TOLEDO, Ohio — Another huge step forward in that return to sports is coming this weekend to Toledo Speedway. The ARCA Menards East Series will be in town, but there is one big catch, there will be no fans in the stands.
"It's gonna be interesting,” said Mayer. “You won't have the pressure of people in the stands cheering. It's all gonna be on TV so you have to really watch what you're saying because everyone that would be there will be watching on TV. It's definitely something you have to think things through a lot more. But, in a big sense, it's not really gonna change much."
16-year-old Sam Mayer is the defending East Series champ and he was already off to a great start this season before the season was put on hold. He was at Toledo last year for the full ARCA Menard's series race and left with a top 5. He's hoping this year will be even better.
"Last year we weren't the best car by a long shot and it really came down on my shoulders. We didn't make the right adjustments because I didn't really give the right feedback. Now that I'm a better driver, and more knowledgeable, I think we have an even better shot to win."
One of the other drivers to watch for is Ty Gibbs. He's the grandson of Joe Gibbs. He had a great run at Toledo Speedway a year ago. His team has used this time to get better and he's just excited to get back on the track.
"The guys have had some time to work on the race cars and get all those little things perfect,” said Gibbs. “Sometimes in a week, you run out of time when you're racing every weekend. They've got a lot of race cars ready and they've been focusing on a lot of the little things to make us better. I think the little things are the things you strive for. It's hard to get sometimes and I feel like they've been working really hard at that. I feel like we're just ready to go back racing. It's like sitting at home being grounded, I want to go outside and play."
The green flag drops Saturday night and will be streamed on NBC Track Pass and aired later on tape delay on NBC Sports Network.