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BYADAM FENWICK WWW.ARCARACING.COM APRIL 23, 2024
Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR
A new venue awaits competitors in the ARCA Menards Series this Friday afternoon. Dover Motor Speedway, the popular one-mile concrete oval in Dover, Delaware, will welcome the ARCA Menards Series for the first time Friday during the General Tire 150 part of a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series East (5 p.m. ET on FS2).
While this is the first time the ARCA Menards Series has competed at the track known as the Monster Mile, the East Series has a long history at the track. The series made its debut at Dover in 1987 as part of a combination race with the NASCAR Xfinity Series. That event was won by future NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin.
The East Series continued to race alongside the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover until 1992, with Rick Mast, Bobby Hillin Jr., Michael Waltrip, Rick Wilson, Ken Schrader, Harry Gant and Robert Pressley all scoring wins. After a six year break, the East Series returned to Dover in 1998 with Jimmy Spencer visiting Victory Lane.
After another three year break, the East Series returned to Dover yet again and has been a consistent part of the track’s schedule nearly every year since. Among those to win in more recent years include Aric Almirola, Brett Moffitt, Bubba Wallace, Corey LaJoie, Austin Hill, Harrison Burton, Sam Mayer, Ty Gibbs, Taylor Gray and, most recently, Jake Finch.
Tickets to Friday’s General Tire 150 can be purchased here. Below is everything you need to know ahead of Friday’s ARCA Menards Series and East Series combination event.
General Tire 150 at Dover Motor Speedway
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
A few of stock car racing’s brightest young stars are scheduled to take on the Monster Mile for the first time on Friday afternoon.
Among them is Gio Ruggiero, the most recent winner in ARCA Menards Series East competition last month at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway. He’ll make his third ARCA platform start of 2024 in the No. 20 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports.
Another rising star scheduled to take on Dover Motor Speedway for the first time is Brent Crews, who will be racing as a teammate to Ruggiero at Venturini Motorsports. Crews will pilot the No. 55 Toyota in his first ARCA platform start of the 2024 season.
They’ll be joined by a pair of young guns in entries fielded by the Pinnacle Racing Group. Connor Zilisch will pilot the No. 28 Chevrolet out of the Pinnacle stable and two-time CARS Late Model Stock Tour champion Carson Kvapil will pilot the No. 82 in his first ARCA platform start of the year.
Defending East Series champion William Sawalich returns for his second ARCA platform start at Dover after finishing fourth there one season ago. Rev Racing’s Lavar Scott and Andres Perez are both entered, with Scott set for his second trip to Dover Motor Speedway after a fifth-place finish last year. Bruce Cook and Cook Racing Technologies will have a pair of entries, with Marco Andretti and Tanner Reif both
Amber Balcaen, Kris Wright and Toni Breidinger will be in action at Dover as part of the Venturini Motorsports stable alongside Ruggiero and Crews. ARCA Menards Series championship leader Christian Rose, still in pursuit of his first series win, will look to secure his third top-five in four starts this season in the No. 32 Ford for AM Racing.
Greg Van Alst, Andy Jankowiak, Caleb Costner, Zachary Tinkle and D.L. Wilson are among the other drivers entered in Friday’s event.
The complete entry list for the General Tire 150 is available here.
