DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.: Canadian Amber Balcaen turned the fastest lap in ARCA Menards Series Pre-Race Practice at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway this past week aboard her new No. 70 Toyota Camry for Nitro Motorsports leading the session that involved 70 drivers making at least one lap around the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Balcaen paced the “World Center of Racing” at 49.102 seconds, 0.124-seconds faster than Venturini Motorsports rookie and fellow Canadian racer Chase Pinsonneault.
“(It) felt great to be top of the leaderboard at Daytona,” Balcaen told CATCHFENCE.com. “The Nitro guys brought me a really fast Toyota and I’m really happy with the teams synergy and how we all work together. (It) makes me really excited for the race coming up in February!”
The Canadians strong performance in the draft was briefly overshadowed by a multi-car accident that included Balcaen and Pinsonneault, among others.
The two Toyota drivers received the most cosmetic damage from the incident, but nothing significant enough that would derail the team or driver’s spirits nor their plan to return to compete in the ARCA Menards Series season-opener on February 15, 2025, live at noon on FOX.
Nitro Motorsports, led by former ARCA and NASCAR driver Nick Tucker brought two very fast entries throughout the scheduled two-day session.
Balcaen is scheduled for a limited ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2025, while Thad Moffitt, the grandson of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty will pilot the No. 46 Toyota for the full 20-race slate.
Defending Daytona ARCA polesitter Willie Mullins was third fastest overall in his No. 3 Ford Mustang. Mullins is preparing for another limited ARCA Menards Series schedule this season behind the wheel of his family-owned team he owns with his wife, Dinah Mullins.
Lawless Alan, the Truck Series veteran who partnered with the potent Venturini Motorsports for a championship effort this season was fourth quickest overall with 2024 Talladega ARCA winner Jake Finch rounding out the top-five.
Earlier this week, Finch, the popular and likable driver whose’ father James Finch has been a staple in the Motorsports landscape for decades will run at least six races with Venturini Motorsports in 2025.
Isabella Robusto, who will chase a number of records in the premier ARCA Menards Series division this year was sixth fastest in her No. 55 Venturini Motorsports Toyota, with Andy Jankowiak, Motorsports icon Brad Perez, TRICON Garage engineer Vincent Arthur and AM Racing’s Kole Raz rounded out the top-10.
Below is a breakdown of some nuggets and some thoughts from the ARCA Menards Series Pre-Race Practice session:
• KLAS Motorsports Andy Jankowiak’ is one of the favorite ARCA Menards Series drivers to return to the tour in 2025.
The eclectic driver is expected to continue to run a limited ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2025, while working hard with KLAS Motorsports partner Andy Suess to expand the team either with additional races for Jankowiak or another driver at the helm.
Beginning with Daytona, Jankowiak hopes to run at least nine races in 2025, with most of their races on the front-end of the series’ schedule.
• Despite being involved in the Thursday afternoon multi car crash on the backstretch, KLAS Motorsports’ Vincent Arthur still impressed.
A victim of circumstances in the incident, his fast laps on Thursday and Friday kept him in the top-10 overall.
Arthur, who serves as a race engineer for TRICON Garage’s No. 1 Toyota Tundra truck on race weekends is hopeful to compete in a handful of ARCA Menards Series or ARCA Menards Series East races this season, while also focusing on a full Late Model effort with Performance Racing Warehouse on top of his responsibilities in the Truck Series garage for TRICON.
“I came to the test with the goal of learning and gaining experience and I’d say I accomplished them,” Arthur told CATCHFENCE.com. “My partners at DAMM Good Sleep came in at just the right time to allow me to take advantage of such an amazing opportunity. The crew at KLAS Motorsports was absolutely great to work with and brought two bad fast cars.
“They made the transition into ARCA from late models very easy, and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity I may have to work with the team. Even though we had an unfortunate end to the first day, we were able to come back on day two and get some good R&D data. Being behind the wheel while going through setup sweeps is a really unique experience.
