The ARCA Menards Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday afternoon for the Bush’s Beans 200, a combination event for the ARCA Menards Series, and ARCA Menards Series East. For the East Series, this race will mark the season finale, and at the end of the grueling short-track affair, one of the two dominant drivers in the series will be crowned the champion.
Heading into the race, Pinnacle Racing Group’s Connor Zilisch leads Joe Gibbs Racing’s William Sawalich by just 16 points, and with 34 cars on the entry list, a lot of points can be gained or lost by both drivers on Thursday night.
While the 0.533-mile high-banked concrete Bristol Motor Speedway is a tough animal, Zilisch is in control of his ARCA Menards Series East championship destiny.
If Zilisch fails to lead a lap and finishes 11th, and Sawalich scores maximum points on the day by winning the pole, leading the most laps, and winning the race, the two drivers will finish the season with the exact same point total. However, Zilisch would win the tie-breaker by having four wins this season. Sawalich can only bring his total to three with a win on Thursday night.
What this means is if the Zilisch can finish 11th or better he’ll supplant Sawalich as the East Series champion. If he finishes 12th or worse, he opens up the possibility of Sawalich repeating as champion in back-to-back seasons.
The question is, will Zilisch play it safe, or will he go for another win to close out his championship run? Trouble lurks around the corner under either scenario, so you’d imagine Zilisch will be full-on press for the win and championship. But he’s had several run-ins with his championship competitor Sawalich. Can the two teenagers coexist on Thursday night? We’ll see.
The Bristol race will also mark the 18th of 20 races in the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season. Heading into the race, a pair of Rev Racing teammates lead the championship standings.
Andres Perez de Lara leads Lavar Scott by 54 points for the championship. While neither driver has won yet this season, both drivers have displayed really good consistency. But as mentioned above, Thursday night’s race will be critical to both driver’s championship aspirations. With a 34-car entry list, there is a chance that Perez de Lara’s championship point lead either doubles or nearly evaporates by the end of the Bush’s Beans 200.
If both drivers slip up, there’s a chance that Venturini Motorsports’ Kris Wright, who is currently 75 points behind Perez de Lara in third, could creep back into the championship picture.
ARCA Menards Series Bush’s Beans 200 Entry List
| Entry | No. | Driver | Team | Crew Chief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Nate Moeller | Wayne Peterson Racing Peterson Motorsports Ford | Wayne Peterson |
| 2 | 1 | Jake Finch | Phoenix Racing Phoenix Construction Toyota | John Allen |
| 3 | 2 | Andres Perez de Lara | Rev Racing Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet | Glenn Parker |
| 4 | 03 | Alex Clubb | Clubb Racing Inc. Race Parts Liquidators / Misfit Productions Ford | Brian Clubb |
| 5 | 06 | Mitch Gibson | Wayne Peterson Racing Peterson Motorsports Toyota | Nate Moeller |
| 6 | 6 | Lavar Scott | Rev Racing Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet | Danny Johnson |
| 7 | 9 | Logan Misuraca | Rev Racing Clean Harbors Chevrolet | Jay Lupo |
| 8 | 10 | Cody Dennison | Fast Track Racing Timcast.com Toyota | Chris Vanscoy |
| 9 | 11 | Zachary Tinkle | Fast Track Racing Racing For Rescues Toyota | Todd Parrott |
| 10 | 12 | Eric Caudell | Fast Track Racing Wet Pets By Steve / Coble Enterprises / Doug Design Chevrolet | Nathan Davis |
| 11 | 15 | Kris Wright | Venturini Motorsports FNB Corporation Toyota | Larry Balsitis |
| 12 | 17 | Marco Andretti | Cook Racing Technologies Group 1001 Chevrolet | Sean Samuels |
| 13 | 18 | Williams Sawalich | Joe Gibbs Racing Starkey / Soundgear Toyota | Matt Ross |
| 14 | 20 | Gio Ruggiero | Venturini Motorsports JBL Toyota | Kevin Reed Jr |
| 15 | 22 | Amber Balcaen | Venturini Motorsports ICON Toyota | Jeff Spraker |
| 16 | 23 | Tyler Reif | Vegas Fastener Machine-SPS-Spencer Clark Foundtn | Joe Farre |
| 17 | 25 | Toni Breidinger | Venturini Motorsports Sunoco Toyota | Cayden Lapcevich |
| 18 | 27 | Tim Richmond | Richmond Motorsports Immigration Law Center Toyota | Adam Murphy |
| 19 | 28 | Connor Zilisch | Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet Performance / Silver Hare Development Chevrolet | Shane Huffman |
| 20 | 31 | Tim Goulet | Rise Motorsports Max Buchanan Foundation Chevrolet | Matthew Wright |
| 21 | 32 | Christian Rose | AM Racing West Virginia Department of Tourism Ford | Ryan London |
| 22 | 33 | Lawless Alan | Reaume Brothers Racing AutoParkIt Ford | Josh Reaume |
| 23 | 35 | Greg Van Alst | Greg Van Alst Motorsports Phil’s Heating And Air Ford | Jim Long |
| 24 | 39 | D.L. Wilson | CW Motorsports Heart O’ Texas Speedway / ETR Toyota | Riley Higgins |
| 25 | 48 | Brad Smith | Brad Smith Motorsports Copraya.com Ford | Terry Strange |
| 26 | 55 | Dean Thompson | Venturini Motorsports Thompson Pipe Group Toyota | Billy Venturini |
| 27 | 71 | Dawson Sutton | Chevrolet-Wheeler Trucking-Victory Custom Trailers | Mardy Lindley |
| 28 | 73 | Andy Jankowiak | KLAS Motorsports Acacia Energy Toyota | Mike Dayton |
| 29 | 82 | Corey Day | Pinnacle Racing Group Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet | Greg Ives |
| 30 | 93 | Brian Clubb | CW Motorsports Race Parts Liquidators / Misfit Productions Ford | Jeff Phillips |
| 31 | 95 | Andrew Patterson | MAN Motorsports Winsupply / SCS Gearbox Toyota | Tony Ponkauskas |
| 32 | 97 | Landen Lewis | CR7 Motorsports Grant County Mulch Chevrolet | Frank Kimmel |
| 33 | 98 | Dale Shearer | Shearer Speed Racing Shearer Speed Toyota | AJ Bruson |
| 34 | 99 | Michael Maples | Fast Track Racing Don Race Petroleum LLC / Maples Motorsports Chevrolet | Mike Sroufe |
