Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick (Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Race winners Tyler Reddick, Zane Smith among ARCA platform grads who found success at COTA

www.arcaracing.com March 28, 2023

Graduates of the ARCA Menards Series platform enjoyed another successful weekend in NASCAR national series competition, this time at Circuit of the Americas.

The weekend began with defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith scoring his second win of 2023 and his second consecutive win at COTA. Smith quickly moved through the field from his seventh starting position to lead for the first time just nine laps in. He would retake the lead at lap 28 and led to the finish, pacing a total of 16 of the race’s 42 laps.

Three-time ARCA Menards Series winner Kyle Busch finished second, with another three-time winner and four-time ASA Midwest Tour super late model champion Ty Majeski in third. Tyler Ankrum, the 2018 ARCA Menards Series East champion, finished fourth.

Corey Heim, who finished second in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings and won on the road course at Watkins Glen International that season – one of his nine career series wins – finished sixth, just ahead of defending series champion Nick Sanchez. East Series race winner Tanner Gray finished eighth while Ben Rhodes, 2014 ARCA Menards East champion, rounded out the top 10.

Four ARCA platform champions finished in the top five in the NASCAR Xfinity Series nightcap on Saturday, with 2015 East Series champion William Byron chasing winner A.J. Allmendinger across the finish line in second. Ty Gibbs, 2021 ARCA Menards Series titlist, was third, just in front of two-time defending East champion Sammy Smith, and 2008 ARCA Menards Series champ Justin Allgaier in fifth.

Another two-time East champion, Sam Mayer, finished seventh, with 2018 ARCA Menards Series champion Sheldon Creed in ninth, and two-time series winner and 2018 Bounty Rookie of the Year Riley Herbst in 10th. Herbst has had a strong start to his national series season, finishing in the top 10 in every start he’s made, including his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Daytona 500.

Tyler Reddick scored his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series win on Sunday, fighting off Kyle Busch over three overtime restarts to take the victory. Reddick won in his ARCA Menards Series East debut at Rockingham Speedway to close the 2012 season.

Busch was second, with 2012 ARCA Menards Series Rookie of the Year Alex Bowman in third. Bowman’s road crew has been bolstered by former ASA CRA Super Series champion and former ARCA Menards Series winner Travis Braden, who is now traveling with the Hendrick Motorsports team.

Byron was fifth, with former ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards East winner Austin Cindric in sixth, two-time ARCA winner Ricky Stenhouse in seventh, 2012 ARCA Menards Series champion Chris Buescher in eighth, 2021 champ Ty Gibbs in ninth, and two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion Todd Gilliland rounded out the top 10.