NOTEBOOK: Reigning East Series champion Isaac Kitzmiller ready to tackle the Tricky Triangle

www.arcaracing.com June 10, 2026

In his brief time on the ARCA Menards Series platform so far, Isaac Kitzmiller has already tackled a bunch of diverse tracks when it comes to history and scale.

As far as size goes, none of them compare to the 2.5-mile, three-turn Pocono Raceway.

Now that he’s 16, larger tracks are going to become a steady part of Kitzmiller’s development in the ARCA Menards Series. Pocono presents an imposing test for the young prospect, but Kitzmiller believes all the preparation that has gone into Friday’s Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 (3 p.m. ET on FS1) will translate into a solid showing.

“Everyone at Wise Optimization, Scott Speed, Dan Stratton and Josh Wise, have really helped prepare me for this race,” Kitzmiller said. “I know my team is going to bring me a good car. A lot of people who work on my team have been really good [at Pocono] in the past with different cars, so I’m super excited.”

Kitzmiller is fresh off an ARCA Menards Series East title in his rookie season, which he accomplished by tallying three top fives and completing all but four laps. One accolade that eluded Kitzmiller on his championship campaign was a win, something he has been determined to change in 2026.

Aside from a 13th at Toledo Speedway in May, Kitzmiller’s results mirror the consistency he established in 2025, yet he finds himself third in the East Series points. Kitzmiller expressed frustration over setbacks within and outside of his control, especially since he knows he is more than capable of winning races with CR7 Motorsports.

Isaac Kitzmiller
As part of his ongoing development, Isaac Kitzmiller is embarking on an expanded 2026 ARCA Menards Series schedule that includes road courses and big oval tracks. (Photo: Bryan Bennett/ARCA Racing)

Pocono is a venue Kitzmiller has looked forward to since he found out it would be on his 2026 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Nothing about Pocono is intimidating to Kitzmiller prior to Friday’s race, from the high straightaway speeds and three unique corners to the chaotic restarts that often see drivers go five or event six-wide.

Given that his crew chief Frank Kimmel is a three-time ARCA Menards Series Pocono winner, Kitzmiller feels confident about grabbing his first top five in a standalone national race. A victory is the primary goal, but Kitzmiller wants to complete all the laps and continue earning respect amongst the veterans and fellow prospects.

More starts at big tracks are ahead for Kitzmiller as part of his ongoing journey into NASCAR. There are still many elements about aerodynamics that Kitzmiller is still learning, so he wants to take in a copious amount of information on Friday and use that to find a comfort zone on intermediates and superspeedways.

“I obviously want [the preparation] to pay off, but I want to see what I need to do better the next time I go back [to Pocono],” Kitzmiller said. “I’m really excited to work with the air and everything like that. I haven’t really gotten to do that much, but this [is a place] where I can work on side drafting, controlling the draft and other things like that.”

Dystany Spurlock
Dystany Spurlock is set to tackle her second consecutive oval track two miles or more in length on Friday at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Andrew Stein/NASCAR)

Dystany Spurlock heads to Pocono with a special paint scheme

After making her first start at an oval track two miles or larger last weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Dystany Spurlock will immediately tackle another track in similar stature in Pocono Raceway.

That said, the two complexes could not be more different. While Michigan is a more traditional oval that features progressive banking in the corners, Pocono’s triangular design offers no banking for drivers to utilize, a feature that has challenged both new and experienced competitors throughout its long history.

Spurlock does have some momentum on her side as she prepares to make her first trip to Pocono this weekend. A quiet-but-calm day for Spurlock at Michigan saw her come home with a lead-lap finish of 13th, which marked the first time she completed all the laps in a national ARCA Menards Series event.

For Pocono, Spurlock and MBM Motorsports will use a special scheme to commemorate Juneteenth. Having made history as the first Black woman to run both a NASCAR and ARCA Menard Series event, Spurlock looks to keep inspiring others on her own journey.

The transition from competitive drag racing to stock cars is still ongoing for Spurlock, but she has already put together several strong outings in her rookie campaign. Pocono is the next chapter for Spurlock, a track that will test her knowledge on restarts, aerodynamics and the draft.

Sean Corr
Sean Corr looks to follow up a top 10 at Talladega Superspeedway with a strong run at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Sean Corr set for third start of 2026 on Friday at Pocono

Friday’s Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 at Pocono Raceway will serve as a de facto home track race for veteran racer Sean Corr.

The Goshen, New York native has regularly made trips to Pocono every time the track has been on the ARCA Menards Series schedule. Pocono has been a challenging track for Corr at times, but he does have one top 10 there across 15 starts, a ninth he obtained during the 2021 season.

Primarily known as a superspeedway specialist, seven of Corr’s eight top-five finishes have occurred at either Daytona International Speedway or Talladega Superspeedway. The drafting tracks yielded mixed results for Corr this year; he was collected in a wreck at Daytona but did manage to finish seventh at Talladega.

Corr’s lone top five away from the drafting tracks happened last year, when he finished fifth at the Illinois State Fairgrounds after starting 20th. Another non-superspeedway top five is the goal for Corr at Pocono this weekend, though he faces plenty of challenges given the depth of the field and less reliance on the draft.

Even if a top five does not manifest for Corr, there is potential for him to eclipse his previous personal best Pocono run from five years ago. Doing so will require Corr to avoid trouble in his No. 8 Nesco Bus Sales Chevrolet and capitalize on restarts when they occur.

NOTES:

  • The most recent ARCA Menards Series Pocono Raceway event saw the Venturini Motorsports-owned No. 20 Toyota find Victory Lane with Jesse Love. Nitro Motorsports owns that ride now with Jake Bollman behind the wheel, and the ARCA Menards Series points leader looks to pick up where Venturini left off.
  • Two appearances in the national ARCA Menards Series for Lanie Buice in 2026 thus far ended with her placing fifth in Pinnacle Racing Group’s No. 77 Chevrolet. Pocono Raceway is another new track for Buice, but she enters the Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 will both confidence and momentum on her side.
  • Jade Avedisian is back with the national ARCA Menards Series for the first time since finishing seventh at Kansas Speedway in April. Although she has raced on plenty of road courses, Pocono Raceway will be the biggest track Avedisian has tackled to date, so she will look to gain valuable experience and bring home a strong run.
  • A 12th place finish at Michigan International Speedway caused Ryan Vargas to drop one spot to third in the ARCA Menards Series points standings. Vargas has enjoyed a consistent season as the anchor driver of Maples Motorsports No. 91 Ford and will search for a rebound at Pocono on Friday.