The Daytona 500 is a festival of racing. Not just for the drivers or the fans, but for the motorsports community as a whole. Having watched his father race in the crown jewel of NASCAR races, Marco Andretti wishes to be a part of it someday. However, for now, he is focused on the upcoming ARCA 200 at the Daytona International Speedway. The build-up to it has been great, and Andretti claimed the fastest lap time in the practice session after a solid outing.

While a practice session might be inconsequential to some, these races help drivers build momentum in the race. The ARCA 200 practice showed that despite running a lap of 48.600 seconds, second-fastest driver Patrick Emerling was only 0.001 seconds slower and could’ve taken Marco Andretti’s place on another day. Having tasted the winning speed already, Andretti hopes to replicate it in the main event as well.

Marco Andretti is feeling it in Daytona

One of the best things a race car driver can do is feel confident with momentum. Being able to stay composed and figure out methods to move to the front row, Andretti was familiar with this feeling. However, finding that window of opportunity wasn’t easy. Divulging his scenarios from the practice session, Marco Andretti revealed, “In the first run, I just stuck right up behind people.”

“Dragging the brake, I mean, that’s one thing to stand in line. Kind of going by my own feeling at the line and then su*k it up for the one lap. Obviously, that was our quick lap. I wanted to see if my feeling is right.”

ARCA races at Daytona are mostly unpredictable. While staying in the lead doesn’t warrant a safe spot from the common multi-car wrecks at Daytona, it can become even more worrisome if drivers are entangled in the middle of the grid. These wrecks also cause huge momentum losses for the race leader and those challenging for the lead. Speaking about his idea for the main event on Friday, Marco Andretti added,

“Tomorrow’s about orchestrating the same type of thing, which is hard to get right at the right time. That’s all about timing. So hopefully, we’ll be able to do that. The car is fast, and I think I can time it right.”

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The ARCA 200 practice session wasn’t a lackluster show either. While the Chevrolet cars emerged the fastest in the lot, three-time champions in their respective disciplines, Shane van Gisbergen and Justin Bonsignore had a tough time trying to navigate their way up on the grid.

SVG and Bonsignore have a rough practice session at Daytona

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Being a grassroots tournament with drivers in the developing stages of their careers, the ARCA Menards Series often hosts guest drivers. At times, these guest drivers can be decorated as stars of NASCAR as well. Three-time NASCAR Modifieds champion Justin Bonsignore is one of them. Joining him in the detour is NASCAR rookie and three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen.

Even Marco Andretti isn’t a regular in the series. Having raced in part-time roles in the third tier of NASCAR, his expertise lies somewhere else. However, for Andretti, the partnership with the series’ winningest team, Venturini Motorsports, was rewarding. As for SVG and Bonsignore, they left the practice session expecting more pace from their cars.

Bonsignore claimed P11, while SVG had to settle for two places lower than that in P13. With these many stars on the grid, the ARCA 200 could turn out to be an electric evening. The margin of victory for Marco Andretti shows the intensity of competition among drivers. After all, getting the chance to race at the World Center of Racing is an unforgettable experience.

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