“That might have been the best ARCA race we have seen, I don’t know about ever, but recent memory, for sure,” Frontstretch NASCAR at-Track Coordinator Dalton Hopkins said after the ARCA Menards Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25.
Indeed, it was a great race, and the ratings reflect it.
It’s been seven years this week since NASCAR acquired ARCA. The sanctioning body then took over the former K&N Pro Series East and West, rebranding them as the ARCA Menards Series East and West.
Since the purchase, multiple drivers have graduated into the NASCAR national series, with 2021 series champion Ty Gibbs capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway this season.
ARCA was founded in 1953, so it obviously has a storied history. While there were undoubtedly great races prior to the NASCAR acquisition, here are the Frontstretch top five national division races since then, which coincides with when yours truly began covering the series.
1. 2023 Season Opener at Daytona International Speedway
No, Andy Jankowiak’s triumph at Talladega isn’t No. 1 on this list. That’s because the best one was highlighted by the victor, Greg Van Alst, scoring his first career win at Daytona International Speedway.
Van Alst’s last-lap move for the win and his post-race joyful remarks were legendary.
Van Alst took the win away from Jason White, a Canadian part-time driver piloting a racecar for underdog team owner Jeff McClure.
Van Alst’s journey to get to victory lane resonated well with the fanbase. A short track driver, who earned his way into the ARCA series via the Road to Daytona program, built his own racecars at his Indiana home and took one to victory lane. Van Alst’s team was composed of his late model guys while his wife, two children and father — who unfortunately passed away later that year — were all in attendance.
Despite being at Daytona, The Big One never materialized. Only Scott Melton and Tim Richmond wound up with totaled racecars, and seven drivers split 10 lead changes in the race. Furthermore, the race didn’t go into overtime; it ended with a jubilant Van Alst.
Since the post-race celebrations celebrated the winner more than anyone else, it takes No. 1 ahead of…
‘That Was Probably the Most Fun I’ve Ever Had with Clothes On’: Cleetus McFarland Finishes Second at Talladega
2. 2026 Race at Talladega
Jankowiak finally became an ARCA winner. Like Van Alst, Jankowiak made 47 starts over the past few years before going to victory lane for the first time.
Jankowiak similarly won the race via a last-lap pass on the outside, a rarity to make that type of a move at a drafting-style racetrack.
On the last lap, Jankowiak, Garrett “Cleetus McFarland” Mitchell, Gus Dean, Isabella Robusto and Will Kimmel all led at one point. Cleetus McFarland arguably had the best car throughout the race, and his second-place finish culminated in him celebrating atop his racecar. Jankowiak, meanwhile, celebrated in near disbelief at his triumph.
There were so many storylines throughout the field. For example, shoutout to Sean Corr, who qualified his way into the race and then gained 32 spots en route to a seventh-place result. Add in Ryan Vargas, who scored another top 10 for Maples Motorsports to stay third in points, and this race had feel-good top 10s. Jankowiak just had the best one, complete with a celebration in victory lane.
3. 2022 Season Finale at Toledo Speedway
The 2022 season finale had plenty of storylines both pre- and post-race. Pre-race, the two questions were who would win the drivers’ and owners’ points championships? Nick Sanchez and Daniel Dye vied for the drivers while the Cup-backed No. 18 team, driven by Sammy Smith, took on Venturini Motorsports’ No. 20 team, driven by Jesse Love, for the owners.
Pre-race, Sanchez encountered an engine gremlin, so his team changed engines before the start. Love won the pole.
During the race, Love, Smith, Dye, Sanchez and Grant Enfinger all led laps. Dye and Sanchez were neck and neck for the points lead, but a mechanical woe cost Dye several laps and Sanchez took the crown.
Smith made a hard move to pass Love and Enfinger for the win.
Then chaos erupted, both on and off track.
As Smith trolled Love after winning the race and his team winning the owners’ title, Smith’s father and Love’s team owner Billy Venturini fought in the grandstands.
Add in post-race that Toni Breidinger, a full-time driver, shared her displeasure with Enfinger, and this race was a banger.
Moments such as this one, among others, make me somewhat sad that the 2026 season finale will be at Kansas Speedway, no longer Toledo.
4. 2024 Race at Elko Speedway
William Sawalich led 147 of the first 148 laps at Elko, and this 250-lap race looked like an early snoozer.
Then Michael Maples had … let’s say a brain fart, and he sent Sawalich’s No. 18 Toyota into the wall, bringing out the caution. Sawalich pitted, handing the lead to Lavar Scott.
Scott wanted to win badly. He led 99 laps, withstanding a weather delay and a hard-charging Sawalich. Scott stayed in front until, with lightning in the background and inclement weather soon on its way to the 0.375-mile Minnesota short track, the last few laps when Sawalich made his charge. Kris Wright joined in on the fun, too.
“Incredible finish here at Elko,” Brent Stover said on TV after Sawalich won in the thrilling three-wide photo.
To borrow this often-used phrase, “We’ll sell you the whole seat, but you’ll only need the edge” with this thrilling ending at Elko. Just remember that those fans exited shortly thereafter due to a storm.
5. 2023 Combination Race Featuring the Main Series and West at Phoenix Raceway
Sawalich won at Elko, but he also nearly won his series debut at Phoenix in 2023. In the second race of the season, following that unforgettable Daytona classic, the main series and West drivers collided at 1-mile Phoenix. It certainly provided some highlights.
While racing inside the top 10, Tyler Reif was spun into the wall and lost two laps. He didn’t quit, though, earning two lucky dogs after repairs to return to the lead lap.
Later, while battling for the lead, Scott, Love and Conner Jones crashed.
After spinning earlier in the race, Sawalich charged back to the front, leading a race-high 94 laps before fading to 13th. Speaking of, he was one of the 13 cautions which kept the field bunched up throughout. One of those cautions did end with DL Wilson sustaining an injury, though he has competed in ARCA since then, including in 2026 at Kansas.
On the final restart, Landen Lewis aced it to get in first, albeit with the broadcast, among others, convinced he jumped the start. It didn’t faze Reif, who wheeled his car back to the lead on the backstretch of the last lap to win at Phoenix.
This race saw a little bit of everything: great, good, bad and ugly, earning it the final spot in these rankings.
Excited to watch more ARCA racing? Great – the East and West will both be in action on Saturday, May 2. The East will be at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway with its green flag set to fly at 9 p.m. ET while the West race will begin later at 11:30 p.m. ET at Shasta Speedway. Both races will be broadcast live on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel.
Then, the national division will go to its first road course of the season at Watkins Glen International on Friday, May 8. That race will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage provided by FOX Sports 2.
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.