NOTEBOOK: Cleetus McFarland and LS George prepare to soar around Michigan International Speedway

When Garrett Mitchell and George Siciliano — known more commonly by their online personas Cleetus McFarland and LS George, respectively — arrived at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, they had one goal in mind: Fulfill a promise to their late friend Greg Biffle.

They did much more than just keep that promise.

McFarland possessed one of the strongest cars in the field that day, leading 19 laps before finishing second to Andy Jankowiak on a frantic last lap. Siciliano also performed well; he found himself inside the lead draft in the closing stages before he was taken out in a crash that collected 12 cars.

Now McFarland and Siciliano are set to tackle a superspeedway of a different kind, the two-mile complex of Michigan International Speedway.

PIT BOX: What to know for Friday’s race

While similar to Talladega in scale, no restrictor plates are utilized at Michigan, meaning both McFarland and Siciliano will have to rely more on their experience at intermediates rather than drafting tracks.

Of the eight starts McFarland has made across the ARCA Menards Series platform, three have been on intermediate tracks. The best of these performances came in his lone ARCA Menards Series East appearance to date at Rockingham Speedway earlier this year, when he finished fourth after starting seventh.

That same weekend, McFarland made his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with Richard Childress Racing before returning for last weekend’s event at Nashville Superspeedway. While the finishes were not to McFarland’s liking, he did gain valuable intermediate experience at the two facilities prior to Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200.

Once he is done with his ARCA Menards Series run Friday, McFarland will contest the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event in a Niece Motorsports chassis. This will serve as his second race with the organization after attempting the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.

As for McFarland’s partner-in-crime Siciliano, the transition into full-bodied stock cars is ongoing. Siciliano contested the first two events of the East Series schedule with Rette Jones Racing at Hickory Motor Speedway and Rockingham, where he worked through growing pains to earn finishes of 13^th and ninth, respectively.

The decent showings at those tracks were enough for Siciliano to garner approval for his national ARCA Menards Series debut at Kansas Speedway. Although he finished two laps down behind winner Gio Ruggiero, Siciliano kept his car in one piece and ultimately finished ahead of McFarland, who sustained a blown engine with 25 laps to go.

Siciliano is eyeing another solid showing in Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan, where he will look to score his first lead-lap finish on the platform. For McFarland, he seeks to carry the momentum from his runner-up at Talladega and put himself in a position to potentially earn his breakthrough victory.

Through every step of the process, McFarland and Siciliano intend to honor Biffle and the impact he continues to have on both NASCAR and the ARCA Menards Series.

Dystany Spurlock set for first superspeedway start

The next race on Dystany Spurlock’s schedule will be one of her toughest challenges in her ongoing transition into stock cars.

Spurlock’s most recent ARCA Menards Series start at Watkins Glen International was her largest circuit to date at 3.45 miles in length. Michigan International Speedway is only two miles long, but the complex features multiple grooves of racing, a draft and high speeds, concepts to which Spurlock is still acclimating.

Across her first four starts on the ARCA platform, Spurlock has been able to put together some solid performances. She recorded a top 10 in both her ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East debuts, with the Watkins Glen start being the only race she did not finish due to a broken rear axle seal.

It was also during the Watkins Glen weekend that Spurlock attempted to make history as the first Black woman to start a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, but inclement weather prevented her from qualifying. Spurlock did reach that milestone the following week at Dover Motor Speedway driving the No. 69 for MBM Motorsports.

Figuring out how to stay with the leaders at Michigan will be crucial for Spurlock if she wants to record another career highlight in her first ARCA Menards Series top five. With plenty of experience at MBM to rely on, Spurlock is determined to continue her solid start in stock cars.

Ryan Vargas looks to maintain championship aspirations

After six ARCA Menards Series events, Ryan Vargas sits second in the championship standings, ahead of drivers like Thomas Annunziata, Isabella Robusto and others.

Consistency has played a crucial role in where Vargas stands on the 2026 season. He opened the year with two eighth-place finishes at the drafting tracks of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway before earning his third top 10 of the year in the most recent ARCA Menards Series race at Toledo Speedway.

Vargas does not possess any DNFs on his 2026 resumé and has completed all but seven laps. The eventful journey for Vargas so far even saw him briefly use a different set of owner points at Watkins Glen International with Tyler Kicera using the No. 91, but he has continued to showcase a veteran’s composure with Maples Motorsports.

Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway plays into Vargas’ strengths but also features plenty of unknowns. The high speeds and aerodynamics of the ARCA Menards Series cars will create a draft, but Vargas will also need to figure out how to maintain pace with the leaders with slight off-throttle time in the corners.

While it is unknown if Vargas will be able to contest all the remaining events with Maples, he looks to stay in the ARCA Menards Series championship battle for at least one more week. Only 17 points behind Jake Bollman, Vargas could cut the deficit down to single digits with a strong run at Michigan.

Morgen Baird eyes another top 10 at home track

During his time in the ARCA Menards Series, Morgen Baird has recorded three top-10 finishes. All of them have come at Michigan International Speedway.

The 2023 outing was the most successful of the three for the Jackson, Michigan native. After starting in the 15^thposition, Baird methodically climbed his way through the field before taking home a career-best finish of sixth on the lead lap.

Since 2017, Baird has piloted a car for Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing each time the ARCA Menards Series has visited Michigan. That status quo changes this weekend, as Baird is moving over to drive the No. 19 Chevrolet as part of a three-car effort at Maples Motorsports that includes Michael Maples and Ryan Vargas.

Baird’s weekend at Michigan continues after the Henry Ford Health 200 with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race the following day, where he will pilot the No. 2 Ford for Team Reaume. Baird drove for Team Reaume in last year’s Michigan Truck Series race, but his day ended due to a crash on the 85^th lap.

Expectations are high for Baird at Michigan, but he hopes to start his weekend on a high note with Maples in the ARCA Menards Series. The field Baird is facing Friday is the largest for an ARCA Menards Series race since 2016, so patience will be imperative for him to obtain his fourth career top 10.

NOTES:

• Although he has yet to find Victory Lane on the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season, Jake Bollman holds the top spot in the points standings. Bollman only has one finish outside the top 10 so far but will look to break through at Michigan International Speedway on Friday so he can bolster his advantage.
• The last time the ARCA Menards Series visited an oval track two miles or larger, veteran Andy Jankowiak earned his first victory, in April at Talladega Superspeedway on a last-lap pass. Jankowiak is heading to Michigan International Speedway this weekend ready to shake off a disappointing 21^st place finish at Toledo Speedway.
• RAFA Racing Team, owned by former NASCAR driver Kevin Conway, returns to the ARCA Menards Series at Michigan International Speedway with Kyle Steckly behind the wheel. Steckly contested his first race with RAFA at Watkins Glen International but ended his rough afternoon in the 15^th position a lap down.
• After finishing 27^th in his ARCA Menards Series debut at Daytona International Speedway, Charles Weslowski is set to make his second series start in Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200. A dirt-track racer from the northeast, Weslowski will seek to finish inside the top 10 in his first visit to Michigan International Speedway.