Two years ago, Conner Popplewell made his lone ARCA Menards Series start at his home track of Salem Speedway with one goal in mind; just finish the race.
Popplewell exceeded his own expectations, surviving an attrition-filled evening to secure a solid fifth-place performance.
Since then, Popplewell has diligently searched for another opportunity to display his talent on the ARCA Menards Series platform. That pursuit ultimately guided Popplewell to MAN Motorsports for Saturday’s race at Salem, the same program he drove for in his ARCA Menards Series debut back in 2023.
With the extended preparation that has gone into the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200, Popplewell is confident he can put together another stellar drive in front of the local Salem fanbase.
“We were fortunate to go and test at Winchester [Speedway],” Popplewell said. “We laid down some good laps and got the car feeling how I wanted it to feel. Hunter Wright did a great job getting [the car] to where it needed to be [as well], so I think we’ll have a good piece for Salem.”
Simply making the starting grid for the 2023 Atlas 200 was a special moment for Popplewell in its own regard. His father Mike had attempted to qualify for three ARCA Menards Series events in 2005 between Bob Schacht and Robert Locke but was unsuccessful each time.
Popplewell followed in his father’s footsteps by starting his career in go-karts at the age of six After spending several years in Legends competition, Popplewell became a regular in Salem’s Street Stock division, where he would regularly go up against veterans like Chuck Barnes Jr. and Will Kimmel.
The competitive depth and lack of grip prevalent in the Street Stocks was equal parts arduous and enthralling for Popplewell. Every race was a constant battle, but they allowed Popplewell to refine his driving style and acquire a baseline understanding of how to navigate Salem’s steep, abrasive layout.
All those qualities aided Popplewell when it came time to tackle his first ARCA Menards Series event at Salem.
“There is no place like Salem,” Popplewell said. “You can compare Winchester and Bristol [Motor Speedway] to it, but those two facilities are a lot smoother than Salem is. It’s very bumpy, very rough and you have to be up against the wall in [turns] three and four to be good around there.”
Even though Popplewell finished two laps behind the race winner Jesse Love during that race, he was more than proud of the effort he and MAN Motorsports exerted to get a fifth-place finish. Mark Noble, who owns MAN Motorsports wanted to give Popplewell another shot in his car afterwards, but it took until this weekend for funding to materialize.
A lot has changed for MAN Motorsports since Popplewell last drove for them. The program has garnered two more top five finishes in the ARCA Menards Series East with Hunter Wright behind the wheel, who also drove their No. 95 to a top 10 finish in the national series at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July.
Wright already possesses some familiarity with Popplewell, having competed against him in Legends cars during his formative years. As MAN Motorsports’ crew chief for Salem, Wright intends to exchange plenty of ideas with Popplewell but also plans to lean into his driver’s strengths at the facility.
“[Popplewell] is aggressive when he needs to be, but I don’t ever remember him being overly aggressive and having to worry about tearing the car up early in the race,” Wright said. “He gave me some pretty good feedback [at Winchester] and were able to get a little bit better. Salem is a totally different race track, so hopefully I can get him what he needs.
“I’m not too worried about him being shy to go up there and make a move when he needs to.”
Wright’s experience as an accomplished Pro Late Model driver is the not the only advantage Popplewell has going for him ahead of his second ARCA Menards Series start. The equipment being used by MAN Motorsports is more modern and efficient compared to 2023, which gives Popplewell plenty of optimism about being competitive on Saturday.
Despite this, replicating what he did at Salem two years ago is not going to be an easy feat for Popplewell. The field for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 features many of the same established teams Popplewell faced from 2023 such as Joe Gibbs Racing, which led every lap at Salem last season with William Sawalich behind the wheel.
Popplewell has faith in himself and MAN Motorsports’ No. 95 Red Ball Recycling/Green Tree Real Estate Toyota, but also understands the caliber of competition he is going up against. Enjoying another solid outing at Salem will require Popplewell to exert patience and get the most out of his equipment.
“I would like to do better than I did last time,” Popplewell said. “If we can finish better than fifth, especially on the lead lap, I would be more than happy with that. I go to every race to win, so I’ll be going with a lot of confidence and wanting to win this race.
“I know I can do well up against these guys, but I just need to keep pushing forward no matter what happens.”
Like Popplewell, Wright knows it will be a grind to stay on the lead lap depending on how quick of a pace the leader sets. Wright has completed every lap in two of three races he has entered on the ARCA Menards Series platform this year, so he anticipates a similar outcome with Popplewell on Saturday given his acquaintance with Salem’s layout.
At the very least, Wright hopes Popplewell can match his previous top five
“Our main goal every race is to not get lapped by the Gibbs car,” Wright said. “They are just so far ahead of everybody else. Not getting lapped is going to be our number one and obvious goal. If we can find a way to get up to the top five by the end of the race, that would be a really good night for us.
“I’m pretty confident Conner is going to be comfortable and I think we’ve gone a little bit more in the right direction even with what we’ve changed since IRP.”
For Popplewell, he is not content with simply obtaining another top five, he wants a win. During his time at Salem, Popplewell has earned victories in a Legend, 602 Super Car and a Street Stock. An ARCA Menards Series checkered flag there is one of the last major items for him to check off.
Popplewell does not know when his next chance to run an ARCA Menards Series race will be after Saturday, so he is going into Salem determined to defy the odds and celebrate a cathartic victory at the track that shaped him into the driver he is today.
“[A win] would mean everything to me,” Popplewell said. “It would be everything that I’ve been working towards over 16 years. It’s my Daytona 500. I don’t get to race every weekend as some guys get to do, [so] I’m going to make the best of it.
“I’m going to give it my all.”
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