Gio Ruggiero earns the primary Joe Gibbs Racing Daytona Worldwide Speedway victory within the ARCA Menards Collection on Saturday afternoon.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — There was loads of significance behind Gio Ruggiero’s victory Saturday within the Normal Tire 200 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway.
Gio Ruggiero Earns a JGR Victory
Not solely was it Ruggiero’s first triumph within the nationwide ARCA Menards Collection, but it surely additionally marked the primary time Joe Gibbs Racing prevailed at Daytona on the platform.
Joe Gibbs Racing has emerged as one of the vital environment friendly ARCA Menards Collection packages in the course of the 2020s, with a number of victories and championships. However Daytona was a monitor that had constantly eluded them within the collection. Now the group has an ARCA Menards Collection win added to its lengthy listing of Daytona accomplishments that features 4 Daytona 500 trophies.
Ruggiero is not any stranger to success on drafting tracks getting into Saturday’s 80-lap race, having earned his maiden NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection win at Talladega Superspeedway final 12 months. The consolation Ruggiero has discovered on drafting tracks is why he felt assured about profitable the Normal Tire 200 in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
“Clearly, final 12 months, my first ever race within the Truck Collection, I completed second,” Ruggiero stated. “I believe there was a bit little bit of luck in that with the winner being DQ’d. Since then, I’ve had actually sturdy vehicles and really feel like I’ve simply made the fitting strikes on the superspeedways.”
The Battle on the Entrance
Constructing momentum from Friday required a special method. The runs within the draft for the Normal Tire 200 proved to be at an elevated premium in comparison with the Truck Collection race, however Ruggiero efficiently stayed on the entrance of the sphere all day and located himself in third in the course of the closing laps.
What stood in the best way of a checkered flag for Ruggiero was the Nitro Motorsports mixture of Gus Dean and Jake Finch. Dean was in search of to assert a second Daytona ARCA Menards Collection victory, the primary one coming on the expense of Finch, with the 2 teammates not working with each other on a one-lap shootout.
This time round, there was no misunderstanding between the 2 teammates. Every knew the opposite would maintain regular. On the penultimate restart, Finch managed the underside line because the chief, all whereas Dean was making an attempt to take care of the highest line. The aim was to ship Nitro Motorsports a Daytona win of their second go to to the monitor.
Then, catastrophe struck.
An enormous push from Ruggiero down the backstretch despatched Finch round in the midst of the pack. The one different automotive that hit Finch was Dean, with each vehicles struggling vital harm that price them a possibility to win the Normal Tire 200.
With restricted choices at his disposal, Ruggiero knew his finest probability was to remain glued to Finch’s again bumper and hope for an opportunity to drag out of line earlier than the checkered flag. As an alternative, Ruggiero’s automotive was the one, of the three to emerge unscathed, a state of affairs Ruggiero chalked as much as onerous racing for the victory.
“I used to be making an attempt to push [Finch] to get our lane rolling, get us out to a superb lead and attempt to make a transfer for the win,” Ruggiero stated. “I don’t know if it seemed like [Dean] got here down on him and bought him sideways on our nostril. It’s unlucky, they bought wrecked.”
Nitro Motorsports Driver Confidence Coming to Daytona
Dean, who had not competed in an ARCA Menards Collection occasion since 2024, was assured that both he or one in all his 5 Nitro Motorsports teammates would go to Daytona’s Victory Lane. He felt the communication was environment friendly all afternoon, a top quality that bought each him and Finch to the entrance when it mattered.
“One in every of our strengths at Nitro is the quantity of vehicles we have now and the standard of these vehicles,” Dean stated. “We actually shine in relation to restarts and with the ability to hyperlink again up, so [we were] making an attempt to do the teammate restarts all day. We did one final teammate restart with about seven to go, but it surely was fairly bushy making an attempt to [let Finch down].
“Him and I are all good, and I can’t wait to race with him once more.”
Finch sustained much less harm than Dean and was capable of end the Normal Tire 200 in twentieth on the lead lap, however he was additionally extra irritated. The result of the 2024 ARCA Menards Collection Daytona race has lengthy lingered in Finch’s thoughts, and he believed all the pieces was lining up for him to lastly prevail on the historic monitor.
Even when he positioned second to Dean, Finch would have been content material with a one-two end for Nitro. Developing quick at Daytona as soon as once more fueled the frustration he felt in the direction of Ruggiero over how the ultimate laps unfolded.
“I don’t suppose there’s any serving to [Ruggiero],” Finch stated. “He’s not going to alter. It’s not his first time on this scenario. I’ve been mates with him, and I’ve at all times been superb with him, so I don’t thoughts him as an individual, but it surely simply sucks.”
Whereas Finch and Dean have been left to compartmentalize their scenario, Ruggiero loved a short however vibrant celebration earlier than climbing into Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Components Collection automotive to chase one other checkered flag in his collection debut.
Ruggiero took time to replicate on his journey towards Daytona’s Victory Lane, one which began in Tremendous Late Fashions. These occasions examined Ruggiero in opposition to most of the finest drivers the self-discipline needed to supply, serving to construct tenacity and resilience that will lead him to Toyota’s driver growth program.
Now he’s ceaselessly cemented into Joe Gibbs Racing’s proud historical past as the primary driver to win an ARCA Menards Collection race for this system.
“I really feel like I’m somebody who will do no matter it takes to win,” Ruggiero stated. “That’s form of been my mentality since I began. It’s superior to have all that tough work repay. I work actually onerous at this and put my complete life, time, and dedication into it. Seeing the onerous work repay is superb.”
Jake Bollman positioned second behind Ruggiero, the one Nitro automotive of six to report a top-five end. Kole Raz settled for a third-place end, with Daniel Dye and Glen Reen finishing the highest 5.
The remainder of the highest ten consisted of Jack Wooden, Jason Kitzmiller, Ryan Vargas, Bobby Earnhardt, and Andy Jankowiak.
Subsequent Up
Up subsequent for the ARCA Menards Collection is the Normal Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway on March 5, which serves as a mix occasion with the ARCA Menards Collection West. The inexperienced flag will wave at 8 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET, with FS1 offering dwell flag-to-flag protection.
