Special from ARCA…
Several teams spent Tuesday testing for next Saturday night’s ARCA Pensacola 200 presented by Inspectra Thermal Solutions at Five Flags Speedway, including Venturini Motorsports and Chad Bryant Racing.
Venturini’s three drivers – former Snowball Derby winner Christian Eckes, 2018 ARCA Daytona winner Michael Self, and two-time short track winner Chandler Smith – were all working to find speed at a track that hasn’t hosted an ARCA Menards Series race since 1996.
“We made a lot of progress today,” Self said. “My Venturini Motorsports team threw a lot of setups at the No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota and they made a lot of really great changes. I am very happy with where we ended up today and I can’t wait to get back here for real next week.”
One driver looking for track time will be making his first ARCA Menards Series start next weekend. Ty Gibbs, grandson of legendary NFL coach and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs, was making laps in his Joe Gibbs Racing-prepared Toyota looking for experience around the quick, sweeping half-mile.
“The Monster Energy/ORCA Coolers Toyota is really good and we are getting it even better,” Gibbs said. “We are really good on race runs. I really like this track so far. It’s been a lot of fun to drive.”
Chad Bryant Racing had two cars at the test, one for championship contender Joe Graf, Jr. and the other for Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge contender and series rookie Corey Heim.
“We were fast right off the truck,” Heim said. “We made a ton of changes today but at the end of the day we were back to the setup we started the day with.”
Graf, Jr. was a man of few words describing his car.
“My car was good all day,” Graf said. “Chad always brings fast cars.”
The ARCA Menards Series takes to the half-mile Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida on Saturday, March 9. The Outlaw and Pure Stock classes will also be in action. Advance sale tickets are available by calling the speedway office at 850-944-8400. Tickets will also be available at the gate on raceday. For more information, visit www.trackenterprises.com, www.5flagsspeedway.com, or www.arcaracing.com .