Daniel Dye came up just short of an ARCA Menards Series victory at Phoenix Raceway, as he was just edged out by David Gilliland Racing driver Taylor Gray on the final restart.
The young GMS Racing driver was coming off a third place finish in the season opener at Daytona, which saw him bob and weave through the field late in the race, and somewhat make a statement for himself in the series.
Dye followed up his third-place effort at Daytona with a second place run Friday night at Phoenix in the General Tire 150, and while that’s a huge positive for the team to start the season, he’s still frustrated he let the win slip away.
”Just came down to a decision I’ll never make again,” Dye told MAVTV after the race. “To pick the top at Phoenix, on the money restart, just not smart to do on a short track.”
Dye, 18, started the race from the sixth-position and in the first half of the race, he looked like a solid top-five runner. Following the race’s halftime break, Dye appeared to be shot out of a cannon as he rocketed around Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray for the race lead.
In the second half of the race, Dye was the dominant car until he lost the lead in the closing laps during late-race restarts.
It was a tough ending for the youngster, but an early glimpse at what this team is capable of doing. The No. 21 team holds the points lead over Rajah Caruth and others just two races into the season.
The ARCA Menards Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway next on the schedule, just over a month away on April 23rd.
