Daytona ARCA entries: Marco Andretti, Shane Van Gisbergen, Victoria's Secret model? Yes

Chase Elliott and Ty Gibbs are among the current Cup Series racers who, upon reaching age 18, used Daytona’s ARCA race as an introduction to superspeedway racing.

This year, a pair of moonlighters will be much less green — in fact, they’ll be toting impressive racing portfolios as they get their first taste of the famed 2.5-mile track during Daytona’s NASCAR Speedweek, beginning next Wednesday (Feb. 13).

Marco Andretti and Shane Van Gisbergen are among the 50 drivers listed on the entry sheet for the season opener Feb. 16, the Saturday preceding Sunday’s Daytona 500. The ARCA 200 starts at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by the Xfinity Series opener.

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Andretti, a 36-year-old, third-generation racer — son of Michael, grandson of Mario — is scheduled to get a serious taste of stock-car racing this season, with 13 starts scheduled in ARCA and another seven in NASCAR’s Truck Series. He’ll race at Daytona in a No. 17 Chevy field by team owner Bruce Cook.

Andretti will also attempt to start his 19th consecutive Indy 500 in May, driving for his father’s team, Andretti Global.

His lone Daytona start came in the 2012 Rolex 24, where he co-drove a Daytona Prototype to a 10th-place overall finish. But the Andretti name is no stranger to Daytona. Marco’s late uncle, John, won the 1997 Firecracker 400, while grandpa Mario won the 1967 Daytona 500 and 1972 Rolex 24.

Van Gisbergen, 34, is the three-time Australian Supercars champion who came to the U.S. last summer for a one-off and ended up winning NASCAR’s inaugural Chicago Street Race. That surprise win heightened Van Gisbergen’s interest in making the NASCAR jump, and obviously got the attention of several race teams.

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Trackhouse Racing, which fields Cup cars for Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, signed Van Gisbergen to a contract that includes seven Cup Series races this year along with a full-time Xfinity Series ride in an arrangement with Kaulig Racing.

Van Gisbergen comes from a road-racing Aussie series and has very limited oval-track experience and no history of superspeedway racing. In order to make his start in Daytona’s Xfinity Series opener, NASCAR rules mandate superspeedway experience, and it just so happens he’ll get that on the same day as his Xfinity career begins.

He’ll be in the No. 28 Chevy field by Pinnacle Racing Group.

The ARCA opener will also include defending race winner Greg Van Alst, as well as two other racers who finished in the top five of 2023’s season opener, Sean Corr and Mandy Chick. Also on the entry list is Tanner Gray, a full-time Truck Series driver for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Toni Breidinger will be making her fourth ARCA start at Daytona, driving the No. 25 Toyota for long time ARCA team Venturini Motorsports — she'll race full time for the team this year. The 24-year-old California native has one top 10 at Daytona and 16 top 10s in 45 career ARCA starts. Her best is a third last year at Kansas.

Breidinger gained some off-track fame two years ago when she modeled for Victoria’s Secret as part of its “Fall Collection Campaign.”

Breidinger will get a Daytona head-start on most of her ARCA competition, since she’s also entered in the Friday Truck Series Opener, the Fresh From Florida 250. She’ll be driving the No. 1 Toyota of Tricon Garage. It’ll be her first Daytona start in a truck. In three Truck Series starts last season, she finished 15th, 17th and 24th.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona ARCA entries: Andretti, Van Gisbergen, Victoria Secret model?