Reviewing The Data: Recapping The Big Takeaways From The 2024 ARCA Menards Series Test At Daytona

After a winter of prep, and two days down in Daytona Beach the annual Daytona test of the ARCA Menards Series has come to a close. Now teams turn to the season opener just over a month away, but what can we take from two days at the high banks? Well, a good amount.

Venturini Motorsports Sets The Standard

We’ve seen how strong Venturini Motorsports has been before on the big tracks. They hold five of the last six race wins at Daytona for the ARCA Menards Series, and once again they show that they mean business. Newly signed Jake Finch sat on top of the speed chart at 48.878 at 184.132 mph. His VMS teammates held the new three spots with Toni Breidinger, Kris Wright, and Gus Dean following behind. All with times under the 49-second bracket. 

The only damper on the weekend was a part failure for Amber Balcaen in the No. 22. She came home 40th on the speed chart after the issues, but said she gained a lot of insight for the upcoming race.

It’s still early, but it’s clear that Venturini is coming out swinging and looking to continue the success from last year.

Big Names Make A Strong Showing

Arguably, a lot of hype surrounded two drivers coming to the test. NASCAR Cup Series winner Shane Van Gisbergen and Indycar Star and SRX Champion Marco Andretti took to the track for the first time this weekend as part of the two-day test.

SVG, who is set to make his ARCA Menards Series debut a few weeks back at the superspeedway sat a 49.410, good enough for 12th on the charts in the Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet.

Meanwhile, the grandson of the 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner was able to break into the top 10 with a 49.350 and finished eighth. 

The strong showing that the two will be hoping to translate over for the future.

Left Feeling Disappointed

While some drivers were left feeling good, others seemed to find themselves struggling.

After an incident during the second day, both KLAS Motorsports No. 73 and some damage to one of the Van Alst Motorsports entries left them looking for more. Both KLAS drivers Andy Jankowiak and Andrew Patterson made it in the top 20 on the chart, while the two Van Alst cars finished 24th and 30th.

Correction: The No. 73 was driven by Andrew Patterson not @AndyJankowiak. https://t.co/Hs4lvQtxbp

— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) January 13, 2024

It was almost a good test session. We hit p1 on the chart with test driver Andrew Patterson and his luck ran out a couple of laps later when a car lost a tire and spun in front of him.

Racing happens and good luck comes and goes. pic.twitter.com/5PKJd9K9p7

— Andy Jankowiak (@AndyJankowiak) January 13, 2024

Other notables on the speed charts include ARCA veteran Dale Quarterley just missing out on the top 10 in eleventh. Newly announced NASCAR Xfinity driver Leland Honeyman and Youngs Motorsports in 17th, and fan favorite Willie Mullins in 21st among others.

With testing wrapped, you can catch the ARCA Menards Series 2024 season opener from Daytona International Speedway on February 17th at 1:30 PM live on Fox Sports 1.

Official Results from the Daytona Preseason Test