Sammy Smith finds redemption at New Smyrna Speedway in the ARCA East season opener on Tuesday evening in the Race to Stop Suicide 200.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Having entered Tuesday night’s Race to Stop Suicide 200 presented by Place of Hope at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway as the defending ARCA Menards Series East champion, Sammy Smith had little to prove on the half-mile paved oval.
Sammy Smith Finds Redemption at New Smyrna
The 17-year-old from Johnston, Iowa, was relishing a crack at redemption. He’s been waiting a year after the East Series season-opener in 2021 played out at the same venue with Smith wanting more.
Smith finished second last year after Max Gutiérrez stole the victory on the final stretch. On Tuesday night at New Smyrna, Smith found redemption on the strength of a strong final run. And the finish was hard-fought in a battle with rival Taylor Gray for the majority of the 200-lap event.
Smith started on the General Tire Pole on Tuesday after pacing the field in the afternoon’s combined practice/qualifying session. His rival Gray traded the lead multiple times throughout the race thanks in part to a series of cautions. Some of the cautions were prompted by passing light rain showers.
On the final restart of the race, with six laps to go, Gray got a sluggish launch on the inside. That was all Smith needed to be able to cruise to the checkered flag with relative ease.
“(Gray) was jumping the restarts every time,” Smith said. “But we were able to get out of that one and get the win.”
Smith and Gray exchanged the lead six times Tuesday night. Smith ended up leading 167 laps with Gray leading the other 33.
The Rest of the Best
Gray finished second ahead of Gutiérrez in third, Leland Honeyman in fourth, and Donald Theetge in fifth. Both Honeyman and Theetge made their ARCA Menards debuts Tuesday at New Smyrna.
Mason Diaz, Logan Misuraca, Willie Mullins, Stephanie Moyer, and Ed Pompa rounded out the top ten. Misuraca also was making her debut on the ARCA Menards platform.
The Race to Stop Suicide 200 Results
Smith’s triumph at New Smyrna marks his fourth series win after he picked up three victories during his championship run last season. His No. 18 TMC Transportation Toyota is now owned by Kyle Busch and Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Tuesday night’s race was part of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna. The track hosted a nine-night motorsports extravaganza. The East Series race fell on Night 5 of the World Series.
Up Next for the ARCA East
The ARCA Menards Series East will return to action Saturday, March 19 for the Pensacola 200 at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway. The next East Series race will be shown live on FloRacing for subscribers. A delayed broadcast is scheduled to air on USA Network.
A replay of the Race to Stop Suicide 200 will air on USA Network on Friday, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. ET.