PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Series drivers return to pavement this weekend at Madison

Nestled in between the two dirt venues on the national ARCA Menards Series schedule is Madison International Speedway, a half-mile oval located in Oregon, Wisconsin.

Built in 1952, Madison has long been a staple of short-track racing culture in the Midwest. Along with hosting a plethora of events for divisions like the ASA National Tour and ARTGO Challenge Series during its lifetime, Madison was also briefly the site of the prestigious Slinger Nationals from 1992-96.

The list of winners at Madison includes many notable names such as Dick Trickle, Joe Shear, Butch Miller, Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Sammy Swindell and Matt Kenseth, among many others. All that storied history is why Madison is known as “The Track of Champions” to drivers and fans across the Midwest.

Another nickname Madison possesses is “Wisconsin’s Fastest Half Mile” due to its high-speed layout that features 18-degree banked turns. Madison is going to provide plenty of unique challenges for ARCA Menards Series competitors as they look to go to a Victory Lane that has seen many racing legends during the past seven decades.

Tickets to the Atlas 200 can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the 16^th race of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season.

Atlas 200 at Madison International Speedway

Fresh off a dominant — if not somewhat controversial — victory at the Illinois State Fairgrounds last weekend, Max Reaves is riding a wave of momentum into Madison International Speedway.

The first ARCA Menards Series start at Madison for Reaves last year was a successful one, as he led all but one lap from the outside pole to score what was then his second national ARCA Menards Series victory. If Reaves takes home another checkered flag Friday evening, he will eclipse the win total from his rookie season with his fourth on the year.

Pinnacle Racing Group looks to prevent another victory for Reaves on Friday with their two-car roster that consists of Tristan McKee and Carson Brown. McKee has two victories in the national ARCA Menards Series this season, but he also enters Madison having scored two top-10 finishes in his first two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts with Spire Motorsports.

Brown’s lone national ARCA Menards Series checkered flag came at Phoenix Raceway, which saw him lead all 157 laps. It has been over five months since Brown tallied that victory, but he finished inside the top five in his first seven national ARCA Menards Series starts, with that streak coming to an end at the Springfield Mile on Sunday following a late issue.

The ARCA Menards Series championship battle tightened even further following the Springfield Mile, with Jake Bollman holding the lead by just four points over Nitro Motorsports teammate Thomas Annunziata. Neither Bollman nor Annunziata have raced at Madison, so Friday’s Atlas 200 could very well be another turning point in their fight for the title.

Other drivers set to compete at Madison this weekend include Isaac Kitzmiller, Ty Fredrickson, Taylor Mayhew, Will Robinson, Austin Vaughn and Tony Cosentino.

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

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series races at Madison
• ARCA Menards Series drivers at Madison

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 26 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 leaves pit road. All cars must make a qualifying attempt; all drivers must practice before they can qualify (EIRI).

RACE PIT STOP: Break pit stop procedure. Break at or near the conclusion of laps 75 and 125. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, the maximum tire use at track (total, ‘from home’ plus purchased at track) for the event is 12.