DOVER, Del. — There was no slowing Ty Gibbs this time.
A year after watching a sure win getaway at Dover International Speedway following late-race contact with the wall, the 18-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, put together a perfect day Friday in the ARCA Menards Series’ return to the “Monster Mile.”
Gibbs was fastest in practice, won the General Tire Pole Award, and led every lap en route to the win in the General Tire 125.
It is the second straight ARCA race that Gibbs has led every lap. He won pitched a shut-out in the ARCA Menards Series race at Kansas Speedway on May 1. It’s also Gibbs’ 13th win across the three ARCA platforms.
RELATED: General Tire 125 Results | Ty Gibbs Career East Stats
The only real threat to Gibbs’ dominance at Dover came with 17 laps to go following the race’s final restart when Josh Berry gave Gibbs’ an extended battle for the lead. The two made contact in Turn 1, pushing Gibbs up the track, but he was able to maintain the top spot down the backstretch and pull away for the win.
Gibbs’ No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crossed the finish line .88 seconds ahead of Berry.
Berry finished second at the start of a very busy weekend. In addition to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday, the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion got tabbed to fill in for Justin Hayley Sunday and make his NASCAR Cup Series debut.
Former NASCAR Cup Series driver David Gilliland finished third, while East championship points leader Sammy Smith rallied from an early cut right-front tire to finish fourth. Max Gutierrez rounded out the top five.
Daniel Dye was sixth, followed by Connor Mosack in seventh in his series debut, Joey Iest, Jade Buford, and Ed Pompa.
Smith extended his championship lead after the fourth of eight races as misfortune fell challengers Mason Diaz (11th), Parker Retzlaff (12th) and Rajah Caruth (14th).
Smith, who earned a pair of free passes to get back on the lead lap, now leads Diaz by 22 points and Gutierrez by 23.
The ARCA Menards Series East will next race on Saturday, June 12, in the North Carolina 200 at Southern National Motorsports Park.
The General Tire 125 was streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and will re-air on NBCSN on Friday, May 21 at 12:30 a.m.
Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography