Bobby Gerhart won a barnburner of a race Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 had a bit of everything in the first race of the season, with cars going airborne, flipping over, sliding through the grass, or racing three wide through the corners. Though there was a bit of concern over fuel mileage, Gerhart was able to drive to the victory with little challenge from any other competitor.
This race was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated races in ARCA due to IZOD IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick making her ARCA debut. Patrick hung around the top 10 most of the night, even racing her way back to the lead pack after contact with Nelson Piquet Jr. sent her sliding through the grass. Patrick finished 6th in a drag race with Ricky Carmichael to the finish line.
Patrick wasn’t the only female racecar driver in the field. Jennifer Jo Cobb, Leilani Munter, Jill George, Alli Owens, and Milka Duno were also competing in the race. Patrick was the highest finishing female followed by Cobb (17), Owens (23), George (31), Munter (39), and Duno (43). George, Munter, and Duno were involved in some on-track incidents and were unable to finish.
Bobby Gerhart leads the ARCA points standings by 5 points over James Buescher, who finished 2nd. Rounding out the top 5 were Mark Thompson, John Wes Townley, and Patrick Sheltra.
The next race is at Palm Beach International Raceway on February 27th for the ARCA Racing 150.
