2026 ARCA East Championship Contenders: Who’s Got The Edge?

The ARCA Menards Series East season begins on Saturday, March 28, at Hickory Motor Speedway. Ten drivers will compete full time in all eight races, four of which are combination races with the ARCA Menards Series.

Ahead of the East season, why can each driver win the title, and what is their reason not?

Toby Blanton, driver of the No. 00 for JetDaddy Racing

Pro: Isaac Kitzmiller won the 2025 East title without any prior ARCA starts, and Toby Blanton debuted in the ARCA Menards Series West season opener this year. Blanton made three starts in the Super Cup Stock Car Series last year, scoring three top 10s. Jason Kitzmiller won that series title in 2022, so perhaps Blanton’s experience there will also translate well into ARCA. Blanton also participated in the ARCA preseason test at Daytona International Speedway, so he has shown a willingness to get up to speed.

Con: Who? Blanton’s ARCA East news flew completely under the radar. In the West series season opener, he finished second-to-last, completing less than half the laps before a mechanical failure ended his race. In addition, without any teammate or manufacturer support, this could be a tough season for him, as everyone else has teammates, manufacturer support, and or experience.

Craig Pellegrini Jr., driver of the No. 10 for Fast Track Racing

Pro: Craig Pellegrini Jr. is driving for 1995 ARCA champion Andy Hillenburg. FTR gave Zachary Tinkle a standout 2025 East season. Tinkle wheeled his FTR racecar to fourth in the points thanks to one top five and four top 10s. FTR entries finished fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth in owner points. Pellegrini has an experienced team behind him that enjoyed some success last year with four top fives and eight top 10s overall. If he can replicate those numbers, he’ll have a solid rookie year, too.

Con: Pellegrini has zero ARCA starts. He participated in the ARCA preseason test at Daytona and was 74th quickest out of 82 entrants. Based on my research, he hasn’t competed in a stock car before, racing predominantly in sprint cars. FTR also lacks top-tier equipment, which will be tough against Toyota-backed Max Reaves, defending champion Isaac Kitzmiller and the Chevrolet-backed Pinnacle Racing Group duo. All the unknowns are uphill challenges that Pellegrini must overcome in points racing this season.

Max Reaves, driver of the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing

Pro: Reaves is undefeated in his East starts. He won all three of his East starts in 2025, and JGR won six of the eight East races overall. Reaves started first in all three races and led 383 of his 450 laps. Reaves has looked impressive in his ARCA tenure, with six wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s and 996 laps led in 12 total platform starts. Furthermore, he won at Toledo Speedway, which was added to the East schedule. Also, he won twice at Hickory in Carolina Pro Late Model Series events in 2024, so he knows how to drive fast there. For the cherry on top, Reaves’ No. 18 team has won every East owner’s title since 2021, including four driver titles.

Con: The ARCA race at Phoenix Raceway showed Reaves cannot win all his races. His No. 18 Toyota was not handling to his liking, and as a result he finished ninth. Add in tougher full-time East regulars this year and Reaves will have more stout challengers in those standalone events. Furthermore, his wreck at Salem Speedway last year was due to his mistake, so he still has more to learn. While he is the favorite for the title, that’s why they run the races rather than decide the champion on paper.

Austin Vaughn, driver of the No. 19 for Maples Motorsports

Pro: Austin Vaughn finished fourth in points last year split between his family-owned team and MMS. Vaughn bested a Fast Track driver and Brad Smith in points, so he did well for an underdog. Full time with MMS, he is looking to improve. Based on his fifth-place showing at Flat Rock Speedway, he may be up to the task and challenge his competitors.

Con: Zero lead-lap finishes in 15 total series starts. He’ll earn points by logging laps, and MMS has shown glimpses of speed to begin 2026, but falling behind the leaders means he won’t be racing them for positions, but rather laps. Add to that, Vaughn has a 40% DNF record, and he’ll be losing points to other drivers.

