As the NASCAR Playoffs continue through the Round of 8 for each of the three national touring series, 23 of the 24 drivers still alive in the battle for their respective series championships have experience on the ARCA Menards Series platform.
All eight drivers battling for titles in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series have ARCA platform experience, and seven of the eight in the NASCAR Xfinity Series are ARCA graduates.
ARCA Menards Series East champions Kyle Larson, William Byron and Joey Logano are still championship-eligible in the Cup Series. Three-time ARCA Menards Series race winner Christopher Bell is still in the hunt, as is Chase Elliott, who has wins in all three ARCA-sanctioned divisions.
Also racing for a Cup title is Tyler Reddick, who scored a 2012 East Series win at Rockingham, 2011 West Series winner at Phoenix Raceway Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin, who made two ARCA Menards Series starts early in his career, including a third-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in his series debut.
The Xfinity Series title chase is led by 2008 ARCA Menards Series champion Justin Allgaier, who is hunting his first series championship. Reigning Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer, who has wins across the ARCA Menards Series platform, five-time East Series race winner Austin Hill, 10-time ARCA Menards Series race winner Chandler Smith, two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion Sam Mayer, two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion and 2023 ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love, and two-time ARCA Menards Series East titlist Sammy Smith are all still alive in the Xfinity Series championship battle.
Corey Heim, a nine-time ARCA Menards Series race winner who finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series standings, leads the fight for the Truck Series title. He’s trailed by 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion Christian Eckes; 2016 ARCA Menards Series champion Grant Enfinger; three-time ARCA Menards Series race winner and five-time ASA Midwest Tour and 2024 ASA STARS National Tour champion Ty Majeski; Rajah Caruth, who scored nine top-five finishes in 25 career ARCA Menards Series starts with a best finish of second at Kansas Speedway in 2022; Taylor Gray, who has wins in all three ARCA Menards Series platform divisions; 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion Nick Sanchez; and 2018 ARCA Menards Series East champion Tyler Ankrum.
The NASCAR Playoffs continue this weekend with all three series in action at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The ARCA Menards Series West continues its season with its penultimate race at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.
![visit Sunoco3c [converted] website - opens in the same window](https://www.arcaracing.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2020/01/Sunoco3c-Converted-291x180.png "visit Sunoco3c [converted] website - opens in the same window")
