It was another big weekend for graduates of the ARCA Menards Series platform as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series visited Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Saturday featured a doubleheader, with 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion Christian Eckes picking up his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win. Eckes made the move the to multi-time ARCA Menards Series West championship-winning team owner Bill McAnally’s team in the off-season, and the win was the first in the series for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.
Reigning ARCA Menards Series champion Nick Sanchez recovered from a mid-race incident that saw him go sliding through the frontstretch grass to finish an impressive second. Sanchez led 11 laps, and only gave up the lead to Eckes with three laps remaining.
Ben Rhodes, the 2014 ARCA Menards Series East champion who is teamed with 2013 ARCA Menards Series champion crew chief Jeriod Prince in 2023, was in the mix on the final lap, but brushed the wall coming out turn four coming to the checkered and fell to fifth at the finish.
Five-time ARCA Menards East winner Austin Hill continued his hot streak in 2023, picking up his third win in five starts in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Hill dominated, leading the final 64 laps on his way to the win but it wasn’t without challenge. Parker Kligerman, a ten-time ARCA Menards Series winner who finished second in the 2009 championship standings as a rookie, made a charge on the final lap, but was spun after a push from Daniel Hemric went awry, allowing Hill to scoot away to the win.
Hemric slipped by for second, with two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion Ryan Truex coming home in third. Kligerman crossed the line backwards in fourth, and two-time ARCA Menards Series winner Riley Herbst rounded out the top five.
It was another ARCA Menards Series East champion in victory lane on Sunday with Joey Logano picking up his first checkered flag of 2023. Logano also dominated throughout the day, leading 140 laps from the pole, but he had to make a last-lap pass on Brad Keselowski to take the win. Three-time ARCA Menards Series winner Christopher Bell finished third, and 2012 East championship runner-up Corey LaJoie earned his best career Cup Series finish in fourth.
The ARCA Menards Series East returns to action on Saturday, March 25 with its season opener, the Pensacola 200 at Five Flags Speedway. The race will be streamed live on FloRacing, and ARCARacing.com will have live timing and scoring throughout the day’s on-track activities. Follow @ARCA_Racing on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates.
