ARCA Menards Series East
Herr’s Potato Chips 200
Toledo Speedway
June 13, 2020
Race Highlights:
- The Herr’s Potato Chips 200 at Toledo Speedway was the first race back for the ARCA Menards Series East (ARCAE) since the shutdowns took place.
- Venturini Motorsports (VMS) fielded two Toyota Camry’s: No. 20 Ryan Repko and No. 25 Mason Diaz.
- During Saturday’s lone practice session, the team focused on allowing both drivers to learn the track. Diaz posted the fastest time of the day while Repko was 11th.
- Posting a fast time of 16.286 in qualifying, Diaz qualified 9thwith Repko posting a time of 16.629 seconds placing him 11th.
- With two scheduled break periods taking the place of normal pit stops, car management became the name of the game. Both drivers fired off strong, with Diaz closing in on the top-five. Unfortunately, the No. 25 Solid Rock Carriers Toyota team suffered a race ending transmission failure on lap 29 bringing out the days first caution. During the first break on lap-75, Repko came to pit road for two tires, fuel and a round of adjustments to help battle his loose racecar. After moving his way up to seventh, Repko began tire management as he waited for the final break at lap-150. Taking four tires, fuel and another round of adjustments, the No. 20 Craftsman, Champion Power Equipment team set their sights on the front and by lap 165 Repko took over fifth place. Through several ensuing cautions, Repko continued to pace near the front, battling for third when a competitor squeezed him into the front stretch wall, the damage would cause the tire to give way entering turn one, ending his day just shy of the checkered flag on lap 187.
- Both drivers were relegated out of the event early. Ryan Repko was credited with a 9thplace finish in his No. 20 Craftsman, Champion Power Equipment Toyota Camry. Mason Diaz was relegated to a 14thplace finish with his No. 25 Solid Rock Carriers Toyota Camry.
Ryan Repko No. 20 Craftsman, Champion Power Equipment Toyota Camry
“Toledo Speedway didn’t go the way we had hoped leading into the event. Our Toyota Camry showed speed throughout the race and we were able to race our way up solidly into the top-five. We definitely had a third-place car or better, but unfortunately we got pinched into the wall coming out of turn-four and that must have cut our tire down because heading into turn one it went straight into the wall. We’ll rebound and shift our focus onto Talladega Superspeedway this coming week.”
Start – 11 Finish – 9 Laps Led – 0
Mason Diaz No. 25 Solid Rock Carriers Toyota Camry
“We showed a lot of speed and promise this weekend at Toledo Speedway. My Toyota Camry was fast right off the hauler and the crew did a great job dialing it in during practice. A mechanical failure out of anyone’s control took us out early on in the race as we were working on cracking the top-five. We’ll put that behind us and move on to the next race. We showed we have what it takes to run up front.”
Start – 9 Finish – 14 Laps Led – 0
