2026 ARCA Menards Series East

2026 ARCA Menards Series East

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Champions  |  Seasons

Tristan McKee, the current points leader.

The 2026 ARCA Menards Series East is the 40th season of the ARCA Menards Series East, a regional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season began on March 28 at Hickory Motor Speedway and will end on September 17 with the Bush's Beans 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Isaac Kitzmiller entered as the defending champion. ^[1]

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule

Manufacturer	Team	No.	Driver	Crew chief	Ref
Chevrolet	ACR Motorsports [N 1]	79	Isaac Kitzmiller	Doug Howe 1 Frank Kimmel 1 TBA 6	[2]
	Maples Motorsports	99	Michael Maples	Chris Vanscoy	[2] [3]
	Pinnacle Racing Group	28	Derek Kneeland 1	Steven Dawson	[4]
			Carson Brown (R)7		[5]
		77	Tristan McKee (R)	Kevin Reed Jr.	[5]
Ford	Brad Smith Motorsports	48	Brad Smith	Terry Strange	[6]
	City Garage Motorsports	85	Quinn Davis (R)	Ryan Bell	[7] [8] [9] [10]
	Maples Motorsports [N 2]	19	Austin Vaughn	Kyle Totman	[11]
Toyota	Joe Gibbs Racing	18	Max Reaves (R)	Matt Ross	[2]
Toyota 2 TBA 6	Fast Track Racing	10	Craig Pellegrini Jr. (R)2	Mike Sroufe	[12]
			TBA 6
Ford 2 TBA 6		11	Matt Kemp 1	Unknown1 Andrew Kierman 1 TBA 6	[13]
			Mike Basham 1
			TBA 6
Ford 2 Toyota 4 TBA 2		12	Dustin Hillenburg 2	Andrew Kierman 1 Joseth Carabantes 1 TBA 6	[14]
			Takuma Koga 4
			TBA 2

Limited schedule

Manufacturer	Team	No.	Driver	Crew chief	Races	Ref
Chevrolet	Brother-In-Law Racing	57	Hunter Deshautelle	Bob Rahilly	1	[13]
	Cook Racing Technologies	17	Cory Roper	Sean Samuels	1	[15]
	CR7 Motorsports	9	Landon S. Huffman	Frank Kimmel	2	[16]
		97	Jason Kitzmiller		4	[2]
	Jet Daddy Racing	00	Toby Blanton	John Kennedy	2	[13]
	MBM Motorsports	66	Dystany Spurlock	Jason Miller	2	[17] [18] [19]
	Rise Racing with Earnhardt-Shearer Racing	89	Bobby Dale Earnhardt	TBA	4	[20] [21]
	SPS Racing	24	Connor Hall	Blake Bainbridge	2	[13]
Ford	Clubb Racing Inc.	03	Alex Clubb	TBA	4	[22]
		86	Brian Clubb	TBA	1	[ citation needed ]
	Fast Track Racing	11	Chase Buscaglia	TBA	1	[ citation needed ]
	Kimmel Racing	69	Landon Brown	TBA	1	[ citation needed ]
	Rette Jones Racing	0	George Siciliano	Mark Rette 1 Logan Yiengst 1	2	[23] [24]
		30	Garrett Mitchell	Mark Rette	1	[15]
	Tim Monroe Racing	14	Tim Monroe	Tim Monroe	1	[13]
Toyota	Intergrity Autosports	13	Brian Weber	John Sutton	2	[25]
			Rita Goulet		1
	MAN Motorsports	95	Hunter Wright	David Noble	1	[ citation needed ]
			Jackson McLerran		2	[26]
		96		TBA	1
	MCM Racing Development	38	Toro Rodríguez	Max Calles	1	[13]
	Nitro Motorsports	15	TBA	TBA	4	[27]
		20	Jake Bollman	Doug George	4	[2] [28]
		25	Gavan Boschele	Shane Wilson	5	[2] [28]
		55	Isabella Robusto	Glenn Parker	4	[29] [28]
		70	Nick Tucker	Shannon Rursch 5 Glenn Parker 1	1	[30]
			Wesley Slimp		1	[28]
			Thomas Annunziata		4	[31] [32] [33]
	Ryan Huff Motorsports	36	Ryan Huff	James Huff	1	[15] [34]
	Tim Richmond Racing	27	Tim Richmond	Adam Murphy	2	[35]
	WAV Racing	34	Brian Barbarow	Brad Elter	2	[13]
			T. J. Harris		1	[34]
	Wayne Peterson Motorsports	06	Nate Moeller	Unknown1 Wayne Peterson 1	2	[13]
TBA	Maples Motorsports	1	TBA	TBA	4	[36] [37]
TBA	TBA	TBA	Brayton Laster	TBA	1	[38]

Notes

1. Entries are fielded in a collaboration with CR7 Motorsports.
2. Entries are fielded in a collaboration with WAV Racing.

