On Friday night, Tyler Reif earns his first ARCA Menards Series victory at Phoenix Raceway in the General Tires 150, a combination event with the ARCA West.
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Tyler Reif was fast in practice Friday at Phoenix Raceway, and when it counted most, he had speed during the General Tire 150.
Tyler Reif Earns his First ARCA Menards Series Victory at Phoenix
Reif, making just his third start on the ARCA platform for Lowden-Jackson Motorsports, emerged as the winner of the annual ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West combination race after a pair of green-white-checkered restarts.
The race was not without setbacks for Reif, who was involved in a crash on lap 11 that damaged the rear of his car. Quick work by the Lowden-Jackson Motorsports crew kept him in the race that would pay dividends later with a trip to Victory Lane.
“Got in a racing incident at [lap 11], got turned, no big deal,” said Reif, who is racing full-time in both the ARCA Menards Series West and ARCA Menards Series East this year. “Kept our heads straight and fought back to the lead.
“This team is so good to get this car hooked up. I’m happy. There are just no words to describe this.”
The General Tire 150 Results
For much of the evening, it appeared that William Sawalich, who was making his ARCA platform debut for Joe Gibbs Racing, would be the driver celebrating in Victory Lane.
However, during the first green-white-checkered restart, Sawalich spun from the race lead after contact with third-place Bradley Erickson. That suddenly handed the top spot to Reif, the younger brother of two-time West Series race winner Tanner Reif.
Tyler Reif Recaps his Phoenix Victory on Fan4Racing Radio
During the next restart, second-place Landen Lewis got a massive jump and took the lead as Reif found himself battling for second with Erickson.
Reif quickly dispatched Erickson and set his sights on Lewis. Reif caught him coming out of the second turn on the final lap and made the race-winning move entering the third turn to secure his first ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West triumphs.
Lewis crossed the finish line second after leading at the white flag. Erickson, who raced within the top five for much of the night, finished third.
Andres Perez de Lara overcame multiple setbacks to finish fourth, and Kyle Keller crossed the finish line in fifth.
The ARCA Menards Series Point Standings
Frankie Muniz, who lives in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona, earned his first top-ten result in his second ARCA Menards Series with a sixth-place finish. Conner Jones, Leland Honeyman Jr., Trevor Huddleston, and Daytona winner Greg Van Alst completed the top ten.
Next Up for the ARCA Menards and ARCA West Series’
The ARCA Menards Series returns to action on April 22 with the running of the General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway, which will broadcast live on FS1 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
ARCA Menards Series West competitors return to action on April 1 when the series visits Irwindale Speedway in California for the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame 150. Fans can watch that event live at 10 p.m. ET on FloRacing.