Taylor Gray takes Ford Mustang to a dominant victory in the ARCA East General Tire 125 at Dover Motor Speedway on Friday.
DOVER, Del. – All Taylor Gray needed to end Sammy Smith’s ARCA Menards Series East winning streak was a new horse.
Taylor Gray Takes Ford Mustang to a Dominant Victory
Gray, at the wheel of the No. 17 Ford Mustang for David Gilliland Racing, dominated Friday’s General Tire 125 at Dover Motor Speedway for the first East Series victory of his young career.
The race served as the debut of the new Ford Mustang body style in the ARCA competition. And Gray used it to put on a clinic. He set a track record in qualifying to earn the pole for the 125-lap event. Taylor went on to lead 115 laps on his way to the checkered flag.
The victory is Gray’s second on the ARCA Menards platform this season. His maiden ARCA venue victory came at Phoenix Raceway.
The only other driver to lead laps was two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion, Jesse Love. He briefly took the lead from Gray after a restart on lap 30.
Love’s time at the front was brief at about ten laps. Gray kept his focus and steadily raced back to the leader. He took back the top spot just before the first break at lap 40. Gray continued to lead for the rest of the race, while Love came in second, finishing 1.456 seconds behind Gray.
The General Tire 125 Results
Conner Jones finished third in his debut for Venturini Motorsports. ARCA Menards Series points leader Rajah Caruth follows in fourth.
Smith, who opened the East Series season with victories at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and Five Flags Speedway, finished fifth.
The ARCA East Point Standings
Gray’s victory, and Smith’s fifth-place finish, give Smith a narrow two-point edge in the East Series point standings.
Jake Finch, Jonathan Shafer, Leland Honeyman, Daniel Escoto, and Christian Rose complete the top ten finishers.
Where to Find a Replay and What’s Next
A replay of the General Tire 125 at Dover Motor Speedway will be on the USA Network this Friday, May 6th at noon ET.
The ARCA Menards Series East season is back on track this Saturday, May 7th. The series visits Tennessee’s Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.