MVRL ARCA SERIES S1 R2 Recap

07 April 2025
Maximum Velocity Racing League | Season 1 | Round 2
ARCA Series | Phoenix Raceway

On Monday, April 7th, the Maximum Velocity Racing League’s ARCA Series took on the flat turns and tight confines of Phoenix Raceway for round 2 of their inaugural season — and with 100 laps on the docket, survival became the name of the game.

Rob Haynes grabbed the pole with a blazing lap of 26.293 seconds, with Justin Michael lining up alongside him on the front row. But any hopes of settling into a rhythm were dashed early, as the race was plagued by caution after caution, turning the event into a series of short sprints that tested every driver’s patience, reflexes, and pit strategy.

While some drivers used the frequent cautions to grab fresh tires and fuel without fear of going a lap down, there was a catch — pitting often dropped drivers into the heart of the pack, where incidents were happening fast and frequently. Getting caught in the chaos was a real risk, and track position became more valuable than ever.

Haynes led the opening laps, but Scott Patten got around him just before a caution on lap 22 and stayed out to keep the lead through the early melee. When the Shulta stage break came at lap 36, most of the field came down pit road, setting up a shuffle in the running order. Matt Schlosser stayed out and inherited the lead as the green flew to start lap 40.

From there, it was a battle of attrition. As positions swapped behind the leader with every restart, Zach Chapman rose to the occasion, leading a large portion of the second half of the race. But with track position constantly changing hands, Chapman eventually made a late decision to come in for tires with under 25 laps remaining.

That move opened the door for Charlie Widner, who found himself at the front with 20 laps to go. With the race continuing its stop-and-go rhythm, Widner was able to protect the lead through the remaining restarts, never giving challengers the chance to make a real run. His winning move? A combination of strategy, timing, and managing to steer clear of the wreckage.

When the checkered flag flew, it was Widner celebrating in Victory Lane, locking in a big win after a wild night in the desert. The MVRL heads to Richmond Raceway next Monday, April 14th, for round 3 — and you can catch all the action live at 9:30PM ET only on the Virtual Grip Network!