Aggressive Strategy Falls Through for Massey
| Venue: Tucson Speedway FINISH: 12th Start: 3rd AMSW Point Standings Position: 2nd Mason Massey finished 12th in the ARCA Menards Series West 150 at Tucson Speedway after a strong overall day that saw him post the ninth-fastest time in practice and qualify third for the 150-lap event. He lined up near the front of the field but immediately focused on tire management on a surface that produced heavy falloff throughout the run. At the drop of the green flag, Massey gave up ground as the field quickly settled into long-run pace, focusing on managing tire wear on the abrasive surface. Much of the race was defined by heavy tire conservation, with large groups of cars running closely together while trying to preserve their equipment. The tightly packed field produced extended stretches of three-wide racing across multiple lanes, as drivers balanced saving tires with maintaining track position. Throughout the race, Massey remained committed to a smooth, low-line approach while navigating traffic and the evolving pace of the field. As some of the leaders pushed harder to apply pressure, it forced drivers who were saving to pick up the pace and limited their ability to fully conserve tires. In the closing stages, Massey got the caution they needed with 37 laps to go and set his sights on moving forward when the race went back green. He quickly worked his way back toward the top 10 before getting loose exiting Turn 4 and making hard contact with the outside wall. The contact resulted in handling issues over the final laps as he battled a tight feeling balance, and ultimately brought the car NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet home in 12th. Mason Massey Quote: “I thought we had a great plan going into the race with both us and Hailie (Deegan, teammate). My NAPA Auto Care team gave me a great car with speed and stability that gave me the ability to take care of the tires so well. I made the mistake coming off of turn four and hit the wall pretty good there. After that, the car wasn’t handling well. We didn’t have the balance and all I could do was limp it home. We’ll regroup and get after it again at Shasta. |