Daytona Beach, FL - Entries are in for the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, with 41 teams on the entry list for the 60th Annual Daytona ARCA 200. The 41 entries represent the most for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona since 2017 when there were 42 teams entered.
“It’s gratifying to see a large entry list of drivers and teams entered to compete in our season opener,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “We have seen a lot of positive momentum in the last two years, the direct result of really hard work by everyone in our company. The ARCA platform has been a home for racers who have decided this is where they want to make their living, and a developmental platform where young emerging talent can gain valuable experience as they pursue a career in the NASCAR national series. Our Daytona entry list is a great mix of both, the career ARCA racers and those still developing their skill.”
The entry list is headlined by championship contenders Jesse Love, a two-time ARCA Menards West champion who will be driving for Venturini Motorsports, Indiana’s Greg Van Alst, and West Virginia’s Christian Rose. Love will be joined at Venturini Motorsports by former Talladega winner Gus Dean, and two fast females, Toni Breidinger and Amber Balcaen, who finished 1-2 in the series’ annual pre-season pre-race practice at Daytona in January.
Connor Mosack will make his first Daytona start driving the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, the team that won the ARCA Menards Series owner’s championship in 2021 and 2022, first with Ty Gibbs at the wheel and last year with a combination of Drew Dollar and two-time ARCA Menards East champion Sammy Smith driving. Mosack will run six races for the team while William Sawalich, who isn’t eligible to compete on superspeedways until he turns 18, will run the rest as the team looks to score its third straight owner’s title.
Hollywood A-lister Frankie Muniz is also entered, driving a Ford Mustang for Rette Jones Racing. Muniz, the star of beloved sitcom Malcolm in the Middle and a former runner-up on Dancing with the Stars will be making his series debut driving for the team that has finished in the top three at Daytona twice in recent years, second in 2017 with team co-owner Terry Jones at the wheel and third in 2019 with Canadian Grant Quinlan driving.
New York’s Andy Jankowiak is entered fresh off a preliminary night win his three-quarter midget at the Gambler’s Classic, held indoors in the legendary Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jankowiak finished sixth last year, recovering from a mid-race spin and crash to score his best career series finish.
Other notables on the entry list include former Daytona runner-up Willie Mullins and Brayton Laster for Mullins Motorsports, Sean Corr in his family-owned No. 8 Chevrolet, Jack Wood and Lavar Scott in a pair of potent Chevrolets for Rev Racing, Illinois veteran Tim Richmond, who nearly pulled off an upset top-five finish last year before running out of fuel with just a couple of laps remaining, and the four-car Fast Track High Performance Racing entry for 1995 series champion Andy Hillenburg, with drivers Ed Pompa, Bryce Haugeberg, Zach Herrin, and Jon Garrett.
The 60th Annual Daytona ARCA 200 at Daytona International Speedway is set for Saturday, February 18. The race will be televised live flag-to-flag on FS1 starting at 1:30 pm ET; the race will also be broadcast on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network nationwide. For complete event information, including live timing & scoring, please visit ARCARacing.com; for up-to-the minute news and updates, please follow @ARCA_Racing on Twitter.
Story - ARCA Racing
Photo - NASCAR Media
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