BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - APRIL 09: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DeWalt Power Stack Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 09, 2023 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Another big weekend for ARCA graduates at Bristol Motor Speedway

www.arcaracing.com April 10, 2023

It was another big weekend for graduates of the ARCA Menards Series platform as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Cup Series took to the temporary dirt surface at Bristol Motor Speedway.

It was a dominant performance by former ARCA Menards Series East champion Joey Logano in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 150-lapper. Logano started fourth and worked his way to the lead by lap two, leading the next 39 laps. Logano would give up the lead to Matt DiBennedetto at the break for the end of the first stage, but he worked his way back to the top spot at lap 52 and led the rest of the way.

Logano beat three-time ARCA Menards Series winner and four-time ASA Midwest Tour late model champion Ty Majeski to the stripe, ahead of 2015 ARCA Menards Series East champion William Byron. Grant Enfinger, 2015 ARCA Menards Series champion and winner on the dirt at both DuQuoin (2014 & 2015) and Springfield (2017) finished fifth.

Jake Garcia, driving for multiple-time ARCA Menards Series West championship-winning owner Bill McAnally, finished sixth, 2016 ARCA Menards Series champion Chase Briscoe finished seventh, and former ARCA Menards Series East winner Tanner Gray was eighth.

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race was also top-loaded with ARCA Menards Series platform graduates.

Christopher Bell picked up the victory, holding off a late-race charge by Tyler Reddick to score the win. Bell is a three-time ARCA Menards Series winner while Reddick won the ARCA Menards Series East finale at Rockingham Speedway in 2012 in his first series start.

Austin Dillon, the 2008 ARCA Menards Series East championship runner-up and winner at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, finished third. Two-time ARCA Menards Series winner – and 2023 Daytona 500 champion – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth and Briscoe rounded out the top five.

Justin Haley, the 2016 ARCA Menards Series East champion was a season-best sixth, while two former ARCA Menards Series West champions – Todd Gilliland and Kevin Harvick – were eighth and ninth. Ty Gibbs, the 2021 ARCA Menards Series champion, rounded out the top ten.

The ARCA Menards Series returns to action on Saturday, April 22 in the General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway. The race will be televised live on FS1 starting at 12:30 p.m. ET. The ARCA Menards Series West returns the same day with the NAPA BlueDef 150 at Kern County Raceway Park, live on FloRacing at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT. The next race for the ARCA Menards Series East is the General Tire 125 at Dover Motor Speedway live on FloRacing on Friday, April 29 at 5:15 p.m. ET.