Jesse Love emerged late in qualifying for the ARCA Menards Series race at Toledo Speedway (Oct. 8) to put his No. 20 on the pole for Venturini Motorsports.
The pole is the third of Love’s career. Love recorded a lap of 113.586 mph to take the top spot.
The 17-year-old will lead 24 drivers to green in the Shore Lunch 200 later on Saturday, which will serve as the season finale for the series.
Daniel Dye, who sits two points behind Nick Sanchez for the championship, will start on the front row. Dye’s GMS Racing teammate and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff driver Grant Enfinger qualified third.
Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith completed the top five.
Sanchez experienced a scare early in the day when he suffered engine issues in his No. 2 during practice. The team was able to swap engines in time for Sanchez to qualify. The series points leader will start eighth.
The No. 2 engine works. @RevRacin has successfully switched its engine. The team hopes @Nicksanchez080 will be able to qualify. pic.twitter.com/I4Ey9To9JB
— Mark Kristl (@MarkKristl) October 8, 2022
Qualifying immediately began with drama when Jeffery MacZink lost control of his No. 65 in turn 1, spinning into the outside wall. MacZink did not complete his lap. Morgen Baird also did not make a lap during the session.
Qualifying gets off to a rough start as the first driver on track, Jeffrey MacZink, goes around. pic.twitter.com/4Bo6fI9QQz
— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) October 8, 2022
ARCA Qualifying Results from Toledo
The season finale will take off at Toledo at 4 p.m. ET, with TV coverage on MAVTV and streaming on FloRacing.
Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.