It was a LONG night in Iowa as ARCA Menards Series drivers and teams waited hours just to be able to start Saturday’s Calypso Lemonade 150, which ran all the way into Sunday morning.
Nonetheless, once drivers finally hit the track around 11:00 pm / CT, the racing didn’t disappoint. In the end, it was Brandon Jones getting by defacto teammate Sammy Smith in a heated battle for the lead, to coast away with the victory.
The battle for the lead >>>@BrandonJonesRac to P1 with fewer than 20 to go!@iowaspeedway | @MAVTV pic.twitter.com/Va8XfgWfMG
— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) June 12, 2022
Just like Charlotte, Jones
Just like last time out at Charlotte, Jones made his final pass with about 20 laps to go in the event, this time utilizing a lap car as a pick on Smith’s Toyota Camry. The two had previously battled before the race, which came to a halt due to one of the race’s scheduled breaks.
The race was a relatively clean one, with no major incidents throughout the 150-lap contest. However, the night – and morning — were filled with lots of unexpected issues for top contenders.
Rajah Caruth – who entered the event as the ARCA Menards Series points leader — had an unscheduled pit stop that put the team behind early, which resulted in a 12th-place finish for the part-time Xfinity Series competitor.
Taylor Gray – the second-place driver in ARCA Eaat points — lost pace and went to the garage during the race’s first scheduled break, taking a massive hit in the points with an 18th-place finish.
Daniel Dye – who finished second in the race one year ago — was in the midst of another strong showing when his GMS Racing entry blew an engine after halfway, sending him to the garage, and to a finish of 17th.
Finally, one of the race’s fastest cars suffered issues in the eleventh hour, with Jesse Love’s No. 20 Venturini Motorsports Toyota Camry suffering an alternator issue inside the final five laps.
Just a little bit later in the race, the field took the green after the final race break. Jesse Love took the lead for the first time since the beginning of the race when he sat on the pole with a huge three-wide move on his Toyota teammates into turn one. Love would come home in 13th.
Sammy Smith would extend his points advantage in the ARCA Menards Series East with a second-place result, now leading by 27 points over Taylor Gray.
Connor Mosack rallied for a third-place finish, the best of his ARCA National/East career. Jonathan Shafer slotted into the fourth finishing position, also a career-best result in his young ARCA career.
Venturini’s Conner Jones grabbed the fifth position, with Leland Honeyman, Nick Sanchez, Greg Van Alst, Ron Vandermeir Jr, and Amber Balcaen rounding out the top-ten finishers.
The ARCA Menards Series gets right back to action in a week’s time at Berlin Raceway on July 18th, while the ARCA Menards Series East will have to wait until August 28th to take on the Milwaukee Mile in their next event (a combo event with the ARCA Menards Series).
ARCA Menards Series Points:
STANDINGS: @ARCA_Racing Series (After 6/20)
1. Nick Sanchez 279pts
2. Rajah Caruth 279pts
3. Daniel Dye (-12)
4. Toni Breidinger (-45)
5. Amber Balcaen (-49)
6. Greg Van Alst (-54)
7. Zachary Tinkle (-88)
8. Brad Smith (-96)
9. Corey Heim (-114)
10. Connor Mosack (-124)#ARCA— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) June 12, 2022
ARCA Menards Series East Points:
STANDINGS: @ARCA_Racing East (5/7)
1. Sammy Smith 228pts
2. Taylor Gray (-27)
3. Leland Honeyman (-31)
4. Stephanie Moyer (-73)
5. Brad Smith (-76)
6. Christian Rose (-95)
7. Jake Finch (-110)
8. Donald Theetge (-118)
9. Conner Jones (-148)
10. Jonathan Shafer (-151)#ARCA— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) June 12, 2022
ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown Points:
STANDINGS: Sioux Chief Showdown (2/10)
1. Sammy Smith 83pts
2. Connor Mosack (-8)
3. Nick Sanchez (-9)
4. Rajah Caruth (-11)
5. Taylor Gray (-14)
6. Daniel Dye (-14)
7. Jesse Love (-14)
8. Toni Breidinger (-21)
9. Alex Clubb (-32)
10. Amber Balcaen (-35)#ARCA | @ARCA_Racing— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) June 12, 2022
