For the fifth time this season, but the first on a short track, Brenden Queen is victorious in the ARCA Menards Series, this time at Iowa Speedway.
Queen led most of the latter portions of the race after getting the lead from Brent Crews on a mid-race restart. The two made contact with each other with eight laps to go while navigating lapped traffic, but Queen was able to hold the lead and ultimately win.
“I’m just gonna keep letting him run into me and not win,” Queen told FOX Sports post-race. “He got me last week, and he might’ve been a little better, just refuse to lose there.”
Crews finished runner up and was the only other driver to lead a lap in the 150-lap event.
“We had a really good race car all day,” Crews told FOX Sports. “Just kind of missed it there at the end, got inside of Brenden there, got a little loose, and felt like that was really my last chance at it.”
Venturini Motorsports teammates Lawless Alan and Isabella Robusto crossed the line behind the lead duo of Queen and Crews, finishing third and fourth, respectively. Lavar Scott finished fifth, recording a top five after an earlier spin.
The remainder of the top 10 saw Isaac Kitzmiller finish sixth, Sam Corry in seventh, Eloy Sebastian eighth, Mason Mitchell ninth and Jason Kitzmiller 10th. Corry was the final car on the lead lap when the checkered flag flew.
At the initial drop of the green flag, Queen rocketed out to the lead, getting slightly loose in the new pavement into turn 1. Crews stayed close, but he couldn’t remain side by side with Queen as the field paced around for the first time.
As the lead duo began to reach lapped traffic, Crews reeled Queen in, reaching his back bumper by lap 15. By lap 20, Crews used lapped car Jason Kitzmiller as a pick, passing Queen three wide down the backstretch for the lead. Before Queen could counter back, the caution flew as Kadence Davenport went for a spin in turn 4, but continued on without making contact.
On the second restart of the race, Crews replicated Queen’s dive into turn 1, taking the lead down the backstretch. The run didn’t last long, however, as Kris Wright made contact with the front straightaway wall after a run in with Corry. Corry was able to continue, but Wright had significant damage on the right front, ending his race early.
The third restart of the race was identical to the second, with Crews staying out front of Queen and the rest of the leaders as the field worked out of turn 2. This time, however, the caution wouldn’t come out so quickly. The field ran about 15 laps under green flag conditions, with Crews holding a lead of a second and a half for the duration of the run. The caution flew again on lap 50 for the first scheduled race break.
Post-scheduled caution, the field doubled up for yet another restart. The fourth restart of the race proved to be the first that the outside lane hung with the inside lane, as Queen and Crews entered turn 1 side by side. However, the battle would not be able to play out, as Scott spun behind them after getting loose under Alan. Scott made no contact and continued after a trip down pit road for fresh tires.
Queen must’ve noticed the outside lane prevailing the previous restart, as he took the outside lane as the leader for the subsequent restart. It was the first time a leader chose the outside all race, and it worked out in his favor, as he retained the lead over Crews into turn 1. Again though, the caution flew quickly, as Davenport went for another contactless spin in turn 4.
Queen replicated his previous restart after the field worked a handful of caution laps for Davenport’s spin, holding the lead for multiple laps. Behind them, Robusto grabbed third on the restart from her teammate Alan. Crews reeled in Queen a bit over the extended green flag period, but he ultimately couldn’t catch him. The caution flew again a few laps before the lap 100 race break, as Davenport went for her third spin of the evening, this time with help from Corry.
The third Davenport caution came just before the race break, allowing teams to have a five-lap sprint to lap 100. Queen retained the lead on the restart once again, with most of the action coming behind him. Robusto made contact with Alan entering turn 3, washing both up the track, allowing Scott to capitalize. Scott, however, made more contact with Robusto down the front straightway, making for some very hard racing. Each driver was able to continue with minimal damage.
After the second and final race break came and went, Queen kept the lead on the restart once again to begin the final stint of the race. Much like the previous restarts of the race, both Queen and Crews separated themselves by three seconds over the rest of the field within 10 laps of the restart. Another caution fell quickly, though, as Mitchell went for a spin in turn 4 after contact with Corry.
The following restart saw Queen and Crews wash up the track just a bit in turn 1, allowing Alan to briefly capitalize and force three-wide for the lead. However, Queen used the top lane to prevail down the backstretch and reclaim the lead. The Crews and Queen duo again gapped the field by three seconds 10 laps later.
As the laps wound down, so did the gap between Queen and Crews. With 10 laps to go, the gap was just about half a second. As Queen went to lap Quinn Davis, he got crossed up with lanes, allowing Crews to pull up to the back of the No. 28. The two leaders made contact in turn 1 underneath Mitchell, sending both sideways. Both drivers continued, with Queen still holding the lead.
The late race scare with lapped cars would prove to be the final obstacle for Queen, as he sailed to his fifth victory of the season from there.
ARCA Results from Iowa
Next up on the ARCA schedule is Watkins Glen International, which is slated for next Friday (Aug. 8) afternoon at 2 p.m. ET. As for the East, those drivers have one more race remaining on their schedule, Bristol Motor Speedway, on Sept. 11. It will be a combination race with the national division.
Josh joined Frontstretch in 2023 and currently covers the ARCA Menards Series. Born and raised in Missouri, Josh has been watching motorsports since 2005. He currently is studying for a Mass Communication degree at Lindenwood University