– Daniel Dye made his first ARCA Menards Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway while in contention for the ARCA Menards Series East championship. Dye entered the East finale 24 points behind the championship points leader in the series finale.
– Dye qualified an impressive third place to start the night at Bristol and drove a strong race all night, running a consistent third place in the first run of the race during the daytime.
– The No. 21 Heise LED / American Flat Track Chevrolet fought handling issues through the middle of the race, prompting Dye to fight his way back through the field before the second scheduled race break on lap 125.
– Crew Chief Chad Bryant went to work on fixing the adjustments to position Dye back inside the Top 5 for the final run of the 200 lap race, showing strength in Daniel’s ability to pass in traffic.
– Towards the closing stages of the race, Dye found himself trapped on the high side of the track, losing track position as the competition drove by on the bottom lane. Ultimately, Daniel drove home with a disappointing 12th place finish after a solid night in Thunder Valley.
Quote: “Man, we had such a good race car there for most of the race, but just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time on some late restarts. Getting stuck on the top and being shuffled back cost us a ton, but I have to thank everyone at GMS for bringing such a fast Chevrolet again. The result doesn’t show it but to qualify third and run at the front most all race is good. Thankful to have American Flat Track Charlotte Half-Mile, and Heise LED on our race car and represent them at one of the coolest tracks in racing. I can’t wait for Phoenix!”
– Jack Wood also made his first ever laps around Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 22 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, running as Dye’s teammate in a second GMS Racing ARCA Menards Series entry.
– Wood qualified in the eighth position and learned how to race in the PJ1 traction compound, something that he had not experienced in any of his previous ARCA races. The rookie raced inside the Top 10 for a large portion of the Bush’s Beans 200 and continued to gain speed throughout the night as Crew Chief Chad Walter made changes to help loosen his car up.
– Nearing the end of the second run of the night, Wood’s left front tire began to lose air pressure rapidly, causing him to fade through the pack and eventually lose a lap before the second scheduled race break. Luckily for Wood, however, his car remained in one piece as he limped to the attention of the crew on pit road.
– The No. 22 team fought hard to get back on the lead lap in the final run of the race, positioning himself just outside the Top 10 with less than 50 laps to go. As luck would have it, Wood’s right rear tire would be cut due to debris on the track, sending him to the back once again.
– Without many laps left to run, Wood found himself running last on the lead lap, eyeing an opportunity to drive to the front once again. As the race came to a close, Wood maneuvered to a hard-fought 13th place finish.
Quote: “Wow, what a roller coaster of a race tonight. I’m proud of my No. 22 GMS Racing team and the fight that they put up as we overcame adversity towards the last half of the race. Racing at Bristol was a challenge no doubt, but I felt more confident as the night went on. I’m looking forward to returning to the Camping World Truck Series for the last four races of the season, hoping to continue to learn ahead of next year.”