Schedule

The full schedule was announced on December 9, 2025. ^[39] Some race dates were announced before then as part of the announcement of the main ARCA Series schedule on October 4. ^[40]

Note: Races highlighted in gold are combination events with the ARCA Menards Series.

No	Race title	Track	Location	Date
1	Cook Out 200	Hickory Motor Speedway	Hickory, North Carolina	March 28
2	Rockingham ARCA Menards Series East 125	Rockingham Speedway	Rockingham, North Carolina	April 4
3	Cook Out Music City 150	Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway	Nashville, Tennessee	May 2
4	Owens Corning 200	Toledo Speedway	Toledo, Ohio	May 16
5	LiUNA! 150*	Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park	Brownsburg, Indiana	July 24
6	Sunbelt Rentals 150	Flat Rock Speedway	Ash Township, Michigan	August 1
7	Atlas 150*	Iowa Speedway	Newton, Iowa	August 7
8	Bush's Beans 200*	Bristol Motor Speedway	Bristol, Tennessee	September 17

Schedule changes

• Hickory Motor Speedway was added to the schedule. ^[41]
• Toledo Speedway returns to the schedule for the first time since 2020.
• Five Flags Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway were removed from the schedule.

Results and standings

Race results

No.	Race	Pole position	Most laps led	Winning driver	Manufacturer	No.	Winning team	Report
1	Cook Out 200	Max Reaves	Max Reaves	Tristan McKee	Chevrolet	77	Pinnacle Racing Group	Report
2	Rockingham ARCA Menards Series East 125	Tristan McKee	Tristan McKee	Tristan McKee	Chevrolet	77	Pinnacle Racing Group	Report
Reference: [42]

Drivers' championship

Further information: List of NASCAR points scoring systems

Notes:

• The pole winner also receives one bonus point, similar to the previous ARCA points system used until 2019 and unlike NASCAR. ^[43]
• Additionally, after groups of five races of the season, drivers that compete in all five races receive fifty additional points. ^[43] This points bonus will be given after the race at Indianapolis.

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or rainout. * – Most laps led.

Pos	Driver	HCY	CAR	NSV	TOL	IRP	FRS	IOW	BRI	Points
1	Tristan McKee (R)	1	1**							96
2	Isaac Kitzmiller	3	3							82
3	Max Reaves (R)	2*	8							81
4	Jackson McLerran	8	6							74
5	Dystany Spurlock	7	12							69
6	Craig Pellegrini Jr. (R)	9	10							69
7	George Siciliano	13	9							66
8	Austin Vaughn	10	14							64
9	Nate Moeller	14	16							58
10	Brian Weber	20	11							57
11	Connor Hall	15	17							56
12	Michael Maples	17	19							52
13	Dustin Hillenburg	22	15							51
14	Quinn Davis (R)	16	21							51
15	Toby Blanton	19	18							51
16	Carson Brown (R)		2							42
17	Derek Kneeland	4								40
18	Garrett Mitchell		4							40
19	Nick Tucker	5								39
20	Wesley Slimp		5							39
21	Landon S. Huffman	6								39
22	Cory Roper		7							37
23	Esteban Rodríguez	11								33
24	Hunter Deshautelle	12								32
25	T. J. Harris		13							31
26	Brian Barbarow	18								26
27	Gavan Boschele		20							24
28	Matt Kemp	21								23
29	Mike Basham		22							22
30	Tim Monroe	23								21
	Brad Smith	Wth	Wth
	Ryan Huff		Wth
Reference: [44]

See also

• 2026 NASCAR Cup Series
• 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
• 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
• 2026 ARCA Menards Series
• 2026 ARCA Menards Series West
• 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
• 2026 NASCAR Canada Series
• 2026 NASCAR Brasil Series
• 2026 CARS Tour
• 2026 SMART Modified Tour
• 2026 ASA STARS National Tour

