By Seth Eggert, Associate Editor
For the third consecutive season Brayton Laster will compete in the ARCA Menards Series season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Laster will drive the No. 91 Toyota Camry in the ARCA Daytona 200 for the family-owned Terry Carroll Motorsports. Partners on Laster’s No. 91 include JunkcarBlaster.com, AC-Cages.com, Drive For Humanity, Running’s Racing’s Designs, and AutoRepairVINStickers.com.
The significance of the opportunity to compete at ‘The World Center of Racing’ with TC Motorsports is not lost on the driver nicknamed ‘The Pizza Man.’ In his two previous starts at Daytona, Laster has one top-15 finish, 13th, in his ARCA debut in 2022. Last year’s race the 21-year-old finished outside the top-25 after getting shuffled out of the lead draft in the closing laps. Following Laster from Mullins Racing to TC Motorsports is crew chief Robert Bruce.
“Three years ago, I never thought there would be a remote possibility I would even be competing anywhere near this level,” said Laster. “Now we’re getting ready to go down there for our third time in a row. We’ve gained a lot of experience these past couple of years and now we are ready to put it all together with a new team.”
In addition to his two previous starts at Daytona, Laster also has one start at the other restrictor plate race on the ARCA schedule, Talladega Superspeedway. The Greenwood, IN native was in the lead draft when he was swept up in ‘the big one’ just past halfway, ending his race.
“We are really excited to go to Daytona with Brayton, we think with his experience there, we should be able to have a good run,” said Justin Carroll, team manager of TC Motorsports. “We are looking forward to forming the relationship and advancing our program.”
Like many others that have competed at Daytona, Laster’s career started with humble beginnings. From Figure-8 racing to Super Dirt Late Models, School Bus Racing, and more, the journeyman driver has competed in a wide variety of vehicles. Each has a unique skillset, which can be applied to superspeedway racing, whether it’s wreck avoidance, recognition of the momentum builds and fades, or other skills.
“I grew up in go-karts and moved to full-size stock cars at the age of 12. My family and I worked on a 1977 Ford Thunderbird out of our little garage, and I was out here racing against guys three, four, and even five times my age,” Laster said. “I quickly fell in love with Figure-8 racing. Racing Outlaw Figure-8 Late Models for a variety of years helped build a skillset suited for superspeedway racing that I did not even think would come in handy. I even raced a full-sized school bus in a Figure-8 race a couple of years ago.”
In total Laster has nine career ARCA National series starts to date. He has three top-10 finishes, all with Rise Motorsports. The part-time driver’s career best finish was ninth at Salem Speedway.
“When I am not racing ARCA or helping out a variety of teams in the garage area, I am normally off racing something,” Laster explained. “I run Super Dirt Late Models all over the Midwest with a variety of series and tracks. I have been doing the dirt stuff since 2018, and then this ARCA thing kind of took off, which I won’t complain about at all.”
On top of the announced partners on Laster’s No. 91 Camry, fans can participate in his “Mom & Pop Shop Sponsorship Deal” to get their logo on the rear decklid of the car in a 3” x 3” area or a 6” x 6” for $100 or $250, respectively. The unique fan engagement is a strategy that Laster has employed several times in the past.
The Daytona ARCA 200 is scheduled for Saturday, February 17 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and the Fox Sports App.