The ARCA Menards Series East kicked off the 2021 season Monday night at New Smyrna Speedway for the Jeep Beach 175. Taylor Gray won the pole earlier in the day in qualifying, with Max Gutierrez starting second. Fifteen cars were competing in this race; eight of them were rookies. Rookie Daniel Dye blew an engine during practice. His crew was able to put a new engine in before qualifying fifth.
We are 🟢 for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East season! pic.twitter.com/V2FlwhPQqt — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) February 9, 2021
Gutierrez missed a shift to start the race as cars scrambled not to hit anyone. Luckily, the race continued. Taylor Gray led the first ten laps before Parker Retzlaff took the lead from him. There were some good battles in the first 88 laps before the competition caution came out on lap 89.
.@TaylorGray17_ takes back the lead nearing the halfway point 👀#ARCAMenards East | @_TrackPass pic.twitter.com/CG7qYM7IBm — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) February 9, 2021
Sammy Smith was the new leader as the race got back underway with 78 laps to go, Mason Diaz sat in second place. Carson Kvapil, the son of former NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil, had ignition issues all race long and exited the race at lap 120. He was at one point running in third place. With 49 laps to go, Mason Diaz and Jack Wood made contact, cutting Wood’s left rear tire that would send him into the outside wall of turn one damaging the left side. He also suffered suspension damage after the crash that would end his night. He would finish in 14th place.
🟡 Caution 🟡@DriverJackWood spins and hits the wall after contact with @IestJoey 47 to go#ARCAMenards East | @_TrackPass pic.twitter.com/uGGkhZTNjP — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) February 9, 2021
Outside of the competition caution, the race went 120 laps without any incidents. The race resumed with 42 laps to go with Sammy Smith leading. He would pull away with no one close to him until a questionable caution came out with ten laps to go for debris.
Just as the race was set to resume, rain began to hit the track, forcing the race to go under a red flag with five laps to go. The delay lasted about an hour before the race could resume. To make matters worse, leader Sammy Smith was penalized for a pit road violation that happened 80 laps ago. However, Mason Diaz, who also pitted with Smith, was not penalized and was now scored as the race leader.
On the restart, Diaz made slight contact with Taylor Gray, which caused him to spin at turn one to bring out the fourth caution of the night. The race restarted with two laps to go, and in a photo finish, Max Gutierrez squeezed his way for the win by .046 seconds over Sammy Smith, with Taylor Gray finishing third.
ARE YOU KIDDING??? Max Gutierrez 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 for the win at @newsmyrnaspdwy #ARCAMenards East | @_TrackPass pic.twitter.com/E2fwTMGsgn — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) February 9, 2021
The rest of the top ten finishers were Mason Diaz fourth, Joey Iest fifth, Daniel Dye sixth, Colt Hensley seventh, Brandon Oakley eighth, Parker Retzlaff ninth, and Willie Mullins tenth. The ARCA Menards Series East will return in two weeks at Five Flags Speedway on Saturday, February 27th at 6 pm on NBC Sports Gold Track Pass.
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