GIO RUGGIERO – General Tire 200 at Daytona Champion
ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway: General Tire 200 Post-race Notes
Gio Ruggiero (No. 18 1st Auto Group Toyota) scored the victory in the
ARCA Menards Series’ season-opening General Tire 200 at Daytona
International Speedway. Ruggiero held off Jake Bollman (No. 20 SynerFuse
Toyota) on a one-lap overtime dash to the checkered to win for the first
time in his ARCA Menards Series career.
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Ruggiero has three career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at
Daytona and its sister track, Talladega Superspeedway. His worst finish
is second, twice, at Daytona in 2025 and 2026 and he won at Talladega in
2025. It was his first career ARCA Menards Series start at Daytona.
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Bollman turned the fastest lap in Sioux Chief PowerPEX Pole Qualifying,
but his time was disallowed after an infraction in post-qualifying
technical inspection relegating him to 33rd starting position. Bollman
steadily worked his way through the field and missed two big accidents
in the final ten laps to score his first career ARCA Menards Series
top-five finish.
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Kole Raz (No. 76 Breeze Hydrogen Fuels Ford) narrowly made the race on
time, starting in the 32nd position. Raz was bumped into the field when
Bollman’s time was disallowed; had that not happened, he would have
missed the starting field due to not having enough owner points from
2025 to fall back on. Raz finished a career-best third driving for 2009
ARCA Menards Series championship-winning crew chief Mark Rette and team
co-owner Terry Jones, who finished second in the 2017 ARCA Menards
Series race at Daytona.
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Hometown hero Daniel Dye (No. 24 Champion Container Ford) restarted on
the front row for the final restart but didn’t get help from behind
over the final lap and dropped to fourth at the finish. Dye, from nearby
Deland, Florida, finished in the top five in both career ARCA Menards
Series starts at Daytona; he was third in 2022.
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Glen Reen (No. 07 New Wave Bath Ford) scored his second consecutive
top-five finish in the ARCA Menards Series in fifth. Reen, a former
regular in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, also finished fourth last
year at Watkins Glen International. Reen was joined in the top ten by
KLAS Motorsports teammate Andy Jankowiak (No. 71 Dak’s Markets
Chevrolet), who finished tenth.
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Jack Wood (No. 28 Road Ranger Chevrolet) finished sixth driving for last
year’s race-winning and championship-winning team, Pinnacle Racing
Group. Wood’s teammate Taylor Reimer (No. 77 BuzzBalls Chevrolet) was
running in the top ten late in the race before being befallen with
electrical issues that ended her day in 30th position.
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Jason Kitzmiller was also relegated to the 34th starting position after
his qualifying time was disallowed, but he expertly drove to the front
of the field and notched his third consecutive top-ten finish at Daytona
in seventh.
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Ryan Vargas (No. 91 Maples Motorsports Ford) led for the first time in
his ARCA Menards Series career when he crossed the line first to
complete lap 24. Despite losing the lead before the completion of the
next lap, Vargas stayed in the top ten the rest of the way and came home
a career-best eighth.
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Bobby Earnhardt (No. 89 SmartGrid Integrations Chevrolet) kept team
owner Tim Goulet’s car in the front half of the field all afternoon,
scoring an impressive ninth-place finish. Earnhardt is the only member
of the Earnhardt family driving in competition during SpeedWeeks 25
years after the loss of his grandfather Dale Earnhardt on the final lap
of the 2001 Daytona 500.
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There were nine different organizations represented in the top ten: Joe
Gibbs Racing in first, Nitro Motorsports in second, Rette Jones Racing
in third, Sigma Performance Services in fourth, KLAS Motorsports in
fifth and tenth, Pinnacle Racing Group in sixth, CR7 Motorsports in
seventh. Michael Maples Motorsports in eighth, and RISE Racing in ninth.
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There were seven lead changes among seven drivers; Sioux Chief PowerPEX
Pole Award winner Gus Dean led the opening nine laps before ceding the
lead to his Nitro Motorsports teammate Isabella Robusto (No. 55 Mobil 1
Toyota). Dye took the lead at lap 20 and led for four laps before Vargas
led lad 24. Dye led again from lap 25 through lap 40, while Dean led
from lap 41 through 46. Jake Finch (No. 15 Phoenix Toyota) led the most
laps of the day, 31, from laps 47 through 78. He crashed from the lead
on lap 79, sending the race into overtime and allowing Ruggiero to lead
the final four laps.
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Ruggiero’s winning margin of victory was 0.142 seconds; his winning
average speed was 107.202 miles per hour. Twenty-three of the race’s
40 starters finished on the lead lap. Thirty-one drivers were still
running at the finish; only three were out due to accidents.