ARCA: A year after withdrawal, Eric Caudell catches another bad break in return to Daytona
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: CobleCommercial/X
Eric Caudell finished last for the 7th time his ARCA Menards Series career in Saturday’s Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway when his No. 7 Rydin/Sheppard Racing Enterprises Toyota was involved in a multi-car accident after completing 3 of 80 laps.
The finish came in Caudell’s 67th career ARCA start.
The last few years at Daytona have not been kind to Caudell. A crash just beyond a quarter of the way through the 2022 race left him with the last-place finish that day as well, which at the time marked his first LPF in over four years. Then, a blown engine in the 2023 edition of the race left him 34th, an improvement of only two positions from his 2022 result.
Last season, Caudell qualified for the Daytona race, but Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen did not. In what is widely believed to have been a business deal with Trackhouse Racing, Caudell withdrew his spot from the starting grid, allowing van Gisbergen, the fastest driver in qualifying of those unable to lock into the field on speed, to move up into the lineup for the race.
On Saturday, Caudell’s Daytona misfortune continued as his return to the track lasted less than four laps. Coming to complete Lap 4, Cody Dennison got loose, hit the wall, and came back down into the pack, igniting the first of many on-track incidents throughout the race. The FOX broadcast reported a total of 15 cars involved in the accident, believed to be the largest crash in ARCA since 2008.
The bottom four finishers - Eric Caudell’s No. 7, Katherine Legge’s No. 23, Caleb Costner’s No. 93, and Thad Moffitt’s No. 46 - pictured shortly before all of them came to rest in the infield grass. Helio Castroneves’ No. 82 was able to continue with minimal damage and salvage a top-five finish. (SCREENSHOT: Fox Sports)
For the second-straight year, the entry list featured more entries than the maximum 40-car field size allows, leaving five cars unable to start the race. Qualifying was ultimately canceled due to inclement weather - Thursday’s practice was rained out, leading ARCA officials to convert Friday’s qualifying session into a practice session. As a result, Steve Lewis Jr., Ryan Huff, Chuck Buchanan, Jr., Chase Pinsonneault, and Robert Martin all failed to qualify due to a lack of owner points from 2024.
Those who followed Caudell up the running order were also victims of the early crash. IndyCar and IMSA veteran Katherine Legge suffered heavy damage with a hard hit to the inside wall, leaving her 39th in her ARCA debut. Caleb Costner was also unable to avoid the wreck and ended the day in 38th. Thad Moffitt, making his first ARCA start since 2022, also only lasted three laps as he was credited with 37th. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Sean Corr, who was credited with 36th and four laps completed as he was able to drive his damaged car back to the garage.
Corr limps his heavily damaged No. 8 across the infield grass back to the garage. (SCREENSHOT: Fox Sports)
Up front, CARS Tour late model champion Brendan “Butterbean” Queen took the checkered flag to win in only his second career ARCA national start, giving him the best possible start to his full-time run at the 2025 ARCA championship. William Sawalich, running full-time in the Xfinity Series this season, finished the race in second, giving ARCA viewers another familiar 1-2 finish between the Pinnacle No. 28 and Gibbs No. 18 cars.
After an eventful day that saw him involved in multiple incidents, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves recovered to finish fifth in Pinnacle’s second entry, the No. 82. However, he was involved in yet another incident shortly after the checkered flag, as contact with A.J. Moyer sent him hard into the outside wall, leaving his car with heavy damage. Moyer, who finished seventh, told Frontstretch post-race that he lost radio and spotter communication with about 11 laps to go.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #7-Eric Caudell / 3 laps / accident
39) #23-Katherine Legge / 3 laps / accident
38) #93-Caleb Costner / 3 laps / accident
37) #46-Thad Moffitt / 3 laps / accident
36) #8-Sean Corr / 4 laps / accident
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 1 of 20)
1st) CCM Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 1 of 20)
1st) Toyota (1)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2025 ARCA season to view the full drivers’ standings for both the ARCA Menards Series and its East and West divisions. You can also find the manufacturers’ and owners’ standings for all three series HERE.
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 1 of 20)
