PIT BOX: The bright lights of Salem Speedway await ARCA Menards Series competitors this weekend

No track has hosted more ARCA Menards Series events than Salem Speedway, a relationship that dates to 1955.

The 111^th ARCA Menards Series race at Salem on Saturday will carry extra significance in several regards. Not only is MUSCO Lighting unveiling a temporary lighting structure for Saturday’s Spruce 212, but the event will also air live on FOX, the second race of 2026 to be on the broadcast network following the February opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Salem has long tested many of the best drivers in motorsports history, not just those who compete in the ARCA Menards Series. One reason why Salem is so challenging is the 33 degrees of banking in the corners, which are steeper than Daytona’s turns and require competitors to exercise immense focus when navigating them.

Names like Jack Bowsher, Iggy Katona, Ramo Stott, Bobby Allison, Benny Parsons and Frank Kimmel are among those who have conquered Salem in an ARCA Menards Series race. Saturday presents a chance for the current generation of drivers to make history under the bright lights of Salem.

Tickets to the Spruce 212 can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the 18^th race of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season.

Spruce 212 at Salem Speedway

Pinnacle Racing Group will bring two cars to Salem Speedway on Saturday evening as the team looks to defend last year’s victory.

Driving the No. 28 Brenden Queen piloted to a Salem win in 2025 is Carson Brown, who is fresh off his second ARCA Menards Series victory of 2026 last week at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Brown has only one finish worse than third across 10 national starts this year, so he brings plenty of consistency and composure to one of the toughest tracks on the platform.

Joining Brown on the Pinnacle Racing Group driver roster is Tristan McKee, the current ARCA Menards Series East points leader. On the national side, McKee has three victories season, including his two most recent starts at Iowa Speedway and Madison International Speedway. Another triumph Saturday would be his fifth on the platform in 2026.

Max Reaves led 111 laps at Salem last year before his night ended early due to a crash. Reaves finds himself in the middle of a successful sophomore campaign on the ARCA Menards Series platform that includes three national victories. He’ll look to maintain that efficiency for his second Salem appearance this weekend.

No Kitzmillers will be in either of the CR7 Motorsports entries at Salem. Driving the No. 79 will be Matt Kemp, who has two top 10s with Fast Track Racing. Landon S. Huffman is back with CR7 in the No. 97; his most recent start with the organization at Chicagoland Speedway saw him take home a third-place finish.

Other drivers entered for this weekend’s race at Salem include Will Kimmel, Gavan Boschele, Taylor Mayhew, Austin Vaughn and Quinn Davis.

The complete entry list for the Spruce 212 is available here.

RACING REFERENCE:

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

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 28 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: Break pit stop procedure. Breaks at or near the conclusion of laps 75 and 150. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started. For this race only, breaks will be 6 minutes.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, the maximum tire use at track (total, ‘from home’ plus purchased at track) for the event is 14.