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NASCAR ARCA Series just concluded their second race of the season at Phoenix Raceway. David Gilliland Racing driver Taylor Gray was crowned the winner of the 2022 General Tire 150. The win didn’t come without difficulty as they entered the race in mourning following the death of their #17 hauler driver, Steven Stotts.
After 154 laps, Taylor Gray, driving Ford #17 for David Gilliland Racing, emerged as the winner. Following his win, he opted to celebrate it differently from what we are used to. He did not perform the usual celebratory burnout but instead came out of his car pointing his fingers at the sky in honor of the late Stotts. During a post-race interview, Taylor said:
“I don’t really know how to describe this. This is just for Steven, and I feel like he looked over me today and helped me get this win. I’m holding on and trying not to cry right now. Just for those three guys, I love those guys like they’re my brothers. Every one of these guys are my brothers, I love them to death. We got to go back and just keep working. All for Steven, Michael and John.”
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The David Gilliand Racing hauler driver died on Tuesday, March 8, in Texas on his way to Arizona to deliver the #17 car ahead of the recently concluded race. Following his death, the team later announced they were going to announce updates on Taylor Gray's participation later.
On Twitter, Bob Pockrass highlighted how David Gilliland Racing is doing in remembrance of Stotts, stating:
ARCA cars will have a sticker in memory of Steven Stotts, the David Gilliland Racing hauler driver who died in the highway accident Tuesday. The Taylor Gray team has hats in his memory and Gray’s car has his name and the names of team members who were injured above the door.
Despite the horrible accident that also left two others hospitalized, the #17 Ford was still in a good condition to hit the tracks. The NASCAR team finally decided to compete, but this time they did something different to honor their fallen soldier as the #17 raced without sponsor stickers, a move that David Gilliland termed as the last respect for Scott.
The winners of the NASCAR ARCA Series 2022 season since its debut
The NASCAR ARCA Series began their 2022 season on February 19 at the Daytona International Speedway. Corey Heim, driving the #20 for Venturini Motorsport, won the race.
The recently concluded General Tire 150 on March 13 was the series' second race of the season and Taylor Gray carried the day. On Twitter, one fan highlighted Taylor Gray's victory, stating that:
"Racing with a heavy heart after the loss of David Gilliland Racing hauler driver Steven Stotts in a traffic accident on Tuesday, Taylor Gray earned his first ARCA Menards Series victory Friday night during the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway."
On April 23, the ARCA series will land at Talladega Superspeedway for their third race.
