PIT BOX: An increasingly tight East Series championship battle rolls into Flat Rock Speedway

The final standalone event on the 2026 ARCA Menards Series East schedule takes place this weekend in the sanctioning body’s backyard at Michigan’s Flat Rock Speedway.

When the ARCA Menards Series was founded in 1953 as MARC, Flat Rock was among the tracks featured during the platform’s inaugural campaign, hosting a doubleheader in September. Flat Rock became more predominantly featured on the ARCA Menards Series schedule during the 1960s, a relationship that lasted until the turn of the century.

Following a prolonged absence, Flat Rock became a part of the ARCA Menards Series platform once again in 2023 as an East Series event. The first three East Series races at Flat Rock took place in the middle of May, but Saturday’s Sunbelt Rentals 150 marks the first time an ARCA Menards Series race of any kind there will take place in August since 1998.

Only a quarter mile in length, Flat Rock is the smallest track East Series competitors will see all season. As the last opportunity to earn an East Series victory before sharing the track with the national ARCA Menards Series drivers the rest of the season, the action is expected to be intense and frantic through all 150 laps Saturday.

Tickets to Saturday’s Sunbelt Rentals 150 at Flat Rock Speedway can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the sixth ARCA Menards Series East race of the year.

Sunbelt Rentals 150 at Flat Rock Speedway

With three races remaining on the 2026 ARCA Menards Series East schedule, the top two in the standings are separated by just three points.

Max Reaves took the points lead last weekend at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park despite enduring a tough afternoon that saw him get collected in two wrecks. Flat Rock presents a great chance for Reaves to rebuild his momentum, as he led 144 of 150 laps at the Michigan short track in 2025 to earn his third and final East Series victory that season.

Tristan McKee fell to second in the standings after an early crash at Lucas Oil IRP that saw him and Reaves tangle while trying to get around lapped traffic. Despite this, McKee still holds the most victories in the East Series this year with three and will look to bounce back from last Friday in his first visit to Flat Rock.

Defending East Series champion Isaac Kitzmiller remains within striking distance of Reaves and McKee, only trailing them by nine points. Kitzmiller has already improved upon his top-five total from 2025 with four in five races this season, but Flat Rock was the only track in which he did not complete all the laps during his title campaign.

Matt Kemp and Austin Vaughn head into Flat Rock seeking to back up their respective top-five finishes from last year’s race, this time as Maples Motorsports teammates. Kemp placed top 10 with the national ARCA Menards Series earlier this year at Berlin Raceway, while Vaughn has earned two top 10s across the platform at Elko Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway.

Other drivers set to make the trip to Flat Rock this weekend include Carson Brown, Quinn Davis, Jackson McLerran, Craig Pellegrini Jr., Toro Rodriguez and Alex Clubb.

The complete entry list for the Sunbelt Rentals 150 will be released later this week.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series East races at Flat Rock
• ARCA Menards Series East drivers at Flat Rock

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 22 starters, plus provisionals (EIRI). 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 (EIRI).

RACE PIT STOP: Pitting during any caution period in this event will be for making repairs and adjustments only, no tires can be changed unless approved by ARCA Officials. Positions will not be gained or lost among those pitting on the same lap unless penalty or going a lap down on pit road.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is 8.