“Not only am I able to gain a larger mental notebook of what I need as a driver, I am also able to use those feelings to make better setup adjustments in my career as the engineer on the No. 1 TRICON Garage Truck Series entry.
“These experiences feed off each other and help me become a better overall engineer and driver.”
• IndyCar driver Katherine Legge turned her first laps at Daytona International Speedway this week ahead of her ARCA Menards Series debut with Sigma Performance Services.
Legge was impressive, at one point leading the way before landing 13th quickest overall. Legge was coached by former ARCA Menards Series and current Truck Series standout and 2024 Championship 4 contender Grant Enfinger.
“Oh my god, It was so much fun,” said Legge. “Honestly, I can’t stop grinning, I had the best day. I had the best day I had in a long time. It was a little daunting to be a rookie and be brand new at something again after having done so much and having such a diverse racing resume to this point.
“It was a little more daunting than I thought it was going to be. The team did such a phenomenal job, honestly getting me up to speed and teaching me everything. I had Grant Enfinger as a driver coach, it seems crazy saying that at this stage.
“He was awesome, the team was awesome. They made the transition really easy. And the car was great, like really, really great. I just kept getting better and getting more comfortable, it was honestly such a cool experience.”
Before Legge returns to Daytona for the season-opener in February, she’ll attempt to earn a spot in the main feature in next Saturday night’s Chili Bowl in Tulsa, OK.
Earlier this week, Legge launched a podcast “Throttle Therapy with Katherine Legge” which will be part of the iHeart Women’s Sports network.
CATCHFENCE.com will have a more in-depth feature with Legge ahead of her ARCA debut on February 15.
• Rette Jones Racing tested two drivers during ARCA Menards Series Pre Season Practice this week. Garrett Mitchell, otherwise, known as Cleetus McFarland made his first laps at the “World Center of Racing” and was impressively competition.
McFarland, a YouTube sensation is awaiting confirmation from ARCA Menards Series officials for his Daytona approval, where he will likely join 2024 ASA STARS National Tour Rookie of the Year Kyle Steckly in a second-entry for the Mark Rette and Terry Jones owned organization.
• Lavar Scott, who was 16th quickest overall in his No. 6 Chevrolet is expected to be the lone full-time entry for Rev Racing in the ARCA Menards Series in 2025. The team is expected to run their No. 2 Chevrolet on a part-time basis in 2025 with a rotation of drivers.
Scott is still eyeing his first career ARCA Menards Series victory in 2025.
• In less than a month, Spire Motorsports found an old Hendrick Motorsports chassis and built a superspeedway car for Hendrick Motorsports development driver Corey Day who netted the 19th quickest lap overall.
Day’s No. 77 Chevrolet was a bare chassis as teams were approaching a much-needed Christmas break on December 16, 2024, but through the Holidays and early January, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team finished Day’s superspeedway car in preparation for his ARCA superspeedway debut in February.
“I think it went good,” offered Day of his ARCA test. “Those (Spire Motorsports) guys were super, super good at getting me comfortable and, you know, this the superspeedway stuff is as different as it is, it’s you kind of just hold your foot on the floor. so that was you know, easy for me,” said Day.
“It just, you know, being smooth and straight as is something that you have to be in a Sprint car, so, that was easy for me.
“The draft was a little — I just had to get the feel of it and luckily that happened pretty quick, so it’s nice when you got a good piece to roll out with through first time.”
The team says they will build a new car for Day for the upcoming ARCA Menards Series race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in March and for Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway this summer.
• Pinnacle Motorsports Group continues to showcase speed in their cars despite only managing the 26th and 27th fastest times overall in the draft.
ARCA rookie Brenden Queen edged ahead, while four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves chimed in right behind for the 27th fastest effort overall.
