In a weekend full of excitement and new winners at Talladega Superspeedway, it was the ARCA Menards Series who jumpstarted things on Saturday (April 25). Their race’s last lap-finish, where Garrett “Cleetus McFarland” Mitchell was edged out by a late charge from Andy Jankowiak, was quite the spectacle.
ARCA power rankings can be tough to sort out after that display of superspeedway excellence, a bunch of back-and-forth battles inside the pack where drivers were jockeying for position throughout. Add in the Big One, a wreck which took 13 cars out of the race, and making decisions on who moves around gets that much harder.
But the rankings show must go on, and the racing did indeed scramble up this week’s edition of ARCA heavyweights on the list. Read on to see if Andy J’s late surge to victory was enough to earn him a spot; either way, be sure to catch him as the live guest on Frontstretch Happy Hour tonight (Tuesday, April 28) at 7:30 p.m. ET.
1. Gio Ruggiero
Gio Ruggiero returns to the top spot in the rankings after Talladega. Although his late-race moves have been the subject of controversy, what cannot be argued are the statistics. In ARCA competition, he has two wins and an overall average finish of 2.3. All three of his starts have resulted in top-five finishes.
Ruggiero was awarded the pole Saturday based on owner points, but he proved he belonged there throughout the day. He spent much of the race up front, leading 45 of 76 laps. After lining up on the front row with one lap to go and significant front-end damage, Ruggiero still managed to bring the car home in fifth.
The combined efforts of Ruggiero’s three races and Max Reaves’ appearance at Phoenix Raceway have the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota leading the owner points standings. The team holds a 22-point advantage over the Pinnacle Racing Group (No. 28) in second, an impressive start to the year for them.
2. Daniel Dye
Through Daniel Dye’s three starts in the series, he has finished fourth, second, and 10th in 2026. As often happens in racing, the finishes do not tell the overall story, and Dye has been running really well. Dye led 20 laps at Daytona International Speedway and 16 at Kansas Speedway.
He did not lead laps at Talladega, but was in the mix all day, and even pushed Cleetus McFarland to the lead before The Big One. On the final restart, Dye started 14th and finished 10th, but a top 10 was not indicative of the strength he showed throughout the day. In his three ARCA races, he has spent the majority of his time at the front of the pack, and I expect that trend to continue throughout the year.
3. Andy Jankowiak
When looking at the statistics to support Jankowiak’s inclusion in the power rankings, there is only one number that matters: one.
In four ARCA starts this season, Andy J has led just a single lap. But it was the one that counted, making the pass on the final lap at Talladega to secure the win over McFarland. Jankowiak has only one other lead-lap finish in his four starts, a 10th-place result at Daytona, another high-profile event for the series.
Dye’s consistency gives him the edge in the rankings, but it was Jankowiak who ended up in victory lane at the circuit’s largest racetrack.
Jankowiak represents what many people love about this series. A racer who has paid his dues, he spent prior years racing Modifieds and earned his first ARCA win at the age of 38, something even he found hard to believe in his post-race interviews.
‘That Was Probably the Most Fun I’ve Ever Had with Clothes On’: Cleetus McFarland Finishes Second at Talladega
4. Cleetus McFarland
With his second-place finish at Talladega, McFarland put together the best race of his short ARCA career. Even more impressive than the laps led (19) was his ability to regain the lead on multiple restarts and nearly come away with the victory.
The YouTube star turned ARCA competitor tends to elicit strong reactions from the NASCAR fanbase, but despite some engine woes at Kansas, he has performed well in his ARCA starts. If you don’t believe it, consider what these drivers had to say post-race to Frontstretch about McFarland’s run at Talladega:
“It’s really surprising how good he is doing… with very little experience, he definitely has talent,” said Jake Bollman.
“Cleetus was really fun to race with. I felt he was making pretty good moves the whole race,” added Ruggiero.
“He did a hell of a job, did a really good job,” said Gus Dean.
You can check out more of their thoughts below and on our Frontstretch Grassroots page on YouTube.
5. Jake Bollman
While McFarland led 19 laps at Talladega, Bollman has yet to lead a single lap in the series.
With 12 laps to go, Bollman pushed McFarland to the front. Shortly after, contact sent him down the racetrack and to the back of the pack. Moments later, Nitro teammate Thomas Annunziata, who had lost radio communication, made contact with Will Kimmel. As the dust settled, Isabella Robusto gained the lead late during the final lap, only to be passed in the waning moments as the cars headed toward the start/finish line.
It was another disappointing run of misfortune for Nitro Motorsports. Despite the late contact, Bollman salvaged an 18th-place finish and the driver points lead. Although the youngster has yet to lead a lap in the series, he has found more consistent finishes than teammates Annunziata and Robusto, who sit seventh and 13th in points, respectively.
Paint Scheme of the Race
Jack Wood of PRG brought his No. 28 Road Ranger Chevrolet with a fun surprise: a giant picture of Larry McReynolds on the rear quarter panel. The picture was a nice tribute to Larry Mac, who has given many years to the sport.
Wood’s day did not turn out as hoped, though. After a restart violation early in the race, he compounded it with a speeding penalty on pit road. Ironically, it’s the kind of mistake that would have driven former crew chief McReynolds crazy.
Wood’s teammate, Taylor Reimer, recovered from identical penalties to finish sixth in the No. 77 PRG Chevrolet, capping off an impressive drive back through the field.
Lastly, if I’m power ranking the broadcast, the addition of Brenden “Butterbean” Queen to the booth alongside guest commentator Austin Cindric was a combination I didn’t know I needed. Their insight and personality were on full display, adding entertainment to an already exciting race.
It was a banner day for ARCA, and the series will look to carry this momentum into upcoming races. Before the national series returns, the ARCA Menards Series East and West will both be in action on May 2.
You can see the ARCA main series return to action Friday, May 8 at Watkins Glen International. The race will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage provided by FOX Sports 2.
