Stars Align for Menards ARCA Series Opener at Daytona

The 73rd ARCA Menards Series season kicks off this Saturday with the Ride the ‘Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway (12 p.m. ET on FOX). This marks the 62nd ARCA Menards Series race at the 2.5-mile Daytona oval, the track having hosted the season opener since 1987.

Daytona’s ARCA history boasts a prestigious list of winners, from early ARCA pioneers like Earl Balmer and Ramo Stott to future NASCAR stars such as Benny Parsons, Kyle Petty, and Kyle Busch. Bobby Gerhart leads in Daytona ARCA wins with eight victories. This year, 47 teams have entered, but only 40 will qualify for the race.

The 2025 Menards ARCA Series opener features a mix of big names and rising stars. Most notably, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Hélio Castroneves will make his Daytona debut, competing in both the ARCA race for Pinnacle Racing Group and the Daytona 500 for Trackhouse Racing. Castroneves, a legend in open-wheel racing with 31 victories, faces a new challenge at Daytona.

He’s joined by rising stars like Brenden Queen, Castroneves’ teammate at Pinnacle Racing Group and the defending CARS Late Model Stock Tour champion. Isabella Robusto leads the Venturini Motorsports contingent, which also includes Lawless Alan, Jake Finch, and Chase Pinsonneault. Other notable drivers include British racer Katherine Legge (Sigma Performance Services), defending pole winner Willie Mullins, two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing), YouTube star Garrett “Cleetus McFarland” Mitchell (Rette Jones Racing), Thad Moffitt and Amber Balcaen (Nitro Motorsports), Lavar Scott (Rev Racing), Corey Day (Spire Motorsports), Andy Jankowiak, Kole Raz, Jason Kitzmiller, Scott Melton, Dale Quarterley, and Brayton Laster.

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