Toledo Speedway hosts the ARCA Menards Series season finale for the first time since 2011.
Three trophies are on the line in the Shore Lunch 200 – the race win, the drivers’ championship, and the owners’ points championship.
None of the 24 entered drivers have won at the 0.5-mile short track before, though. In the drivers’ championship, Nick Sanchez leads Daniel Dye by two points. In the owners’ championship, Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18, driven by Sammy Smith, leads Venturini Motorsports’ No. 20, driven by Jesse Love, by one point.
Although ARCA does not use a playoff format like the national NASCAR series, it is a close battle that could wind up coming down to the last lap of the 200-lap race, like how the 2021 ARCA Menards Series West championship was not decided until its final lap at Phoenix Raceway.
“It still feels like it used to feel in the playoffs,” MAVTV pit reporter Mike Massaro told Frontstretch. “You’ve got two drivers, who while they are separated by two points, they might as well be tied because it’s that tight. It’s exciting and I could not tell you right now who’s going to come away with the championship. They are so evenly matched right now. Dye has a lot of heart, the team is buttoned up, they’re working but on the other side of the coin, Nick’s a good racecar driver and he’s got the wins to show it this year. He is also hungry, so there’s no question that he’s going to make it difficult for Daniel for sure. So, it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
Head-to-head in their ARCA careers, Dye has bested Sanchez 14 out of the 25 times. Sanchez has three wins compared to Dye’s lone victory, but Dye leads Sanchez in both top fives and top 10s. Still, their average finishing position is less than one (Dye has 5.9 vs. Sanchez has 6.6), so these two Chevrolet drivers will likely be racing each other throughout the entire race.
“At the end of the day, I’m obviously going to drive to my max so if fifth is all I have and he’s leading, then I can only do what I can,” Sanchez told Frontstretch. “At the end of the day, the only race I can control is my own so honestly, I’m not going to worry about where he’s running. I just got to focus on my own race.”
Sanchez has competed twice at Toledo before, finishing 10th and third, respectively. It is encouraging but his Rev Racing team is using a different package in hopes of securing Sanchez the title.
“As much as I am confident…
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