DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bluffton, South Carolina rookie Gus Dean turned some heads Saturday in his first attempt at Daytona International Speedway, logging the fastest speed in ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards open testing aboard a Mason Mitchell Motorsports Chevrolet.
Dean circled the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 47.428 seconds, for an average speed of 189.761 mph.
“This was my first time in the draft,” Dean said.
“Talking to the veterans, watching the videos, and playing the video games do nothing to prepare you for that first time you’re in a pack of cars heading into a corner. The feeling is indescribable.”
Dean was the leader of the pack in a three-car draft that included his MMM teammates, fellow rookies Spencer Boyd and Noah Gragson.
“I was leading the pack of all three Mitchell Motorsports cars and caught the draft of the cars in front of us. It feels great to be on top of the board my first time here.
“I can’t thank Mason Mitchell Motorsports enough for their hard work and preparation this weekend. I was surprised at how tight this track is for how big it is.”
The other two MMM cars in the draft with Dean were second and third on the chart, giving MMM a complete a sweep at the top of the board.
Boyd, also in a Chevy, was second quickest at 189,693 mph in front of his teammate Gragson, who was third at 189.677 mph in a Ford.
“I had experienced the draft a little bit when I ran the Kentucky (Speedway) race…the difference here is that you don’t lift,” Gragson said.
“I felt real solid running with my teammates Spencer and Gus when we put up that lap. It was really fun. I can see though where a guy could get himself in trouble. I want to thank Mason Mitchell Motorsports for their effort today.”
A pair of Hylton-Empire Racing 48 Ford Fusions was fourth and fifth fastest on the board with rookie Dylan Lupton and veteran Sean Corr at the helms. Lupton edged his teammate Corr with a speed of 189.247 mph. Corr completed the top-five with a speed of 189.243 mph.
Lupton was also involved in an early-afternoon incident that included both Kimmel Racing Fords. Lupton’s driveshaft broke just ahead of Grant Quinlan and Nick Higdon in turns three and four. Both Quinlan and Higdon made contact with the outer retaining wall as a result, causing extensive damage to both machines. Lupton was able to return for some late-afternoon runs while Kimmel Racing packed up and went home. There were no injuries.
Newcomer Brett Holmes was sixth fastest in a No. 18 Ford with a speed of 189.139 mph.
Series veteran Tom Hessert, switching to Venturini Motorsports for the 2016 season, was seventh in Venturini’s No. 25 flagship Toyota at 188.957 mph.
Jeff Myers, Jr., the 2015 ARCA Truck Series champion, looked sharp in his superspeedway debut, logging the eighth fastest speed at 188.881 mph in a Lira Motorsports Ford.
Newcomer Shane Lee, in a Win-Tron Racing Toyota, was ninth overall at 188.616 mph. Clayton Weatherman, also making his superspeedway debut, was 10th at 188.490 mph in a Lira Motorsports Ford. Weatherman is the younger brother of 2015 SCOTT Rookie of the Year Kyle Weatherman.
In all, 64 drivers posted time and speed today at the “World Center of Racing” in preparation for the season-opening 53rd annual Lucas Oil 200 coming Saturday, February 13. Saturday’s test was delayed by an hour-and-a-half due to morning fog.
ARCA Racing Series open testing is scheduled to resume at Daytona Sunday morning at 9:00 am. For more information, visit ARCARacing.com.
