Monday, 17 February 2025

Amber Balcaen fastest at two-day ARCA practice session at Daytona Featured

Posted On Monday, 13 January 2025 22:34 Written by
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Amber Balcaen had the fastest time at this week's two-day ARCA practice session at Daytona. Amber Balcaen had the fastest time at this week's two-day ARCA practice session at Daytona. Photo by Nic Antaya/ARCA Racing

Amber Balcaen was the fastest of 70 drivers that participated in this week’s two-day ARCA pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway. Balcaen turned her fast lap, 49.102 seconds/183.292 miles per hour, in a tight draft with her Nitro Motorsports teammate Thad Moffitt and fellow Toyota drivers out of the Venturini Motorsports stable.

The 62nd Annual Daytona ARCA 200 is scheduled for Saturday, February 15, at noon. The race will be televised live on FOX and will be carried live nationwide on select affiliates of the MRN Radio Network. Live timing and scoring data from all on-track activity, including practice on Thursday, February 13, and General Tire Pole Qualifying on Friday, February 14, is available at ARCARacing.com.

In other highlights from the two-day test:

— Eighteen-year-old Chase Pinsonnault made a strong debut in the ARCA Menards Series, timing in second fastest at 49.226 seconds/182.830 miles per hour. Pinsonnault, a third-generation racer, has driven in the ASA STARS National Tour for NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar; he will make his first career ARCA Menards Series start in the Daytona ARCA 200.

— Balcaen, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Pinsonnault, from Windsor, Ontario, gave Canadian drivers a sweep of the top two positions for the first time in the history of the pre-season practice runs at Daytona International Speedway.

— Willie Mullins, 2024’s General Tire Pole Award winner at Daytona, was third fastest at 49.227 seconds/182.826 miles per hour

— Lawless Alan, 2024 Talladega Superspeedway winner Jake Finch, and Isabella Robusto were fourth through sixth in the overall results. Venturini Motorsports had four of the top six drivers.

— KLAS Motorsports had its two drivers in the Pre-Race Practice both in the top ten; the team’s regular driver Andy Jankowiak was seventh fastest in the draft on Thursday, while newcomer Vincent Arthur was ninth overall.

— NASCAR Xfinity Series racer and utility crewmember Brad Perez  teamed up with team co-owner Willie Mullins in a right draft and set the eighth fastest lap of the week at 49.308 seconds/182.526 miles per hour.

— Kole Raz rounded out the top ten at 49.536 seconds/181.686 miles per hour.

— Jeff Scofield, Jason Kitzmiller, and Katherine Legge rounded out the top 13 on the speed chart, all setting their fast laps on Thursday. Dale Quarterley turned in the 14th-fastest lap and was the fastest driver in Friday’s session.

— Other notable drivers in the two-day session included Thad Moffitt in 17th, Hendrick Motorsports development driver Corey Day in 19th, Joe Gibbs Racing youngsters Brent Crews and William Sawalich in 20th and 21st respectively, Pinnacle Racing Group’s Brenden Queen – who will race for the ARCA Menards Series championship in 2025 – and
four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in 26th and 27th.

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— Press release courtesy of ARCA

Matt M. Myftiu

Matt Myftiu has been a journalist for two decades with a focus on technology, NASCAR and autos.

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