To say that the ARCA Menards Series race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday (April 18) ended with some controversy is a bit of an understatement. If you need proof, read the comments section of the ARCA Facebook posts from Kansas.
To quickly recap, Jack Wood led with a healthy margin with three laps to go in regulation. Third-place Gio Ruggiero came upon 10th-place Dystany Spurlock, who had fallen one lap down. Ruggiero spun Spurlock and the caution came out, sending the race into overtime. On the next restart, Ruggiero drove hard in the corner, took the lead, held off the field on a subsequent restart, and won the race.
It’s Ruggiero’s second ARCA victory of 2026. His first one, in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, came when he gave a shove too hard to Jake Finch, who spun into Gus Dean, handing the lead and ultimately the win to Ruggiero.
Yes, Ruggiero’s move at Kansas was dirty. While he won’t be penalized by the series, I consider his performance, keeping him out of No. 1 in these power rankings.
1. Daniel Dye
What a whirlwind it has been for Daniel Dye. Signed full time to drive for Kaulig Racing RAM program in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Dye got himself suspended due to inappropriate remarks he made in a livestream video. Two weeks later, he was reinstated, though he resigned from Kaulig.
Enter Kansas, Dye’s first start in racing since his reinstatement. He started 19th due to the lineup set via 2025 owners’ points, but he rocketed to the front. On lap 24, he took the lead, pacing the field for 16 circuits.
Dye was in second when Ruggiero spun Spurlock. When the checkered flag flew, he was still in second, 0.190 seconds behind the victor Ruggiero.
“Yeah, I mean, doing my homework for this race leading up to it, I noticed how much better the inside lane would restart,” Dye told Frontstretch post-race. “And, man, I did my best to get the tires ready for those launches on the outside and just was never good enough. … this one hurts. I want to win so bad.
“Yeah, man, I want to be a racecar driver. All the extracurriculars don’t matter. And I needed to be refocused. So, me being an idiot was probably the best thing for me to get my head back on my shoulders and focus on what’s truly important to me and that’s being behind the wheel of a racecar. And I hope people understood that today. Tried to fight hard all day and give these guys a good finish.”
In two ARCA starts this season, his first since his lone full-time season in 2022, Dye has a fourth and second. We’ll see him in the No. 24 for Sigma Performance Services in the next race at Talladega Superspeedway. He’ll also attempt to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut with Live Fast Motorsports. Again, what a whirlwind for Dye. His on-track performance earns him the top spot in these power rankings.
2. Gio Ruggiero
Ruggiero’s move was dirty. Whether he wanted to cause a caution to have a shot at the win, was frustrated that his dominant No. 18 Toyota was not leading in the closing laps, or truly misjudged how fast he caught Spurlock’s No. 66, driving her into a spin was dirty. Add to it his post-race remarks and Ruggiero probably made a few haters.
Series officials could’ve penalized him for rough driving by sending him to the tail end of the lead lap, where he would’ve restarted ninth. Would he have won the race? Probably not, but the hypothetical isn’t in the history books. His win is.
Likewise at Daytona, it’s unclear whether Ruggiero intended to shove Finch clear out front to have a shot at the win or whether Ruggiero wanted to shove Finch out of his way. Doesn’t matter because he took his No. 18 Toyota to victory lane.
Twice in the two ARCA races that Ruggiero has competed in, he has been involved in controversy and won the race. Because of the way that ARCA sets the Talladega starting lineup, Ruggiero will start first via the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18, which is first in the owners’ points standings.
Yes, we can hurl insults at him (won’t matter to him), claim that he is a dirty driver who intentionally spun Spurlock to give himself that opportunity (he still has a full-time Truck Series ride), and so on. What we cannot deny is he has won twice this year, his team is first in the owners’ standings, and he also has a win in his Truck Series tenure at Talladega. Expect Ruggiero to be up front on Saturday, the 25th, too.
3. Jake Bollman
Three races into this season and Jake Bollman is the only driver with top 10s in all three races. Coupled with a pair of top fives, Bollman leads the driver standings by 12 points over Jason Kitzmiller. Bollman has also completed the most laps thus far, all on the lead lap.
Bollman has been a pleasant surprise to begin the season. When choosing a champion in the Frontstretch preseason panel, I didn’t choose Bollman because of the lack of his racing resume. He only had 11 ARCA Menards Series West starts, and his lone victory came in a weather-shortened event.
Yet here he is, leading the points. Moreover, he has steadily gained from start to finish, with an average start of 13.0 and an average finish of 3.7.
Thanks to his team being second in the owner points, Bollman should start second at Talladega. That race will be a wild card due to the chaos of drafting-style racing, but for now, Bollman’s under-the-radar consistency has him third in these rankings.
4. Dystany Spurlock
Three races into her ARCA series career and I’m impressed with Spurlock. She finished on the lead lap in seventh place in her platform debut in the ARCA Menards Series East season opener at Hickory Motor Speedway. Although she had a window net issue at Rockingham Speedway, which cost her multiple laps, Spurlock piloted her No. 66 Chevrolet to a 12th-place finish, still one position better than her qualifying position.
Spurlock’s spin and Ruggiero’s controversy overshadowed a stout run by Spurlock. She started dead last (29th) due to the 2025 owners’ points, but she drove her way up 19 positions en route to a 10th-place showing. Looking forward to seeing her race next at Watkins Glen International, learning how to make left- and right-hand turns in a stock car.
5. Jason Kitzmiller
Like Bollman, Kitzmiller has flown under the radar this season. He had a disappointing 16th place at Phoenix Raceway, but his two other results have been seventh and sixth.
At Kansas, he started seventh, stayed out of trouble and wound up sixth. Nothing outstanding to write home about, but he quietly is second in points.
Granted, it is only three races into the season, but Kitzmiller thus far has the best average finishing position of his career. If he can continue those numbers, he might surprise us all. Next up is Talladega, where he has one top five and two top 10s, highlighted by his fifth-place result in last year’s race. It would not be a surprise if you see Kitzmiller back in these power rankings after Talladega.
Paint Scheme of the Race
Fan favorite Garrett Mitchell, AKA Cleetus McFarland, debuted a new look on his No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford. On the hood of his car was BaldEagle.com. Search the website – you’ll understand the humor of Mitchell’s remark that he hopes he does not lose that sponsor. His racecar stood out and therefore McFarland’s No. 30 earns the Kansas Paint Scheme of the Race Award.
Mitchell had a solid day going as he ran inside the top 10 until a crimp in the oil line sent him on a race-ending drift through turns 1 and 2.
McFarland will be back in ARCA competition at Talladega, where he’ll hopefully give more entertaining interviews hopefully after a stellar day. Can you imagine the reaction on Talladega Boulevard if McFarland wins?
You can see the ARCA field race at Talladega on Saturday, April 25, at 12:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage provided by FOX Sports 1.
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.