Queen and Castroneves received damaged in the multicar accident on the backstretch Thursday afternoon. While not significant, the cosmetic damage was enough to end their test with approximately an hour left of track time on January 9.
Still, the smile could not be wiped away from Castroneves who is utilizing the upcoming 80-lap ARCA Menards Series race to prepare himself for his first Daytona 500, a day later with Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 initiative.
“Very good,” Castroneves told CATCHFENCE.com when asked how his ARCA practice went.
“We were able to do the qualifying sim running by myself, running in the pack a little bit. and I mean, Pinnacle Racing (Group) did an amazing job. I can’t thank them enough for not only giving me a great team, a great group of guys and girls and a great car too, so super excited to start learning everything.
“I mean, ARCA is a great platform for a for obviously the Cup cars. and great competition, so looking forward to come back here and have a good time here.”
Castroneves was not required by NASCAR to compete in the ARCA Menards Series season-opening race but wanting to be the best at his craft in the “Great American Race,” Castroneves said it was important to be in the Daytona ARCA 200 and especially participating in the test.
“Huge. I mean, huge,” explained Castroneves about the importance of the test.
“Just from the point of coming to the pits and learning a little bit of the banking, I did of sports cars very different cars than the what I’m talking about. and huge. I’m so glad, not only did this test, but I’m able to race here as well because this is going to be a huge step for me when I come back to the Cup. not to be so unfamiliar.”
Castroneves reiterated his desire to compete in ARCA not only for the experience, but the opportunity to lead Pinnacle Racing Group to their first checkered flag at Daytona.
“I want it,” Castroneves said with a huge smile. “I want to do it because look, I’m going to the one of the biggest races in the world, which is the Daytona 500, right? And I need to understand at the least how to maneuver out there and understand what I need to do.
“I know it’s not 200 laps, but at least, you know, I will have the feeling and understanding and some of the guys, uh and the girls they have a little more, a lot more experience than me. and it’s good to learn.
“It’s good to learn to understand and hopefully that knowledge will help me into the Daytona 500 race.
“To put any result in front of it would be very I think cocky of me to say I’m gonna win,” Castroneves explained. “They way I want to do it, I want to do a good job. I want to focus on the competition and then fighting with the guys, hopefully put myself in a good position. If it happens to win, we’ll be.”
Castroneves experienced just how quick the momentum and crashes ignite during a superspeedway race after suffering some damage in the only accident of the two-day practice. While the damage was minor, being a part of the incident may help Castroneves avoid trouble when it counts during the ARCA race on February 15.
“It was so, I guess it was a lucky scenario, but unfortunately, when you start people slowing down in front of you and change lanes and trying to draft behind you, it happens. The same thing (happens) in IndyCar.
“It’s very difficult, but it was great to learn, you know, with the spotter, with to learn having someone in the back, look in the mirror. I mean, all these details, believe it or not, doesn’t seem to be important, but makes a huge difference and understanding and to see how much the speed increase, but the setup is great, everything was great, so we looking forward to come back here.”
• Bob Martin, a veteran racer in his sixties from New York purchased an older Venturini Motorsports Toyota Camry and with the help of Jeff Spraker and Spraker Racing Enterprises led the No. 52 entry to a fast time on Friday morning, but 28th quickest overall.
It had not been decided if Martin would return to attempt his ARCA debut in February.
• Burt Myers, a longtime figure and competitor at Bowman-Gray Stadium participated in the 2025 Road to Daytona program through Fast Track Enterprises and is expected to have some NASCAR news in the near future.
Myers, an Eleven-time Bowman-Gray Stadium Modified champion represented the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series in the program.
He is also a 19-time winner and two-time champion in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
Myers is the grandson of two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Billy Myers, and the son of Gary Myers, himself a 38-time Modified winner at Bowman-Gray and the 1996 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion.
The NASCAR Cup Series will open up their 2025 season with the Busch Clash at Bowman-Gray Stadium on Feb. 2, 2025.
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