Carson Brown, driver of the No. 28 for Pinnacle Racing Group

Pro: Carson Brown dominated the ARCA race at Phoenix, scoring the pole and leading every lap en route to victory. He’s incredibly talented, driving for PRG, which won the national division owner and drivers titles last year. Moreover, PRG won two East races in 2025 and has won five East trophies. Brown will be a contender in all his races, so he’ll accumulate many points. However, that leads us to…

Con: Brown is not running full time. Due to a scheduling conflict, he will miss Hickory. As such, he will not earn any points there and forfeit the first 50-point bonus for not competing in the first five races. That could be a maximum of a 99-point deficit. Mathematically, Brown would need to earn at least 14 more points per race than the series regulars. Counting on all series regulars to encounter problems, which would cost them significant points, throughout those seven races is an improbable wager. Brown very well could surprise with his results and surpass some series regulars, but missing one race will likely mathematically cost him the title.

Brad Smith, driver of the No. 48 for Brad Smith Motorsports

Pro: Do you believe in miracles? Because short of that, Smith stands no chance of winning the title. He likely won’t wreck his racecar, he will stay out of the way of the leaders, and he will earn points by being there, running some laps, and avoiding trouble. So, Smith should earn his fourth East top-10 points finish.

Con: To his credit, Smith will be the first one to tell you that he won’t win the title. The friendly underfunded underdog will tell you how ARCA racing costs have changed throughout the years and the challenges he faces. But four total top 10s in over 500 overall starts under the ARCA umbrella tell the real story. Smith’s No. 48 is at the racetrack. He just isn’t near the front.

Tristan McKee, driver of the No. 77 for Pinnacle Racing Group

Pro: Tristan McKee is fast. He won at Watkins Glen International last year and has seven top fives and 10s in eight ARCA series starts. He stayed close behind Brown at Phoenix, displaying his ability to run up front. PRG knows how to win and succeed; McKee may just be the first driver to win an East title for the team.

Con: McKee still lacks race craft, displayed at Martinsville Speedway last year. He also aggressively overdrove his racecar last year at Madison International Speedway which resulted in him wrecking his racecar early. So, whether McKee can learn race craft could be the difference in running fast and running wisely, and ultimately taking the crown.

Isaac Kitzmiller, driver of the No. 79 for CR7 Motorsports

Pro: Kitzmiller won the East title via his phenomenal consistency. He finished inside the top 10 in every start and nabbed three top fives, including a fourth in a combo race with the main series. He also began 2026 well by finishing seventh at Phoenix. His results, in theory, would improve as he visits racetracks for the second time. That would mean more top fives, earn more points and keep steady pressure on the other frontrunners. Kitzmiller will indeed be in the championship hunt.

Con: However, his East title came with zero laps led. Kitzmiller’s top fives were tied with Reaves, and PRG driver Brenden Queen earned one more top five as well. That data says Reaves and the PRG duo were faster than Kitzmiller. In a season-long points battle, he must step up his on-track results or he will be denied back-to-back titles.

Quinn Davis, driver of the No. 85 for City Garage Motorsports

Pro: Quinn Davis finished all her ARCA races last year. She also has stability this season with City Garage Motorsports fully supporting her. The team tested at Auburndale Speedway ahead of Hickory, so they are working hard to be successful. CGM marketing has been stellar. Keeping her racecar clean and being marketable should help Davis in her first full-time season.

Con: In her seven total ARCA series starts, Davis has one top 10, ninth in the ’25 East race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. CGM has made strides in its third year of competition, but it only has two top 10s. Its national series average finish is 19.3, not championship-caliber numbers. The organization also began this year poorly when Logan Misuraca failed to qualify at Daytona. Davis will earn valuable points in the standalone events, but this year will be one of learning for Davis and CGM, not contending for the title.

Michael Maples, driver of the No. 99 for Maples Motorsports

Pro: Michael Maples has experience and better racecars this year. Vaughn will provide MMS with more data, which should improve Maples’ performance. Maples’ average finishing position is better than his starting position so he knows how to wisely pilot a racecar throughout a race.

Con: However, two top 10s and one top 10 in his ARCA series career don’t scream champion. Instead, Maples has back-to-back top-10 main-series point finishes thanks to his participation and finishing most races. Unfortunately, those stats will not earn him the championship. His focus should be on lead-lap results; let the frontrunners’ mistakes gain him those extra points.

ARCA East will begin its season at Hickory on Saturday, March 28. The 200-lap race will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel.