For the second consecutive race, Tristan McKee found victory in the ARCA Menards Series East, this time at Rockingham Speedway.
Running full time for the East title, McKee scored his second career victory as well as his third under the ARCA umbrella.
Starting from the pole, McKee led nearly the entire race after outside polesitter Max Reaves dealt with a flat tire shortly before the competition caution. McKee’s Pinnacle Racing Group teammate Carson Brown closed in on him a handful of times, largely in lapped traffic, but was never able to make the pass.
“It got sketchy there a few times with the lapped cars,” McKee told FloRacing post-race. “It was definitely a lot of fun, this track is awesome.”
Brown ended up crossing the line in second, holding off a late charge from Isaac Kitzmiller, who finished third. Garrett Mitchell recorded his career-best ARCA finish in fourth, and Wesley Slimp finished fifth despite losing his roof hatch cover early in the going.
“Honestly, I just went out there and turned left for Greg Biffle,” Mitchell told FloRacing. “I had more confidence out there today than I’ve ever had in a stock car, I had the leaders in my sight the whole time.”
Jackson McLerran, Cory Roper, Reaves, George “Squirrel McNutt” Siciliano and Craig Pellegrini Jr. rounded out the top 10 finishers in sixth through 10th, respectively.
McKee launched out to a quick lead as the green flag flew, with Reaves, on the outside, not getting an equal jump. McKee maintained that lead for the opening 25 laps, only allowing Brown to get close a handful of times while contesting lapped traffic.
Lapped traffic was the story in the early stages, and championship contender Reaves fell victim to it. Reaves made contact with Toby Blanton on lap 30, cutting down a tire and forcing him to pit road.
Another lead lap competitor, Gavan Boschele, was the cause of the first caution. The driver of the No. 25 Nitro Motorsports Toyota lost a tire in turn 2, making hard contact with the outside wall. As for Reaves, he had found himself three laps down by the time of the first yellow.
The field was back under green for a handful of laps before the caution flew again due to debris. Slimp lost a roof hatch on the frontstretch, bringing out the yellow. Those frequent yellows set up for a pair of short green flag runs, ending in the halfway caution at lap 63.
On the other side of that halfway break, McKee held the lead, but his teammate Brown kept him closer in his sights. McKee slowly pulled away from the rest of the field once again, and just as it appeared Brown would lose a position to Kitzmiller, the caution flew. Siciliano went for a single-car spin in turn 1, but didn’t hit anything and was able to continue.
McKee continued his restart dominance with under 40 laps to go, and the fight between Kitzmiller and Brown continued to be the most closely contested battle on the track for numerous laps.
If it weren’t for the lapped traffic, McKee likely would have won the race largely uncontested. However, that wasn’t the case. Brown reeled in McKee a number of times, nearly colliding with one another while splitting TJ Harris down the backstretch.
The battle ended prematurely, however, as Michael Maples brought out the yellow after stalling on track. Connor Hall, who was running inside the top five, made contact with the No. 99, ending his day early as well. Hall finished 17th and Maples finished 19th.
After a brief red flag period for cleanup, the field took the green again with under 10 laps to go. Even with the short run to the finish, McKee drove away to a 1.446-second triumph ahead of Brown.
ARCA East Results from Rockingham
The East Series now has a near-month-long hiatus before returning on May 2 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. The ARCA platform, however, returns next weekend, as the ARCA Menards Series West contests at Tucson Speedway on April 11. That race goes green at 9 p.m. ET with live coverage provided by FloRacing.
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