Toledo, Ohio – After a hot Saturday, Oct. 4, at Toledo Speedway, two trophies were handed out, celebrations were had, and folks exchanged goodbyes. The 2025 ARCA Menards Series season has ended.
Max Reaves led all but one lap en route to victory. Second place went to Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, who clinched the driver’s championship as well as the owner’s championship for Pinnacle Racing Group.
Queen won the title ahead of Lavar Scott in second, Jason Kitzmiller in third, and Rookie of the Year Isabella Robusto in fourth. Also, although Lawless Alan departed Venturini Motorsports with four races left in the season, he rounded out the top five in fifth.
With the ARCA season complete, here are the Frontstretch power rankings, which take into consideration the season finale and yearlong performance.
1. Brenden Queen
On June 6, Queen won the race at Michigan International Speedway and retook the points lead. He never relinquished it.
Queen led the series in nearly every statistical category – wins, top fives, top 10s, poles, laps completed, laps led, and had zero DNFs.
“I feel great, it’s going to take some time to sink in once we get back and start celebrating,” Queen told Frontstretch post-race. “But super proud of the whole Pinnacle Racing Group. I mean, to bring home their first owner’s title, and, I guess, first driver’s title in the same year, is super cool, and just so proud of them. I know this happens at the shop, and that the product at the track is from the shop. So, just super proud of them. They bring two fast cars every time we run two cars; they bring the No. 28 fast every week, so it’s just a lot of fun to be a part of this organization. Proud of Steve-o, my crew chief [Steve Dawson]. Did such a good job this year as his first year, and we did it as rookies. Even though we don’t get Rookie of the Year, because of the rule, in my eyes, we’re still Rookie of the Year too.”
His eight victories came at a variety of racetracks, from the season opener at Daytona International Speedway to the high-banked short track Salem Speedway to the 1-mile dirt track DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
Congratulations to your 2025 champion, Butterbean Queen!
2. Brent Crews
Despite only running nine of the 20 races, Brent Crews was the second-best in ARCA throughout the year.
He had four wins, the second-highest, only behind Butterbean. He captured five top fives, more than six of the top 10 points finishers, and seven top 10s.
Crews led laps in seven of his nine starts, only failing to lead laps at Lime Rock Park, where he still finished sixth and had a shot at the win, and Dover Motor Speedway where he crashed out early. Crews also nabbed three poles, only one away from the most all year, also set by Queen.
To boot, Crews led 542 laps, the third-highest, only trailing Queen and Reaves. Yes, Crews led more laps than all the other series regulars, sans Queen, combined.
Crews is rumored to graduate to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2026. Because Reaves cannot compete at the bigger racetracks on the ARCA schedule next year because he is underage, Crews is likely a candidate to pilot the No. 18 Toyota in those races.
3. Lavar Scott
As Queen stayed close to Reaves for much of the race, Scott ran inside the top five. Yes, it appeared he was going to maintain his consistency, albeit without winning. On lap 83, though, his solid day came to a hard, abrupt end.
While Scott was OK afterward, he concluded his year with back-to-back DNFs, disappointment following 18 straight races without one, and only two finishes outside the top 10.
The overall result: back-to-back years, back-to-back runner-up points finishes.
“Second feels good, it’s definitely something to be proud of, right?” Scott said post-race. “But I finished second last year, and we’re competitors, right. We all want to go out there and win a championship. And that was the goal for the year was to win the championship and to get some wins. And, personally, I didn’t accomplish that. So, I’m happy – great year, and I’m very fortunate to have this opportunity with Rev Racing and NASCAR in their driver development series. Super fortunate, but who I am as a person, I want to go there and win and dominate. I didn’t do that this year, so it’s mixed emotions.”
Post-race, several drivers spoke to Scott, asking what happened and how he felt after his crash. In addition, several congratulated him on his season. He is well-liked and respected in the garage. However, he has not signed anything for 2026. There are rumors that Rev will exit ARCA. It’d be a shame if Scott isn’t racing in some capacity next year. As for these final rankings, he slots in third – behind Queen and Crews, who often piloted the No. 18. Just like his quest for his first win, Scott came close to first but no cigar.
4. Max Reaves
On Friday the 3rd, at an event at the Toledo Speedway bar and grill, FOX Sports ARCA announcer Eric Brennan named his favorite for the season finale: Reaves.
Brennan correctly predicted the winner, as Reaves dominated the day, posting the fastest time in practice, claiming the pole award, and leading 199 of the 200 laps. He was so fast in the race that only five drivers finished on the lead lap. His victory marked the fifth straight Toledo victory for the No. 18 team.
Was Reaves’ race-winning move dirty? Personally, I viewed it as short track racing for the win. Neither driver ended up in the wall, crashed, and there were about 50 laps left to go in the race. Could Reaves have waited a little longer to try to pass more cleanly? Perhaps, though, because Queen hounded him for so long, if Queen had successfully cleared Reaves for the lead, who knows if Reaves would’ve then been able to pass Queen. Alas, Queen won the championship and Reaves won the race; both drivers left with smiles on their faces.
5. Isabella Robusto
Robusto became the second female Rookie of the Year. She finished fourth at Toledo, her 11th career top five. She is just one shy of the top-five record (12) set by a female, Erin Crocker Evernham.
Robusto achieved nine top fives this year, but also endured six DNFs. Those cost her valuable points as she only wound up eight behind Kitzmiller for third.
Nevertheless, Robusto enjoyed some successes, and perhaps her Toledo performance is an indicator of what we’ll see next year. Shannon Rursch was her crew chief. Rursch works for Nitro Motorsports, the team Robusto is expected to join next year. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if she contends for some wins.
Paint Scheme of the Race
Toledo featured several cool-looking racecars. For the best scheme, though, we award it to Becca Monopoli driving the No. 85 City Garage Motorsports Ford. With Orlando Health onboard, her orange-colored Ford stood out in the sunshine.
Race teams, drivers, and others paying attention to this award usually curry goodwill, too.
Monopoli ran a solid race, too, ending her 2025 in 10th place. The showing marked her first top 10 in a national series event.
Monopoli and Quinn Davis will run full time in the ARCA Menards Series East next year, along with some participation in main series races. Hopefully, CGM will field more memorable paint schemes.
While ARCA and ARCA East have concluded their seasons, the ARCA Menards Series West still has two more races left. The series will visit The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, Oct. 10, at 10 p.m. ET, and conclude at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Both events will be broadcast live on FloRacing.
The 2026 ARCA season will begin at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 14, at noon ET. For the second straight year, FOX will air the season opener. See you then!
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.