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ARCA Preview: Sprecher 150 at Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Mile hosts the ARCA Menards Series for the 13th time in series history, and the Sprecher 150 will once again be a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series East.

As it is the penultimate race of the East season, the top three drivers in the standings are undoubtedly the ones to watch. Connor Zilisch leads by 22 over William Sawalich and 35 over Gio Ruggiero.

The last time Zilisch and Sawalich competed in ARCA competition, they won at Michigan International Speedway and the Illinois State Fairgrounds, respectively.
Zilisch’s No. 28 Pinnacle Racing Group team leads the East owner standings too, again 22 over Sawalich’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team.

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Entry List: 2024 Sprecher 150

Zilisch has never been to Milwaukee before, but that has not stopped him when he’s climbed into his No. 28 Chevrolet. In 11 ARCA series starts, he has eight wins, 11 top fives, 11 top 10s and an astounding 689 laps led out of 1,600 (43%).

Zilisch has won everywhere from the 0.25-mile short track Flat Rock Speedway to the 2-mile MIS. In the other ARCA/East combo race at a 1-mile track, Dover Motor Speedway, he led 42 laps and won.

Sawalich’s No. 18 team has been dominant at Milwaukee, though. Since ARCA returned there in 2021, it has won all three events, and its driver has started on the pole, too. Sawalich scored the pole, led 141 of the 150 laps and celebrated in victory lane. With a 22-point gap and only two races left on the East schedule, bonus points will be critical, so every point Sawalich will need every point he can earn to have a fighting chance of repeating as East champion at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Ruggiero in third has only won once this East season in the season opener at Five Flags Speedway. Furthermore, Venturini Motorsports has never won at Milwaukee either. While Ruggiero’s East championship hopes are slim, a win would certainly be a boost for VMS, which only has two main-series ARCA victories since May 1.

On the national side, Andres Perez and Lavar Scott both had similar race weekends in the doubleheader race weekend at MIS and Springfield. Perez finished second and 15th in the two, while Scott wound up 15th and fifth.

“Last weekend we had some bad luck,” Perez said in a team release. “However, we stayed vigilant, gained position, and plan on giving it our all in Milwaukee.”

In last year’s Milwaukee race, Perez finished seventh, one spot lower than his sixth-place start.

“Last year we had a decent run but this year I am more confident going into this weekend,” he continued. “Our goal is the same, to finally get the win. Rev has finished P2 in five of the last six races. It’s time.”

Scott piloted the No. 6 to an eighth-place outcome in the ’23 Milwaukee event.

“We continue to grow and compete up front,” he added. “Last season we competed alright in Milwaukee, and going into this weekend I feel confident. Most of the tracks this season are new to me, with Milwaukee I have some experience and know what to expect.”

See also
ARCA Power Rankings: William Sawalich, Connor Zilisch Lead the Way

With Greg Van Alst dropping to part-time status, third place in the national series standings is up for grabs. Kris Wright has the advantage over Christian Rose, Toni Breidinger and Amber Balcaen, all three separated by less than a full race’s worth of points.

For comparison, Wright has not raced at Milwaukee before. Rose has two starts, finishing inside the top 15 in both. Breidinger started 10th in the 2022 race though she wound up two laps down in 12th. In that race, Balcaen’s only start there, she was three laps down in 14th.

Sawalich and Zilisch are the only drivers with multiple wins in ARCA in 2024, yet while they’ll be tough to beat, that’s why we race — specifically, 150 laps on Sunday after qualifying on Saturday.

The Sprecher 150 will take place on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. ET with coverage provided by FOX Sports 1 and FloRacing.

Frontstretch.com

Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.