ARCA: Mason Mitchell Motorsports sweeps ARCA open testing at Daytona; champ Mitchell fastest overall

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – January 17, 2016) – After engineering all three of his Mason Mitchell Motorsports (MMM) 98 cars into first, second and third on the chart in Saturday’s open test at Daytona Int’l Speedway, Mason Mitchell took his first turn at the wheel during the final hours of testing Sunday afternoon and went right to the top of the leader board.

Mitchell, the 2014 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards national champion driver and owner, not only took it to the top, the W. Des Moines, Iowa driver posted the fastest speed overall during the annual two-day ARCA test at the “World Center of Racing”.

“All three Mitchell Motorsports cars were fast this weekend,” Mitchell said. “We made the decision to bring three cars only a week ago, so all of the long hours by the crew paid off.”

Mitchell got some drafting help from Empire Racing to post the top speed of the weekend at 189.809 mph. That equates to 47.416 seconds around the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

“We were working as a team to get a fast lap, and we got a good run on the (Empire Racing) pack ahead of us, and that was the difference. It was pretty cool.”

Mitchell had all three of his rookie drivers – Gus Dean (189.761 mph), Spencer Boyd (189.693 mph) and Noah Gragson (189.677 mph) – on top Saturday for a MMM sweep. Dean’s top speed set on Saturday was good enough for second fastest overall.

“Gus (Dean) is signed to drive when we come back to Daytona,” Mitchell added. “I’m still working on sponsorship to put enough together to run here next month.”

After sweeping the top of the leader board in Saturday’s test, the MMM team, with a fleet of Chevrolets, made the sweep even bigger Sunday when Mitchell added his name at the top, giving MMM the top four positions overall.

Charlotte, North Carolina rookie Dylan Lupton in an Empire Racing Ford, was second fastest on the chart Sunday, and fifth overall, the first driver behind the MMM machines.

“This is my first time drafting here and it was exciting,” Lupton said.

“We timed it just right to get a draft on those 98 cars, and with Brett’s (Holmes) help we were the fastest car for most of the day (Sunday). We practiced as a team. Every time we went out, the 18 (Holmes) came out with me. For the race, a pack of cars running up top may have enough momentum to make it work; it’s going to be a chess game.

“The Empire crew worked hard all weekend to make us fast. I can’t thank them enough.”

With Lupton leading the team colors on the charts at 189.502 mph, Empire Racing swept positions fifth through eighth on the overall board with Lupton, rookie Brett Holmes (189.394 mph), Lupton again in another Empire Ford (189.247 mph), and veteran/former Daytona polesitter Sean Corr (189.243 mph). Like Lupton, Holmes was learning the draft.

“The draft was cool,” Holmes said. “This was my first time in it, and the air and g-forces were an experience. We were working together as a team trying to be fast.

“I wish the 48 car had not had mechanical issues yesterday…we may have ended up as the fastest team if we could have had three cars in our draft against the Mitchell cars.”

ARCA veteran Tom Hessert, who did not participate in Sunday’s test, was ninth fastest overall in the Venturini Motorsports Toyota at 188.957 mph.

Jeff Myers, Jr. turned a lot of heads over the weekend, posting the 10th fastest speed overall at 188.881 mph in a Lira Motorsports Ford in his first superspeedway attempt. Myers, from Lambertville, Mich., is the 2015 ARCA Truck Series champion.

The open test was originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, but Friday was a complete wash-out so Sunday was added to accommodate the two-day test. Saturday’s test session was delayed briefly, but by fog. Sunday also had a delay as a result of overnight rain showers and a brief mid-morning shower.

In all, a whopping 64 drivers posted time and speed Saturday and Sunday at Daytona in preparation for the season-opening 53rd annual Lucas Oil 200 coming Saturday, February 13, live on FS1

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards
Daytona Int’l Speedway
Overall Open Test Results, (1-16/17-2016)

About Automobile Racing Club of America:

The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA / CRA Super Series, the ARCA Midwest Tour and the ARCA Truck Series, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.