On March 10, Tyler Reif won the ARCA Menards Series race at the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway. One month and 12 days later, the ARCA field will compete for 76 laps at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway.
Thirty-four drivers will race in the General Tire 200. Who in the field can capture the trophy?
Starting first, due to ARCA setting the lineup via 2022 owners’ points, is Taylor Gray. The 18-year-old makes his first start of 2023 and his first start piloting the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Gray lacks superspeedway experience, though he won the 2022 ARCA race at Pocono Raceway.
But JGR hasn’t won ARCA races at Talladega. Instead, it’s been fellow Toyota team Venturini Motorsports that has superspeedway dominance, though surprisingly only two wins at Talladega, in 2020 and 2021.
Half of the Venturini quartet have won ARCA races before, though: Jesse Love and Gus Dean. Love starts second in his second superspeedway race as he finished seventh in the 2023 season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Two-time ARCA winner Dean will drive the No. 25 Toyota. He won the 2016 ARCA Talladega race and he has one win, two top fives and four top 10s in his six starts there. Due to mechanical issues, Dean wound up with a 35th-place DNF at Daytona. He’s ready for redemption at Talladega and is starting eighth.
“I’m just cursed at Daytona,” Dean said in a press release. “Man, I love racing at Daytona. It’s such an awesome place where I’ve always had fast cars but for some reason or another, bad luck strikes. Thankfully, I’ve fared much better at Talladega Superspeedway, and I hope I’m able to showcase that for my Venturini Motorsports team on Saturday.”
Outside of the three Toyotas, who else could wind up in victory lane on Saturday? How about Daytona winner Greg Van Alst? The points leader masterfully made a last-lap pass for the win at Daytona, and he finished 11th in the 2022 Talladega race. Starting seventh, Van Alst will have a fast No. 35. It’s his Daytona-winning racecar, after all.
“I am excited for Talladega,” Van Alst told Frontstretch. Furthermore, his emotional win added to his confidence for the General Tire 200. “I’ve raced as an underdog or ‘the other guy’ for so long that I’m my own worst critic,” he said.
The 2023 ARCA series season has seen four different first-time winners. Van Alst won Daytona, Reif nabbed Phoenix, William Sawalich won the ARCA Menards Series…
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