Isaac Kitzmiller’s clean, methodical rookie season translates to an East Series championship

With a 19-point advantage over Tyler Reif entering the Bush’s Beans 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, all Isaac Kitzmiller needed was a smooth, trouble-free day to secure the 2025 ARCA Menards Series East title.

Consistency has followed Kitzmiller throughout his debut season on the ARCA Menards Series platform. All seven of his prior East Series starts resulted in a top-10 finish, which enabled Kitzmiller to increase his advantage while tackling several tough tracks.

Bristol provided Kitzmiller plenty of challenges in his first trip to the half-mile high banks, but he stayed composed around the Last Great Coliseum to formally wrap up a championship conquest in the East Series at just 15 years of age.

Given his inexperience in full-bodied stock cars at the beginning of the year, the journey to this point bring’s Kitzmiller disbelief.

“This year has been a learning curve,” Kitzmiller said. “Entering Pensacola, I wasn’t thinking we would be competing for the championship. I had no laps in the ARCA car, and it took me by surprise getting the points lead halfway through the season. I just tried to put myself in the best positions and not really points race.”

Having developed his craft in Legends competition alongside names like Keelan Harvick, Max Reaves, Landen Lewis and others, Kitzmiller was excited by the prospect of contesting all eight races on the East Series schedule in 2025.

Kitzmiller knew a title would not come easy. Not only would he be turning laps on tracks much larger than the bullrings with which he was familiar, but Kitzmiller needed to find a cadence in an ARCA Menards Series chassis with more horsepower and more aerodynamics at play.

Kitzmiller also had a full slate of Pro Late Model events in 2025 to balance his East Series commitments. Every lap Kitzmiller turned got him more comfortable with the full-bodied cars, which gradually bolstered his confidence around the idea of an East Series championship.

“The biggest difference was the size,” Kitzmiller said. “The Legends cars are obviously a lot smaller, so I had to get used to the full-bodied stock car and the weight transfer of the ARCA cars. They are super heavy and roll over a lot more on the right side in the corners. I like the Legend car a lot, but the ARCA car is really fun.”

The support system surrounding Kitzmiller made his transition into stock cars more seamless. Along with having Ron Hornaday Jr. as a mentor through Team Hornaday Development, Kitzmiller found himself with CR7 Motorsports — the organization for which his father Jason drivers — for the 2025 East Series season.

Jason’s ARCA Menards Series debut at Daytona International Speedway in 2020 was the moment his son became interested in becoming a driver himself. During Isaac’s journey through the developmental ladder, Jason has encouraged him to absorb information from the resources at his disposal, all while staying patient both on and off the track.

The astute, methodical mindset Isaac adopted kept him out of trouble all season and guided him to an East Series title, something Jason did not initially anticipate. With how relatively new Isaac is to motorsports compared to other prospects, Jason is thrilled with how much his son has progressed in a short amount of time.

“It’s amazing to think that just three years ago, [Isaac] was taking his first Legends test,” Jason said. “He’s made big strides this year and has been real competitive. A lot of the kids he’s racing have been racing for six, eight or 10 years, so he’s had to overcome that and make up for starting a little late.”

Jason got to witness that improvement firsthand when he shared the track with Isaac in an ARCA Menards Series event for the first time at Dover Motor Speedway in July. The younger Kitzmiller showcased a veteran’s poise through all 150 laps and brought his car home fourth for what served as his national debut.

Aside from Kitzmiller claiming the East Series title, Dover was his highlight in 2025. Deciphering a track known for being unforgiving to even the most seasoned NASCAR competitors was rewarding to Kitzmiller, who proved to himself he could hold his own on the big tracks.

“Dover was a super tough track to learn, especially in practice only getting 45 minutes,” he said. “Having to carry that much throttle time, it was hard to tell myself to almost stay wide open, but getting a fourth-place finish out of Dover was super cool, and our team showed a lot of speed, which was awesome.

“[My dad and I] also raced nose-to-tail for about 20 laps, so that was also really cool.”

For Kitzmiller, the strong run at Dover paled in comparison to holding the East Series championship trophy. He was proud to share that moment not only with his CR7 crew, but with his father, the inspiration behind his burgeoning career.

There are several areas Jason knows Isaac still needs to refine, but he can’t help but find pride in what his son has already accomplished in stock cars. If Isaac can continue building upon everything that worked in the East Series this season, Jason is confident many years of success are ahead.

“We made the decision to run ARCA East this year to go out, run these tracks and try to build on this year for next year,” Jason said. “[Isaac’s] done very well and has been blessed with good finishes. [An East Series] championship is not something I’m shocked about, but I’m pleasantly surprised about.”

Kitzmiller’s consistent campaign enabled him to join a notable list of names that possess East Series titles. Among them are NASCAR Cup Series champions Joey Logano and Kyle Larson, along with William Byron, Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith and William Sawalich.

Although Kitzmiller hoped for better results or even a victory to complement his title, he is not losing sight of what he achieved in 2025. His goal entering the year was to gain experience, but he exceeded his own expectations by adhering to a principle that has followed him since he first climbed into a Legends car: staying consistent.

“It’s been a really big learning process,” Kitzmiller said. “From not getting any laps in prior years, I feel like we’ve done pretty good. CR7 has brought really good cars, and not wrecking cars is a super big thing. We can bring the cars back to the shop and work on them even more; that’s been the biggest thing.”

An East Series title is only an opening chapter in what Kitzmiller hopes is a long story across the ARCA Menards Series platform and eventually NASCAR. Plenty is ahead for Kitzmiller, especially if he continues to display his championship composure.