References

1. "Isaac Kitzmiller's clean, methodical rookie season translates to an East Series championship". ARCA Racing.com. September 11, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
2. "What We Know About the 2026 ARCA Silly Season". Frontstretch. September 26, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
3. "Michael Maples Running Full-Time ARCA East". Frontstretch. March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
4. "Derek Kneeland Running Hickory for Pinnacle". Frontstretch. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
5. "PRG Reveals Lineups for ARCA, East Schedules". Frontstretch. December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
6. "ARCA 2026 Schedule". Brad Smith Motorsports. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
7. "City Garage Motorsports names Becca Monopoli, Quinn Davis as drivers for 2026 East Series season". ARCA Racing. September 19, 2025.
8. "Becca Monopoli, Quinn Davis Contesting Full ARCA East Season for CGM". Frontstretch. September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
9. "Logan Misuraca joins City Garage Motorsports for ARCA opener at Daytona". ARCA Racing. December 8, 2025.
10. Release, Press (March 5, 2026). "Quinn Davis to Drive No. 85 Orlando Health Ford in 2026 ARCA Menards Series East Season". catchfence.com.
11. "Austin Vaughn joins Maples Motorsports for full ARCA Menards Series East schedule". ARCA Racing. February 19, 2026.
12. "Fast Track Racing adds Craig Pellegrini Jr. for full ARCA Menards Series East schedule". ARCA Racing. February 11, 2026.
13. "Entry list: Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA Racing. March 24, 2026.
14. Kristl, Mark (December 10, 2025). "Takuma Koga Running ARCA Full Time with Fast Track". Frontstretch. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
15. "PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Series East drivers prepare to conquer The Rock". ARCA Racing. March 30, 2026.
16. "Landon S. Huffman Running 4 ARCA Races for CR7". Frontstretch. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
17. Release, Press (February 3, 2026). "Motorcycle Drag Racer Dystany Spurlock Aims for Historic NASCAR-Owned ARCA Menards Series Bid". catchfence.com.
18. "Dystany Spurlock set for her historic East Series debut at Hickory". ARCA Racing. March 19, 2026.
19. "Dystany Spurlock Debuting in ARCA East at Hickory". Frontstretch. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
20. "Bobby Dale Earnhardt Running Full ARCA Season With Rise". Frontstretch. November 19, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
21. "Bobby Earnhardt and Rise Motorsports unite for 2026 ARCA Menards Series campaign". ARCA Racing. November 19, 2025.
22. "Jeff Maconi returns to Clubb Racing Inc. for 15 ARCA events". ARCA Racing. January 30, 2026.
23. "Cleetus McFarland friend, Squirrel McNutt, to make NASCAR debut at Hickory". On3.com. March 9, 2026.
24. "Cleetus McFarland's YouTube Partner Squirrel McNutt Set for NASCAR Debut". The Daily Downforce. March 9, 2026.
25. "Crypto Black Gold to support Integrity Autosports and Brian Weber in opening races of East Series season". ARCA Racing. March 5, 2026.
26. "Jackson McLerran returns to MAN Motorsports for limited ARCA schedule". ARCA Racing. March 9, 2026.
27. "Leland Honeyman Lowers ARCA Slate to Part-Time Status". Frontstretch. January 26, 2026. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
28. "Nick Tucker Expects Nitro to Win Races, Championships in 2026". Frontstretch. January 28, 2026. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
29. "Isabella Robusto joins Nitro Motorsports for sophomore ARCA Menards Series season". ARCA Racing. December 10, 2025.
30. "After knocking off some rust, Nitro Motorsports owner Nick Tucker is ready to run the East Series race at Hickory 'just for fun'". ARCA Racing. March 10, 2026.
31. "Thomas Annunziata Running ARCA Full Time for Nitro". Frontstretch. November 1, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
32. "Thomas Annunziata to chase ARCA Menards Series title with Nitro Motorsports". ARCA Racing. December 22, 2025.
33. "10 Drivers to Watch for in the ARCA Daytona Test". Frontstretch. January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
34. "Entry list: Rockingham ARCA Menards East 125 at Rockingham Speedway". ARCA Racing. March 31, 2026.
35. "Tim Richmond Running Up to 4 ARCA Races". Frontstretch. February 13, 2026. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
36. "Tony Cosentino Running ARCA Full Time for Maples". Frontstretch. January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
37. "Tony Cosentino Leaves Maples, Focusing on CARS Tour". Frontstretch. April 14, 2026. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
38. "Brayton Laster announces partial ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2026". ARCA Racing. March 4, 2026.
39. "2026 ARCA Menards Series East schedule announced". ARCARacing.com. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
40. "ARCA Menards Series schedule for 2026 announced". ARCARacing.com. October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
41. "Hickory Motor Speedway to welcome ARCA Menards Series East for first time on March 28, 2026". ARCARacing.com. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
42. "2026 ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST SEASON STATS, RACE RESULTS". racing-reference.info. March 23, 2026. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
43. "ARCA Menards Series Changes Points System". Motor Racing Network . January 24, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
44. "ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST STANDINGS FOR 2026". racing-reference.info. March 23, 2026. Retrieved March 23, 2026.