ARCA Racing Series
Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, FL
Day 1 Open Test Results – Jan. 16, 2016
NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN CAR TIME SPEED
1. 98b Gus Dean/Bluffton SC Chevy 47.428 189.761
2. 98a Spencer Boyd/Concord NC Chevy 47.445 189.693
3. 98 Noah Gragson/Las Vegas NV Ford 47.449 189.677
4. 48a Dylan Lupton/Charlotte NC Ford 47.557 189.247
5. 48 Sean Corr/Goshen NY Ford 47.558 189.243
6. 18 Brett Holmes/Munford AL Ford 47.584 189.139
7. 25 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ Toyota 47.630 188.957
8. 59 Jeff Myers, Jr./Lambertville MI Ford 47.649 188.881
9. 32a Shane Lee/Newton NC Toyota 47.716 188.616
10. 58 Clayton Weatherman/Wentzville MO Ford 47.748 188.490
11. 38a Jairo Avila/Alhambra CA Ford 47.755 188.462
12. 22a Matt Wallace/Concord NC Dodge 47.786 188.340
13. 77 Chase Briscoe/Mitchell IN Dodge 47.816 188.222
14. 82 Dylan Martin/Lakeland FL Ford 47.831 188.162
15. 66 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA Toyota 47.844 188.111
16. 05 John Wes Townley/Watkinsville GA Chevy 47.860 188.048
17. 42 Bo LeMastus/Louisville KY Dodge 47.862 188.041
18. 55 Willliam Byron Jr./Charlotte NC Toyota 47.867 188.021
19. 58a Kyle Weatherman/Wentzville MO Ford 47.890 187.931
20. 38c Gray Gaulding/Statesville NC Ford 47.891 187.927
21. 5a Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Chevy 47.943 187.723
22. 98c Zane Smith/Maiden NC Ford 48.033 187.371
23. 32c Austin Wayne Self/Austin TX Ford 48.073 187.215
24. 22 Kevin Thomas, Jr./Cullman AL Dodge 48.091 187.145
25. 75a Chuck Walker/Hilton Head SC Chevy 48.095 187.130
26. 36 Brandon Lynn/Penn Yan NY Ford 48.132 186.986
27. 59a Dylan Cappello/Peoria AZ Ford 48.165 186.858
28. 9 Thomas Praytor/Mobile AL Ford 48.198 186.730
29. 98d Mason Mitchell/W. Des Moines IA Chevy 48.236 186.583
30. 43 John Ferrier/Middletown NY Chevy 48.259 186.494
31. 77 Brady Boswell/Watkinsville GA Dodge 48.263 186.478
32. 52c Matt Kurzejewski/Mansfield PA Toyota 48.285 186.393
33. 59b Tyler Speer/Woodstock GA Ford 48.337 186.193
34. 2 Sarah Cornett-Ching/Summerland BC Ford 48.362 186.097
35. 59c Devin O’Connell/Madison CT Ford 48.389 185.993
36. 75 Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL Chevy 48.426 185.851
37. 57a Andy Seuss/Salisbury NC Chevy 48.449 185.762
38. 1 Willie Mullins/Fredericksburg VA Ford 48.450 185.759
39. 32b Codie Rohrbaugh/Petersburg WV Ford 48.458 185.728
40. 83 Derrick Lancaster/Christiansburg VA Chevy 48.501 185.563
41. 57 Bryan Dauzat/Concord NC Chevy 48.595 185.204
42. 54 Cole Custer/Ladera Ranch CA Toyota 48.604 185.170
43. 68a Austin Nason/Roscoe IL Ford 48.606 185.162
44. 38b Steve Kemp/Justin TX Ford 48.612 185.139
45. 66a Dalton Sargeant/Boca Raton FL Toyota 48.665 184.938
46. 6 Josh Williams/Port Charlotte FL Chevy 48.750 184.615
47. 69 Nick Higdon/Big Clifty KY Ford 48.890 184.087
48. 42z Josh Reeves/Bassett VA Dodge 48.980 183.748
49. 68 Grant Quinlan/Harrison MI Ford 48.991 183.707
50. 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Chevy 49.279 182.634
51. 62 C.J. McLaughlin/Bellingham MA (test only) Dodge 49.298 182.563
52. 3 Steve Fox/Hazleton PA Ford 49.546 181.649
53. 58b Justin Lloyd/Raleigh NC Ford 49.578 181.532
54. 62z Scott Edwards/Orlando FL Dodge 49.578 181.532
55. 52a Matt Kurzejewski/Mansfield PA Chevy 49.598 181.459
56. 62d Kevin Rutherford/Flower Mound TX Dodge 49.624 181.364
57. 71 Gene Paul/Tarpon Springs FL Dodge 49.698 181.094
58. 1 J.J. Pack/Bealeton VA Ford 49.731 180.974
59. 49 Brad Smith/Shelby Township MI Ford 50.090 179.677
60. 62 Kyle Lockrow/LaPlate MD Dodge 50.278 179.005
61. 5b Steve Harville III/Broomall PA Chevy 50.413 178.525
62. 62 Michael Haubrich/Jacksonville NC Dodge 50.461 178.356
63. 1c Ray Ciccarelli/Ellicott City MD Ford 50.748 177.347
64. 0 Tim Viens/Daytona Beach FL Chevy 50.762 177.298
65. 0 Corey Howard/Fort White FL Chevy 51.770 173.846
66. 0a Mike Senica/Doylestown PA Chevy 55.727 161.502
