PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Series East makes inaugural visit to historic Hickory Motor Speedway

For the first time in its 39-year history, the ARCA Menards Series East will hold an event at the storied, half-mile Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday evening.

Known as “the Birthplace of the NASCAR stars,” many of the greatest stock-car drivers have turned laps around Hickory since the facility opened to the public back in 1952. The list of Hickory track champions includes names like Ned Jarrett, Harry Gant, Ralph Earnhardt, Jack Ingram, Tommy Houston and Josh Berry, among many others.

Saturday’s Cook Out 200 is set to be the only East Series event on Hickory’s old surface before the track undergoes an expected repave later this year. The abrasive nature of the track will provide East Series competitors a solid test to start out 2026, as they will need to conserve tires and figure out when to be aggressive.

A talented field of drivers is set to make the trip to Hickory this weekend for an opportunity to add to the track’s long list of prestigious winners. Among them are young prospects familiar to the East Series platform alongside other notable competitors seeking to make a strong impression in front of the local Hickory crowd.

Tickets to the Cook Out 200 can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series East opener.

Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway

In the three starts Max Reaves made during the 2025 ARCA Menards Series East season, he never lost.

With three additional national series victories also to his name, Reaves looks to carry that momentum into an East Series driver’s championship this year. Hickory is an ideal track for Reaves to kickstart his title pursuit with Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18, as he has previously visited Victory Lane there in a Pro Late Model.

The reigning East Series champion in Isaac Kitzmiller heads into 2026 eager to not only defend his title, but earn his maiden series victory. A seventh-place run in the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway was a strong start to Kitzmiller’s year, a performance he will need to replicate if he wishes to hold his own with Reaves.

Derek Kneeland, who spots for Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series, is set to pilot the No. 28 Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group in the Cook Out 200. Kneeland possesses an extensive racing background with plenty of starts across the northeast, but Saturday’s race at Hickory will serve as his official debut on the ARCA Menards Series platform.

Dystany Spurlock, known for her success in motorcycle drag racing, will make her first East Series start this weekend piloting the No. 66 for MBM Racing. Spurlock has been competing in Hickory’s local Limited Late Model class to prepare for Saturday’s Cook Out 200, scoring a solid fourth-place run in the second feature last Saturday.

Cleetus McFarland’s partner George Siciliano, better known by his stage name Squirrel McNutt, is also among the entrants for the inaugural East Series event at Hickory. Driving a car prepared by McFarland’s team in Rette Jones Racing, Siciliano looks to put together a clean, solid showing ahead of more planned starts later this year.

Other names set to compete at Hickory on Saturday include Tristan McKee, Connor Hall, Nick Tucker, Landon S. Huffman, Austin Vaughn and Brad Smith.

The complete entry list for the Cook Out 200 will be released later this week.

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 26 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2026 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap per the Single Car Qualifying procedure. No adjustments will be allowed after the car takes the green flag. All cars must make a qualifying attempt; all drivers must practice before they can qualify.

RACE PIT STOP: Break pitting procedure. Break at/or near the conclusion of lap 100. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is 12.