Christian Eckes and Michael Self Battle for ARCA Menards Series Championship; Race to be Shown Live on MAVTV

All that separates two drivers from the ARCA Menards Series championship is 100 laps and 15 points.

On one side is rising young star Christian Eckes (No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota), who has surged into the lead on the strength of two wins and four runner-up finishes in his last six starts. On the other is veteran driver Michael Self, who has four wins as he chases his first championship.

They’ll settle the title Friday evening at Kansas Speedway in the ARCA Kansas 150. The race will air live on MAVTV and, for the first time, it will stream live on NASCAR.com, beginning at 8:30 pm ET. The race will also air on same-day delay on FS1 following the conclusion of the American League Championship Series game, at approximately 11 pm ET.

“This is a great opportunity for race fans to catch all the live ARCA Menards Series action on NASCAR.com and watch the culmination of a great championship battle,” said ARCA Menards Series president Ron Drager. “With all the great news coming out recently around the 2020 ARCA Menards Series, including a relaunch of ARCARacing.com, this is a perfect way to close out the season and look forward to exciting opportunities next year.”

NASCAR and ARCA recently announced the new format for the ARCA Menards Series, which will combine the current NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West and the ARCA Menards Series into a multiple championship format under ARCA Menards Series next year.

It was important, said Drager, to provide an integral development step for young drivers who aspire to move up to NASCAR’s three national series, as well as a highly competitive, professional level for short-track veterans.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Friday’s finale.

Eckes has three wins, 12 top-fives and 16 top-tens in driving for Venturini Motorsports. The 18-year-old from Middletown, New York, leads the ARCA Menards Series despite missing the third race of the season due to an illness. He’s also made ten starts over the last two years in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Most recently, he won the pole and finished third at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Self (No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota), has four wins, 13 top-fives and 14 top-10s. The 28-year-old from Park City, Utah, a veteran of 71 starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, finishing fourth in the West in 2013 and 2017. In 2013, he became the first West driver to win the annual NASCAR K&N Pro combination race at Iowa Speedway. Self also has seven wins in 38 starts in the ARCA Menards Series between 2014 and 2019, including winning the 2018 race at Daytona International Speedway and the 2017 season finale at Kansas Speedway.

“We have to be ahead of Christian if we are going to win the championship,” Self said. “Nothing that happened prior to this race really matters. It’s all about what happens in this race. We’re going to do what we’ve done all season long and go out and try to win. I like the style of racing on the big tracks. If we do that, we’ll have done all we can and we’ll see how it shakes out.”

Friday’s finale has plenty of star power in addition to the title tilt.

The field will include multi-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series race winner Hailie Deegan, 2018 ARCA Menards Series champion Sheldon Creed, and 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion Harrison Burton. Burton was announced Thursday as the driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for next year.

The ARCA Kansas 150 will get underway Friday with practice at 1 pm ET, followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 6 pm ET. ARCA for Me members can follow along with live timing & scoring of all on-track action exclusively at ARCARacing.com.