PIT BOX: An East Series champion will be crowned Thursday at The Last Great Colosseum of Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway, known by many in motorsports as “The Last Great Colosseum,” will once again be the site of a climatic conclusion to a championship on the ARCA Menards Series platform.

Since opening to the public in 1961, Bristol has been the center of numerous iconic moments throughout both NASCAR and sports history. The track’s layout and colisseum-like façade, which took shape during the late 1990s, has allowed Bristol to host college football events and an MLB game last August, known as the MLB Speedway Classic.

The ARCA Menards Series’ history at Bristol technically dates to 2012, when the ARCA Menards Series East was still under NASCAR sanctioning. When the East Series became part of the ARCA Menards Series banner in 2020, the national series visited Bristol for the first time as part of a combination event between the two divisions.

Since 2021, Bristol has served as the East Series finale, an event that features more obstacles than normal due to the steep, high-speed corners and an influx of competitors from the national ARCA Menards Series. The challenges and prestige Bristol offers make the complex a perfect location for an East Series champion to be crowned.

Tickets to the Bush’s Best 200 can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of Thursday’s race.

Bush’s Best 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway

Of all the gladiators looking to conquer “The Last Great Colosseum” on Thursday, the two entering Bristol atop the ARCA Menards Series East standings are Tristan McKee and Max Reaves.

McKee holds a one-point lead in the East Series standings following a strong campaign that has seen him win four of the seven this year. Another advantage McKee holds over Reaves going into Thursday is prior experience at Bristol, as McKee finished runner-up during his first start of any kind at the historic track in 2025.

The lone driver that bested McKee that day was Brent Crews in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, the same car Reaves will drive Thursday. JGR has clinched three East Series driver’s championships at Bristol over the past five years, so Reaves has plenty of established success on his side as he pursues a title and his third East Series win of the year.

There is a third driver who is mathematically eligible for the East Series title given the size of Thursday’s field: reigning champion Isaac Kitzmiller. Kitzmiller has yet to find Victory Lane across the ARCA Menards Series platform, but seven combined top fives this year have him riding momentum going into Bristol.

Thursday’s Bush’s Best 200 also serves as the penultimate event of the national ARCA Menards Series season. Jake Bollman departed Salem Speedway with a 13-point advantage over his Nitro Motorsports teammate, Thomas Annunziata, who unlike Bollman has a prior start at Bristol in 2025, which saw him claim a top-five finish.

The title contenders in both the national and East Series will have plenty of talented names standing in the way of their respective pursuits Thursday. Among them is Kaden Honeycutt in the same No. 17 for Cook Racing Technologies with which he won at Watkins Glen International and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park earlier this season.

Other names seeking to conquer “The Last Great Colosseum” include Jake Finch, Andy Jankowiak, Jade Avedisian, Gavan Boschele, Ty Fredrickson, Zachary Tinkle, Taylor Mayhew, Bobby Earnhardt and Brad Perez.

The complete entry list for the Bush’s Best 200 will be released later this week.

RACING REFERENCE:

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

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 lineup set by speeds in Timed Session qualifying, plus provisionals. No adjustments or repairs may be made on car after leaving pit road to qualify. All cars must make a qualifying attempt, and all drivers must practice before they can qualify (EIRI).

RACE PIT STOP: Break pit stop procedure. Break at or near lap 100. 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.