DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.: One of the hottest storylines during the 2023 ARCA Menards Series was Andres Perez. The Rev Racing development driver wasn’t old enough to compete in last year’s season opener, but that did not stop Perez from making a name for himself throughout the remaining 19 races.
Debuting aboard his No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in March, Perez qualified sixth and finished a competitive fourth, one of his 10 top-five performances of the year.
Consistency, development, and an accelerating race craft behind the wheel kept Perez in the spotlight and well into the championship fight deep in the season before finishing second to champion Jesse Love.
With Love off to embark on a rookie campaign in the Xfinity Series in 2024, the door swings open for Perez to take the reins from Love and put together a dream season for the Max Siegel-owned ARCA operation.
“Very excited to head to my second season with the Rev (Racing) team,” Perez said Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway during preseason testing for the ARCA Menards Series. “Obviously, knowing most of the places we are going to do is very good help. Really excited for that. We’ve been working. I think we will be improving every time we go on the track.
“First race at Daytona is the only one I did not do last year which is excited to go to Daytona for the first time. The track itself is great and the atmosphere is also very good. Really looking forward to that weekend.”
In 19 races, Perez managed 10 top-fives and 15 top-10s, highlighted by a runner-up performance twice at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and Salem (Ind.) Speedway, plus, starts in the NASCAR Mexico Series.
The foundation of the ARCA Menards Series has allowed Perez to hone his craft while excelling through the challenges of different race tracks and learning where his team needs to be better in 2024 to hunt the ARCA Menards Series championship.
“I think ARCA is great,” added Perez. “The way it helps me develop with the car and to the ovals being from another country. In Mexico, we do stuff very differently, so it’s a very good approach to many of the tracks. We race dirt, we race road courses, big ovals, short ovals, superspeedways, so that’s pretty much everything.
“I think last year went great. It could have been better, definitely. There was some races that I had the feeling we could have won or should have won but stuff going on, blown engines. If we just improve a little bit our stuff here and there, there’s no reason that we should be out of the fight and we should be there up there fighting for wins and the championship.”
Despite opportunities to be in contention for his first ARCA Menards Series wins at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway, Perez heads into his sophomore season winless and hopes the opportunity to earn that first checkered flag will ease the pressure amongst the team.
“Super frustrating, especially Michigan,” mentioned Perez of not winning in 2023. “That was the most frustrating. Everything would be different if we had that first win. That’s how it is. It makes us focused on getting that first win more, even more. Michigan and Pocono last year were the ones that were the most frustrating.”
In five weeks, Perez will return to the “World Center of Racing” looking to check the tally in the win column. While he knows the victory won’t come easy, he relies on his recent ARCA Menards Series test and his race experience at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last April all to come to his aid.
“The Talladega experience for me really helped me a lot to prepare for these races,” added Perez. “It’s not the same, but at the end of the day, it’s pretty similar. The way the draft goes and how the race develops, most importantly, it’s pretty similar. That was pretty fun. I really liked it. I’m ready to get back to here to Daytona and see how it goes.”
Paired again with crew chief Jamie Jones for the 20-race ARCA slate, Perez said he is thankful to have the seasoned crew chief in his corner.
“He’s great,” offered Perez of Jones. “He’s really a good guy with me. He teaches me well. Most of the stuff here I’m still learning, and the language is another barrier for me. He’s patient with me, which is important, and he builds some fast cars.”
Last season, Perez had Rajah Caruth as his Rev Racing teammate in the ARCA Menards Series, but ARCA East regular Lavar Scott got the nod to graduate to the premier ARCA Menards Series as the driver of the No. 6 Chevrolet in 2024.
For Perez, the opportunity to race alongside one of his friends is not only ideal but being teammates, he is focused on ensuring both drivers work together to give the team the results that will keep them sustainable in the future.
“We are close,” Perez offered of Scott. “We’re friends outside the track and in the track; we’re going to be trying to help each other, especially here at Daytona. It’s going to be key if we can stay together and help each other and help to give Rev Racing and Team Chevy the win.
“I think we are going to be pushing each other for better as a team. But also, with good competition too.”
Before Perez straps behind the wheel of his No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet on Feb. 17 for the Daytona ARCA 200, he will participate in the exhibition NASCAR Mexico Series race at the Los
Angeles Coliseum, home of the NASCAR Cup Series Clash on Feb. 4, 2024.
“I’ve never been to the Clash,” said Perez, who hopes to also compete full-time in the NASCAR Mexico Series in 2024. “I’ve definitely watched it. I think it’s going to be great but chaos at the same time. Small track, no points. All the drivers, most of them from Mexico, this is like their chance – and also consider me to be spoiled here in the US. Everyone’s going to try and win it even though there’s no points.
“It’s big. I think it’s big. It just brings a lot more eyes and showing to the US what the NASCAR Mexico is. A lot of people know it’s a big deal over there, and it is growing, so yeah, I think that’s very important. I think our race is going to be really fun to watch and race, and hopefully, we can be fast there.”
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) at @Knighter01 or email: [email protected]
