1927 – and today’s CRAFTSMAN continues that legacy. With a focus on reliable, high-performance tools, storage and equipment, CRAFTSMAN has revived its long-established pride in superior quality. Now it’s easier than ever to get the tools trusted for generations at more places than ever. For more information visit www.craftsman.com or follow CRAFTSMAN on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.
 
The Calypso Lemonade 200 will be live on MAVTV at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. The race will be 200 laps and 137 miles with breaks at, or near the conclusion of laps 70 and 140.
 
 
Deegan on LOR: “Lucas Oil Raceway is fun. I feel like we haven’t raced at a short track in a really long time. It will be nice to mix it up from holding it wide open a lot, having these long straightaways at Pocono, Talladega and even Daytona at the first race. I think this will get everybody back into the groove for short-track racing. That’s what I’ve been used to coming up through stock car racing, so I think we’ll have a good run there.”
 
Taylor Gray, No. 17 Ford Performance Fusion
Taylor Gray will be making his debut in the ARCA Menards Series this Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway since turning 15 on March 25. Gray plans to compete in the remaining Sioux Chief Showdown races, as well as the remaining ARCA Menards Series East races and a handful of West events. Last weekend, Gray made his first road course start at Utah Motorsports Campus in doubleheader 30-lap races. He finished fourth in the first race and ended up 11th in the second race after having to pit for a new battery while running fifth.
 
The No. 17 Ford Performance Fusion Gray will be racing has not been on track yet this season. Todd Gilliland raced it last year at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in the ARCA East race and finished third. Since Gray has never raced at LOR before, he has spent time on the Ford Performance simulator in Concord, N.C., and watched a lot of film of previous races there.
 
The Calypso Lemonade 200 will be live on MAVTV at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. The race will be 200 laps and 137 miles with breaks at, or near the conclusion of laps 70 and 140.
 
 
Gray on LOR: “I have a lot of confidence in my DGR-Crosley team going into my first race at Indy. While I was living in Indy working on my family’s NHRA drag cars, I would always ride by the short track and now being able to race there this Friday is really cool for me. My goal for the race is to be competitive and gain experience. There is a short practice session in the afternoon, so I think coming home with a top-five finish would be great.”
 
Thad Moffitt, No. 46 Richard Petty Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion
After a tough race at Pocono, Thad Moffitt is ready to turn his luck around Friday night at Lucas Oil Raceway (LOR). Moffitt missed a shift starting the race, which blew the engine about a lap later. This weekend, Moffitt returns to a short track where he has previous experience.
 
The 19-year-old grandson of NASCAR legend, Richard Petty, has two prior starts at LOR. His best finish there came in 2017 when he finished 11th. He also competed in the ARCA Menards Series in 2018 and finished 15th. He has high hopes for this race since joining DGR-Crosley for the 2020 season.
 
The No. 46 Richard Petty Performance Plus Oil Ford Fusion Moffitt will be driving this weekend is the same Fusion he raced at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in March. He was running in the top 10 there with 25 laps remaining in the race when he cut a left-front tire and hit the wall. After some time in the fabrication shop, his Fusion is ready to race another day.
 
The Calypso Lemonade 200 will be live on MAVTV at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. The race will be 200 laps and 137 miles with breaks at, or near the conclusion of laps 70 and 140.
 
 
Moffitt on LOR: “I think this track is pretty unique. I like the way we run the fence and there are multiple racing grooves. I think the restarts can be pretty interesting at that track and I’m excited to race there with my DGR-Crosley team. We definitely need a good run and I’m confident we’ll have a fast Ford Fusion this weekend. Being back at a short track will even the playing field and with three DGR-Crosley teams there, we’ll be able to lean on each other a little bit throughout the day.”

DGR Crosley PR