Brent Crews had a perfect night in the ARCA Menards Series, claiming a wire-to-wire victory at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 11.
The win, his eighth across ARCA platforms this season, also secured the ARCA Menards Series East owner’s championship for Joe Gibbs Racing, as Bristol was the final event in an eight-race season for the team.
While it looked easy on paper, the nonstop action on track and an overtime finish made the victory anything but. After the race, an elated Crews told FOX Sports 1, “I’ve had this race circled for years, ever since I was a little kid.”
Meanwhile, the East title was clinched by Isaac Kitzmiller, who came home eighth.
Entering the night, Kitzmiller needed a 13th-place finish or better to secure the East championship, and he did just that. He ran a safe, steady race, hovering around the top 10 for most of the event. Several times he found himself racing side by side with his ARCA East rival and eventual second-place East finisher Tyler Reif. Ultimately, Kitzmiller did exactly what was needed to claim the championship trophy.
Tristan McKee stayed consistently near the front alongside Crews but lacked the speed to make the pass, coming home second. Brenden Queen, Leland Honeyman and Thomas Annunziata rounded out the top five, while Reif, Jake Finch, Kitzmiller, Jason Kitzmiller and Patrick Staropoli completed the top 10.
It quickly became clear this would be an action-packed night, with the leaders slicing through lapped traffic in a nerve-wracking display of speed. Remarkably, the race opened with a long green-flag run, with drivers methodically working their way through the pack. Crews showcased his speed early, stretching out a lead of more than three seconds in just 19 laps.
Before the race, all Queen needed to do was avoid disaster to stay in command of the ARCA main series championship. That nearly changed on lap 140, when Queen pulled off an incredible save while running second.
The moment kept his dominant points lead intact; he now leads Lavar Scott, who finished 11th, by 50 points.
Although the race featured longer-than-expected green-flag runs, the day ended in disappointment for several drivers, with tire wear playing a major role. Garrett Mitchell suffered a right-front tire failure with 23 laps to go while running 16th. Timmy Hill had even worse luck, experiencing a tire issue while running fifth in the final moments of the race that forced overtime. Series regular Isabella Robusto was also dealt a tough break, as mechanical problems forced her to retire early.
ARCA Bristol Results
Next up, ARCA heads to Salem Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 20. at 8 p.m. ET.
