PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Series East drivers prepare to conquer The Rock

After a successful return to Rockingham Speedway last season following a 13-year absence, the ARCA Menards Series East is set for a return engagement at one of North Carolina’s most cherished tracks this Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET live on FloRacing and The NASCAR Channel.

Built in 1965, the facility famously hosted the NASCAR Cup Series from 1965-2004 and has also welcomed other divisions such as the national ARCA Menards Series on five different occasions, most recently in 2010.

Following an extended period of inactivity, Rockingham welcomed fans back in 2025 with a tripleheader weekend featuring the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the East Series. Brent Crews was the victor in the East Series, leading 121 of 125 possible laps from the pole.

The second tripleheader weekend at Rockingham is poised to be just as exciting as the first. A fresh group of East Series competitors are set to make the trip to The Rock, determined to add their names to a prestigious list of drivers who have won their throughout the track’s six-decade history.

Tickets to the Rockingham ARCA Menards Series East 125 can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the second event of the 2026 East Series season.

Rockingham ARCA Menards Series East 125 at Rockingham Speedway

With Joe Gibbs Racing looking to go two-for-two in the ARCA Menards Series East at Rockingham Speedway, Max Reaves is seeking to start a new streak of his own.

Reaves saw his perfect three-race East Series record evaporate in the closing laps at Hickory Motor Speedway last Saturday night after being on the losing end of a tense battle between Landon S. Huffman and eventual winner Tristan McKee. Rockingham is a new track for Reaves, though excelling at venues for the first time was a hallmark of his stellar rookie year one season ago.

Finding his way to Victory Lane at Rockingham will require Reaves to stay one step ahead of the two Pinnacle Racing Group cars, driven this week by McKee and Carson Brown. After missing Hickory, Brown is back in PRG’s No. 28 Chevrolet, seeking to build upon a dominant wire-to-wire victory at Phoenix Raceway in early March.

Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cleetus McFarland, is on the entry list for Rockingham alongside his partner George Siciliano, or LS George. McFarland is seeking to enjoy a solid afternoon in Saturday’s East Series event prior to making his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with Richard Childress Racing later that day.

Siciliano is fresh off his own debut in the East Series, which saw him overcome an early off-track excursion to finish 13^th last weekend at Hickory. Rockingham will be a much different test for Siciliano in nearly every regard, so he will look to enjoy a clean afternoon in a Rette Jones Racing-prepared car alongside McFarland.

Dystany Spurlock is back in the No. 66 Foxtecca Ford for MBM Motorsports after putting together an impressive seventh-place run on the lead lap in her East Series debut at Hickory. Just like last week, gaining experience is going to be primary objective for Spurlock on Saturday as she tackles the high banks of Rockingham for the first time.

Other names set to compete at Rockingham this weekend include defending East Series champion Isaac Kitzmiller, two-time NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts champion Connor Hall, Gavan Boschele, Wesley Slimp, Cory Roper and Ryan Huff.

The complete entry list for the Rockingham ARCA Menards Series East 125 is available here.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series East races at Rockingham
• ARCA Menards Series East drivers at Rockingham

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 32 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 Timed Session qualifying procedure. 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 63. 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.