Salem Speedway hosts its largest ARCA field since its two races in 2016. For the 111th time, someone will add their name to the record books, as no previous Salem race winners are entered.
What are the ingredients for success in the 25-driver field?
First, drive a Toyota. Toyota drivers have won every ARCA Salem race since Ford pilots swept the 2017 ones. Chevrolet drivers swept the pair of Salem events in 2015.
While William Sawalich is tied for the series lead in victories with three, he couldn’t beat Jesse Love last year at Salem. Sawalich started on the front row in second, banged fenders with the frontrunners yet finished sixth. It’s his lone ARCA top 10 that did not also result in a top five. Still, the No. 18 team won the fall 2019 and 2022 races there. Sawalich will be tough to beat.
Of the five Venturini Motorsports entries, its pair of part-time drivers, Gus Dean and Jake Finch, are its two best choices to give the organization back-to-back triumphs there.
Dean has four starts at Salem, accruing three top fives, four top 10s and a pair of runner-up finishes.
“I’m so stoked about heading to Salem Speedway this weekend,” Dean said in a press release. “I’ve circled this race on the calendar since we put my 2024 ARCA schedule together with the Venturini Motorsports team. I don’t know what it is about Salem, but it’s just one of my best ARCA tracks. I love the speed and the commitment that the track demands and I’ve always been able to have very fast race cars.
“I’m excited to drive one of the Venturini Motorsports Toyotas on Saturday night at Salem. The team has a spectacular record at the track, and I definitely want to add my name to the team’s success.”
Finch will be visiting Salem for the first time in his career, but he has a dozen short track starts in the ARCA platform. Of those 12, he has six top fives and 10 top 10s. Of note, the banking at Salem tops out at 33 degrees, matching Talladega Superspeedway as the track with the steepest banking on the ARCA schedule. Finch led every lap en route to winning at Talladega this year; can he match that performance with another W?
The Rev Racing duo of Andres Perez and Lavar Scott have run increasingly well over the past two short track races at Berlin Raceway and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Scott finished second and fourth in those two races and led 44 laps at IRP. Perez finished fifth and second in those two races, leading five laps at Berlin too.
Scott trails second-in-points Greg Van Alst by one point and Perez by 47.
“We’ve had a good couple of weeks,” Scott said in a team release. “I secured a career-best finish and then led 40 laps last week at IRP. I am ready to race on a new short track and continue to push until we have both Rev entries at the top of the standings.”
Perez has led the points since the fourth race of the season and Salem was one of his best tracks last year. He gained three spots from start to finish to come home second. Another runner-up outcome would likely increase his points lead, but he is still searching for his first career win.
“We are consistent and getting closer to winning,” he said. “At IRP we had our best finish this season and last year we had a good showing at Salem. I’m confident we have a win coming for the No. 2 team.”
Debutant Corey Day could crash the party though. He’s driving for Pinnacle Racing Group.
PRG won the most recent ARCA race, at IRP, with Connor Zilisch. Overall, the organization has four wins, seven top fives and seven top 10s in national series competition. Moreover, Zilisch and PRG lead the ARCA Menards Series East driver and owner standings on the strength of four wins.
Day, already an accomplished dirt track driver, has made two asphalt starts at Hickory Speedway in 2024. He finished seventh in his debut, then won the next one. He could become the next driver to win their ARCA series debut.
As with most ARCA racetracks, qualifying is paramount. In the last 10 Salem events, all winners have started inside the top 10. Eight have started inside the top five and three won from the pole. The last time someone started outside the top 10 and won was the spring 2013 race.
Qualifying for the race will take place on Saturday, July 27 at 5:15 p.m. ET. Then the field will take to the 0.555-mile short track for 200 laps at 8 p.m. ET with live coverage provided by FOX Sports 1 and FloRacing.
About the author
Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.
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