Jan 11, 2026
3 min read
Gus Dean (No. 25 Nitro Motorsports Toyota) makes his first lap at Daytona International Speedway since winning the 2024 race
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Gus Dean (No. 25 Nitro Motorsports Toyota) will make his first lap since winning the 2024 race at Daytona International Speedway.
"It feels good to be back. I can't thank my Nitro Motorsports team enough for their hard work. Nick (Tucker, co-owner of the car), Shane (Wilson, crew chief) and the rest of Nitro Motorsports have worked hard to get six competitive and fast race cars on the track. We made changes throughout the day that allowed us to be in a very good position to come back on Day 2 on the road since the first win on the road. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and helping the whole organization doget ready for the season opener next month."
Nitro Motorsports fielded six cars on the first day of two-day pre-race practice, and all six topped the scoreboard.Gavan Boshell (No. 90B Nitro Motorsports Toyota), Jake Finch (No. 15 Phoenix Toyota), and Thomas Annunziata (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Toyota), Isabella Robusto (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota), Jack Bowman (No. 55 Mobil 55 Mobil 1 Toyota) and Jack Bowman (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota).Dean.Toyota).
YouTube superstar Garrett Mitchell (30th Kenetics Ford), known to his millions of fans as Cleetus McFarland, became the first non-Nitro Motorsports driver to finish seventh on opening day.
Andy Jankowiak (#71 KLAS Motorsports Chevrolet) was eighth on the first day of competition.
Amber Balcaen (No. 24 Sigma Performance Services Ford) was released from the Infield Care Center after being evaluated a third time after an incident that damaged the high nose of her car.Balcaen said the tire cut at the end of the road and the car jumped out from under him as he entered the turn.Balcaen later returned to the track in a regular car and was ninth fastest.
Taylor Return (Number 77 Spire Motorsports Shevrolet) was the tenth fastest, the third of the eight female drivers were entered to finish the day at the top ten.
For Giovanni Ruggiero (No. 18G JBL Toyota) and Max Reeves (No. 18M Cook Out Toyota), the duo of Joe Gibbs finished the day 13th and 14th on the leaderboards, but were separated by just 0.012 seconds on the stall time.Reeves will compete for the 2026 ARCA Menards Series East title, while Ruggiero, a full-time NASCAR driver in the Craftsman Truck Series, will compete for JGR in the ARCA Menards Series opener in February.
Timothy “Minnie” Tyrell (#17 Cook Racing Technologies Chevrolet) led the first laps at Daytona International Speedway and finished the day in 20th place.
Bob Martin (No. 52 Martin Racing Toytota) was also checked and released after an incident that came out of the second turn.Martin said he was battling loose conditions all day and the car went out from under him and he couldn't catch up.
Alex Clubb (No. 03 A. Clubb Lawncare Ford) had a transmission failure on the first day of racing.He will replace the overnight transfer with plans on the way to Saturday's session.
A total of 79 drivers and 49 cars were registered for pre-race testing.A total of 65 drivers completed at least one lap in Friday's session.
