ARCA Preview: Berlin ARCA 200 at Berlin

For the 35th time in ARCA Menards Series history, the drivers will compete at unique Berlin Raceway. The 0.438-mile short track has no wall on the backstretch, a unique characteristic for the 24 drivers entered.

Twenty-four entrants is the highest ARCA has had at Berlin since 2016. As a result, the competition should be fierce, right?

Yes, it’s always good to see an increased car count. However, history shows Joe Gibbs Racing, Pinnacle Racing Group and Venturini Motorsports are the teams to beat in ARCA this year.

At Berlin, specifically, JGR is the team to beat as its No. 18 has won three straight times. Add in a runner-up result in that fourth race in 2021 and JGR driver Max Reaves should be the favorite.

Reaves has made history in the ARCA Menards Series East this year, too. The 15-year-old has won his first three East starts, tying the record. Berlin is not an East race; actually, this will be his national series debut.

“There will definitely be more competition,” Reaves told ARCA Racing. “I’m not nervous at all, but I think it’ll be a lot tighter of a field. I took a Super Late Model to Berlin to race and that didn’t end too well, but I think we’ll be fine. We’re going to shoot for another win.

“Berlin is really weird because it’s a lot different than the normal ovals I’m used to in the south. A lot of the tracks up north, you’re always turning, like an egg shape. I’m used to the long straightaways at a place like Caraway Speedway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. It’s weird getting used to that. We were pretty quick in the Money in the Bank 150 before we wrecked out, so I think we’ll be good on Saturday.”

After starting 13th in the Money in the Bank 150, Reaves unfortunately wrecked out to a 25th-place DNF. Still, his JGR No. 18 is first in owner points and the car has an average finish of 3.4 in the last five Berlin races. Reaves expects to go to victory lane.

“My expectations are to win,” Reaves continued. “If I can’t win, then that’s not too good. Butterbean and them have been doing really good at PRG, but I think we’ll be better. All I think about is winning, no matter the class or how many cars are there. I just want to win.”

Brenden “Butterbean” Queen has never visited Berlin before, like most of the tracks on the ARCA circuit. He won in the state of Michigan in the most recent race at Michigan International Speedway to retake the points lead. Furthermore, his PRG team has never competed at Berlin before either.

Nevertheless, Queen’s bread and butter is short tracks. He won the 2024 zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock championship and he has competed at racetracks that he views as similar.

“I have; I actually won the South Carolina 400 at Florence [Motor Speedway] and there’s no wall from turn 1 all the way back around to turn 4,” he told media after his MIS victory. “So, I have experience at a track like that. I’ve watched some film on Berlin, I’m going to do a lot of studying this week at Chevy with you know, Josh Wise and those guys. I watched Money in the Bank the other night just to kind of get an idea on the line. A lot of people say, you know, it’s not the same shape as Langley [Speedway], some way you work the line is a little bit like Langley, where I grew up racing, where you got to get low out of [turn] 4, stuff like that.

“So, I’m excited. I’m excited to get there and I feel like, you know, going into the big tracks, stuff I stress a lot about, air and stuff, and just not really knowing what’s going to happen or how to set up the pass as I’m learning. But I feel like a short track, I know how to set up a pass there.”

Venturini hasn’t won at Berlin since 2013. In its last year of operation, VMS driver Lawless Alan is third in points, Isabella Robusto has solid short track results, and 2014 series champion Mason Mitchell has three top fives, four top 10s and top poles in four starts there.

The winner at Talladega Superspeedway, Alan finished a career-best sixth at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ninth at Irwindale Speedway in his only two ARCA Menards Series West short track appearances.

Robusto has a pair of runner-up finishes in ARCA series short track events. In 2024, she finished second in both the East race at Nashville and the West race at Irwindale. In the national division, she made one short track start, last year at Elko, a track 1/16-mile smaller than Berlin. She wound up fourth.

Mitchell finished second at Berlin in 2015 while driving for VMS. Berlin is the first race of his expanded schedule with the organization this year and he is amped to go there.

“Our first race back is this weekend at Berlin,” he said in the press release. “Berlin is a special place and I’ve always had a lot of success on that track. I’m also confident with the schedule moving forward, I enjoy racing all these short tracks and expect to contend for the win each weekend.”

Treyten Lapcevich makes his second career start, replacing Thad Moffitt at Nitro Motorsports after Moffitt dropped down to part-time status due to a partner withdrawal.

Lapcevich’s crew chief Shannon Rursch guided Jesse Love to the 2023 title, including a stout run at Berlin. Love led 197 laps before William Sawalich passed him, for the victory, with two to go.

Lapcevich also raced in the Money in the Bank 150. After starting 11th, he ran inside the top 10 before a mechanical woe ended his race prematurely.

Lavar Scott, also like Lapcevich, hopes to end the three-team hold on ARCA trophies. Scott finished second at Berlin in 2024 and hopes another strong performance will help him reclaim the points lead.

“I’m ready to get started on a short track stretch,” Scott said in a team release. “We had great speed last year on short tracks and worked hard in the off-season to get the cars better for them. I can’t wait to get back into the seat of the No. 6 Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet this weekend.”

In the 200-lap race, the 24 drivers will have two competition cautions to work on their racecars, on laps 75 and 125.

You can catch the ARCA race at Berlin live on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, June 14, at 7 p.m. ET.