Ruggiero Dominant in Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150!
- Tim Moore
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
LONG POND, P.A. - Gio Ruggiero displayed arguably the strongest performance of his ARCA Menards Series career Friday, June 12, as he earned his fourth victory of 2026 in the Sunset Hill 150 at Pocono Raceway. For Ruggiero it marked the first time he went back-to-back in consecutive ARCA races.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
At the drop of the green flag it was Pinnacle Racing Group's Lanie Buice in her Sunoco #77 Chevorlet earned the first pole of her Arca Menards Series career. Buice did not lead a lap despite the accomplishment, but she did record her third consecutive fifth place result.
Instead, it was Daniel Dye who started fourth that took the lead briefly in his SPS Racing #24, but that lead was quickly dwindled away after the first of two cautions came a lap later. In the back there were two separate incidents bringing out the caution.
First in turn one Dystany Spurlock of MBM Racing lost the handle of her ford causing her to hit the outside wall hard. Spurlock suffered significant right front damage and was able to limp the car to pit road temporarily leaving the track green while dropping debris.
The second incident that solidified the caution came in turn three as Bobby Dale Earnhardt of Rise Racing lost handle of his car, backing it into the outside fence. Both drivers' days came to an end from the incident.
As for the restart after, it began a green flag run where Gio Ruggiero and his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took control. Ruggiero went on to lead 51 laps from this point on, only losing the lead briefly due to Ryan Vargas of Michael Maples Racing, trying a different strategy as most of the field pitted under the lap 19 caution putting themselves inside the fuel window.
Vargas had a valiant effort after having to start the race 21st due to mechanical issues in practice, not allowing him to qualify. Vargas finished 10th, not gaining on the points lead, but proved that his group has the capability to make the most out of bad days.
As for the reason of the caution, Gavan Boschele of Nitro Motorsports lost a tire leading him to lose a lap. At halfway, he got the lucky dog and made the best charge of his young arca career. Boschele proceeded to charge from the tail end of the field all the way to the best finish of his career with a 2nd place result displaying the strong potential the 18-year-old has.
At halfway, Ruggiero opted to stay out, and the race went green all the way to the end over the final twenty-five lap stretch. Ruggiero won by 14.342 seconds,, the largest margin of victory since Springfield in 2023.
OTHER NOTABLES:
Despite falling off to 4th in the closing laps Nitro's Jake Bollman expanded his points lead to 25 points over teammate Thomas Annunziata who finished 6th. Ryan Vargas despite what could have been a disastrous outcome exits Pocono 28 points off the lead.
UP NEXT:
The ARCA Menards Series heads to Berlin Raceway next Saturday, June 20 as the series closes near to the halfway point. The Race is slated for 200 laps, totaling 88 miles, and coverage can be found on FS2 beginning at 6:30 P.M. ET.
As for the race weekend here at Motorsports Today it is just beginning as two more races are on the docket. The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series returns from its off week to tame the Tricky Triangle. The MillerTech Battery 250 can be watched via the CW and is slated to begin at 4:00 P.M ET weather permitting.
You can find coverage all weekend long from Motorsports Today on X @mtrsprtsToday, @motorsports_today on Instagram, @motorsportstoday on TikTok and Youtube.