Brenden Queen celebrates after winning the Ride The Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Avoiding carnage around Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval was the main challenge during Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series season opener. Brenden Queen navigated through the wreckage and emerged in victory lane.
As the race neared its final ten laps, 18-year-old William Sawalich appeared to be in the best position to claim the checkered flag. However, Sawalich lost the lead to Queen with five laps remaining. Sawalich, who led the most laps in the race, totaling 29, finished just behind the winner.
Cautions dominated the Ride the ‘Dente 200, which saw seven wrecks over the course of the 80-lap event. The first incident occurred on Lap 4, involving multiple drivers. Thad Moffitt, driving the No. 46 car, suffered the worst damage, slamming hard into the outside wall on the frontstretch.
YouTube personality Cleetus McFarland (Garrett Mitchell) made his ARCA Menards Series debut at Daytona, driving the No. 30 car. Unfortunately for McFarland, his day ended early after being involved in two separate cautions.
Helio Castroneves, the 49-year-old Brazilian and four-time Indy 500 champion, faced a unique challenge racing in the ARCA opener. Castroneves, who also had a seat in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, finished fifth and gained valuable experience ahead of his next major race.
The 40-car field saw only 20 cars finish the race. The event featured an even split between green-flag and yellow-flag laps, with 40 laps run under each.
Queen, a 27-year-old from Virginia, shared, “I’m still processing it all and trying to take in the moment.”
He also reflected on his journey, stating, “It’s been all about perseverance. I never had money, but we made do with what we had, grinding and working hard while trusting the process.”
The next ARCA Menards Series race takes place at Phoenix Raceway on March 7 with FS1 telecasting the second round of the season.
