For the 22nd time, the ARCA Menards Series travels to Marne, Michigan, for the Zinsser SmartCoat 200 at Berlin Raceway. The seventh race of this season features a season-low 17 drivers, but the level of competition has not diminished.
Daniel Dye walloped the ARCA field there last year, winning the pole and leading 198 of the 200 laps en route to victory in only his second-career start.
Currently third in the championship standings, Dye eagerly awaits competing at the 0.438-mile short track.
“Berlin is such a unique place to race at, because you honestly never stop turning,” Dye said in a team release. “We were able to be really good there last season with our GMS Chevy, and I have no reason to think we won’t be just as fast this weekend. Grand Rapids is a cool area, so I’m looking forward to getting back up there.”
If Dye wins at Berlin, he will join a short list of successful ARCA drivers there.
@danieldye43 would be only the 6th different driver to have back-to-back wins in ARCA at Berlin Raceway, potentially joining the likes of Bob James, Tim Steele, Frank Kimmel, Brian Keselowski, and Grant Enfinger. React with a ❤️ if you think he can do it!☑️
— Berlin Raceway (@BerlinRaceway) April 26, 2022
According to Greg Van Alst, who has experience in late model competition at Berlin, Dye is one of two ARCA heavy hitters at Berlin. Sammy Smith is the other one.
Smith tied his main ARCA series career-best finish with a second-place finish in the most recent ARCA race at Iowa Speedway.
Smith also has experience in late model competition at Berlin. If Smith wins the ARCA race at Berlin, he will become the fourth straight first-time winner at Berlin, following Dalton Sargeant, Joe Graf Jr. and Dye.
Van Alst has not won at Berlin yet. He knows his experience at this track will be advantageous.
“It’s fun going to a track I’ve been on,” Van Alst told Frontstretch. “It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been there, but I only have a couple of races under my belt there. Listen, the first time I went there I was absolutely terrible because it’s such a unique place. So, I feel like we’ll have an advantage over knowing where the groove is and how you’re supposed to run the racetrack. I feel like we should be good.
“I think we can run top five there. It’s a tough series so it’s not easy to get to the top five. I think we’re capable of doing that.”
Berlin is unique because it does not have a wall on the…
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