A quick glance at the list of 2024 ARCA Menards Series East race winners paints the picture for Thursday evening’s season finale at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway.
Of the seven East Series races contested thus far this season, championship points leader Connor Zilisch, the ARCA rookie sensation who’s set to drive for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025, has won four. Defending East Series champion William Sawalich is the only other multi-race winner with his pair of checkered flags in 2024.
That, plus the remarkable consistency Zilisch and Sawalich have displayed this season, is why the two are in contention for the championship as the season-ending Bush’s Beans 200 arrives.
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For Zilisch, the scenario to secure his first ARCA platform title is simple: If he finishes 11th or better at Bristol, he will win the championship regardless of how Sawalich performs and finishes. Sawalich’s max point total for the season is 399. That paired with an 11th-place finish for Zilisch (with no bonus points) would place the two in a tie, and Zilisch wins all tiebreakers by virtue of his superior number of race wins.
Zilisch finishing 12th or worse at Bristol would open the door for Sawalich to take a second consecutive title.
The good news for Zilisch, the driver of the No. 28 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet: He has not finished outside the top four in a East Series race this year. He finished fourth (Pensacola), third (Nashville Fairgrounds) and second (Milwaukee Mile) in the races he did not win.
Sawalich, of course, has been equally impressive driving the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. With the exception of his 17th-place finish at Dover Motor Speedway, the result of a late accident, his worst East Series finish this year is his third-place run at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Based on a projected 34-car field for Thursday’s Bush’s Beans 200 at Bristol, below are all of the points scenarios, bonus points included, for both Zilisch and Sawalich. The ARCA Menards Series awards bonus points for the General Tire Pole Award (one point), leading a lap (one point) and leading the most laps (one point).
Bristol points scenarios for ARCA Menards Series East championship
(Table does not account for the 50-point bonus drivers will receive for completing a full season)
ARCA Menards Series points tiebreaker procedure
In the event two or more drivers have the same number of points, the tiebreaker in points shall be determined based on current season events in the respective series in the following order:
- Events entered and competed in
- Most victories
- Most top five-five finishes
- Most top-10 finishes
- Most poles
- Average finishing position
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