PIT BOX: Championship Race Wide-Open At Kansas

In most sports, eight points is nothing — a mere touchdown and a two-point conversion in football or a quick scoring run in basketball. Auto racing is no different. Such a slim margin is the difference between ARCA Menards Series points leader Bret Holmes and second-place Michael Self heading into the season finale.

In other words, the 2020 championship is completely up for grabs.

The final race of the season will take place Friday when Kansas Speedway hosts the Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation.

The race will air live on FS1 (5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET).

Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

The 23-year-old Holmes and the 29-year-old Self have been exchanging the ARCA Menards Series points lead all season, so it’s fitting that the title will be decided at Kansas.

Because there will be no qualifying ahead of Friday night’s race, we know Holmes’ No. 23 Golden Eagle Syrup Chevrolet will start second ahead of Self’s No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Chevrolet in third based on team owner standings.

Holmes’ third front-row start of the ARCA Menards Series season is a welcome development for a driver who feels good about his chances to leave Kansas as champion.

“Kansas is a good track for us, and the mile-and-a-halves, the speedways have just been phenomenal for us,” said Holmes after his third-place finish at Springfield a couple weeks ago. “We’ve brought the best car every race.

“I think getting clean air there, getting out front and not making any mistakes, and just making sure we’ve got everything, all nuts and bolts inside on it, we’ll be good.”

Holmes’ confidence is warranted, as he won the Dawn 150 when the series visited Kansas Speedway in July. Self finished sixth in that race, but that was his worst result in five ARCA Menards Series starts at the 1.5 mile paved oval. Self has a win at the track (in 2017) to go with a second-place finish and a pair of thirds.

Self’s relative success over the last five years at Kansas suggests what happened to him in last season’s ARCA Menards Series season finale could happen to Holmes on Friday. Self in 2019 held a slim points lead over Christian Eckes going into Kansas, but lost the title when he finished second and the latter won the race.

The question for Friday is whether Holmes can keep recent history from repeating itself.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series races at Kansas
• ARCA Menards Series drivers’ career stats at Kanasas
• 2020 ARCA Menards Series Standings 

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | MEDIA GUIDE

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation is limited to 30 plus provisional positions. This event will be run under the 2020 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: There is no qualifying for the Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation. The field will be set by 2020 car owner points plus provisionals.

RACE PIT STOP: No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started. A maximum four (4) crew members may service car. No tires and fuel may be added outside of the break.

The Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation will be 100 laps (150 miles) and is to be run in three (3) segments. The race will have the first break, at or near the conclusion of Lap 30; and a second break, at or near the conclusion of Lap 60. At the conclusion of the break(s), vehicles will line up in the order they were running at the beginning of the break.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is eight (8).