ARCA: Lucas Oil 200 Race Preview

The ARCA Racing Series will take the massive 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway on Saturday for the Lucas Oil 200 presented by General Tire. The race will serve as the season opener for ARCA’s 64th season since its inception in 1952.

Grant Enfinger is the defending race winner of the Lucas Oil 200 and is not entered into the event. Enfinger led the final 27 laps of the race after taking the lead away from Scott Sheldon on lap 53. Enfinger finished the season with six victories and the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship. The Alabama native joins GMS Racing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

A total of 46 drivers are entered for the race on Saturday and six of those will not make the field. Some of the drivers entered include Sarah Cornett-Ching, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Bobby Gerhart, Josh Williams, Thomas Praytor, Kevin Thomas Jr., Austin Wayne Self, Gray Gaulding, Bo LeMastus, Frank Kimmel, William Byron, Mark Thompson, Chase Briscoe, Dylan Lupton and John Wes Townley.

ARCA will use a group qualifying format to determine the starting lineup. The drivers best speed out of the two practice sessions will determine which group that driver will go out in. Each group will have four minutes to post a time and speed. ARCA did not specify the segments to prevent teams from manipulating practice times to gain an advantage.

William Byron will join the ARCA Racing Series fray this weekend at Daytona International Speedway for his Superspeedway debut. Byron will strap into the No. 55 Liberty University Toyota with Venturini Motorsports. The 18-year old driver scored the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series championship with four wins, five top-five and 11 top 10 finishes in 14 races. Byron made two starts in the ARCA Racing Series last season with one of those resulting in a runner-up finish at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.

Veteran racer Bobby Hamilton Jr. will begin his full-time ARCA Racing Series season on Saturday at Daytona. Hamilton will pilot the No. 4 Dodge with sponsorship from Makeover Mortgage and AmericanStairDesign.com. If the Nashville, Tennessee native accomplishes a full-time season, it will be his first since 2007 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

FOX Sports 1 will have live coverage of the Lucas Oil 200 presented by General Tire at 4:15 p.m. ET. Radio coverage will be provided by WNDB and fans can follow timing and scoring on ARCARacing.com.

Brett Winningham
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