East Series Set To Return To Buckeye State

The East Series has a storied history racing up and down the eastern seaboard since the series’ inception in 1987, first as the NASCAR Busch North Series and then later under the expanded East banner.

The series will return to Ohio Saturday in its inaugural year as the ARCA Menards Series, with the Herr’s Potato Chips 200 Presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway. Fans can watch the race live and for free through Trackpass on NBC Gold.

It will mark the third Ohio oval the series’ has run at.

Most recently, the East ran at the now-closed Columbus Motor Speedway. The series made six trips between 2011-2016 to the third third-mile circular layout that had been located just north of the I-270 loop on the south side of Columbus.

Bubba Wallace took the win in the first race on the driving the No. 6 U.S. Army Toyota for Rev Racing. Alex Bowman, Brett Moffitt, Matt DiBenedetto, Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott second through sixth.

In 2012, Cale Conley turned the tables on Moffitt and Wallace as he snared his first career East win at his home track. Sergio Pena and Suarez again rounding out the top five.

After two fifth-place finishes, Suarez drove the No. 6 Toyota Racing Development Toyota to Victory Lane in 2013 over Cale Conley. In 2014, Pena gave Rev Racing its third win as he edged Cameron Hayley and Ben Rhodes. The following year, two-time Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals winner Rico Abreu won his first NASCAR race by .103 seconds over Grant Quinlan.

The series’ final visit, in 2016, was won by Justin Haley over 2017 ARCA Menards Series champion Austin Theriault, Collin Cabre, Harrison Burton, and Noah Gragson.

RACING-REFERENCE: Mansfield | Columbus

In 2007 and 2008, Mansfield Motorsports Park hosted a pair of 150 lappers, which were paired with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Sean Caisse took the first one in 2007 from the pole over series veteran Matt Kobyluck and eventual 2007 East champion Joey Logano.

Brian Ickler, who was 11th in the race for Bill McAnally Racing, came back the following year and won the race in his family-owned car over 2008 champion Kobyluck and Peyton Sellers. Austin Dollon finished sixth in that race.

In addition to the East and Modified tours, Mansfield also hosted NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series races, NASCAR Midwest Tour for super late models, and a pair of races for the ARCA Menards Series won by Parker Kligerman and Max Gresham.

Although the East Series has yet to race at Toledo Speedway, the ARCA Menards Series has raced on the high-banked half-mile 77 times since 1963. Iggy Katona won the series’ first visit at Toledo, with other notable winners including Benny Parsons, local legend Joy Fair, series champions Scott Stovall, Bill Venturini, Bob Keselowski, and Bobby Bowsher, and ARCA’s all-time leading winner Frank Kimmel, who earned his first series win and the first of ten Toledo wins in May, 1994.

Chandler Smith took the win at Toledo in 2019.