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Crowning a Champion: Previewing the ARCA/ARCA East Bush’s Beans 200 at Bristol

Bush's Beans 200 preview ARCA Menards Series ARCA Menards Series East race at Bristol Connor Zilisch vs William Sawalich Rev Racing Andres Perez de Lara Lavar Scott

Photo Credit: Tyson Gifford, TobyChristie.com

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

EntryNo.DriverTeamCrew Chief
10Nate MoellerWayne Peterson Racing
Peterson Motorsports
Ford
Wayne Peterson
21Jake FinchPhoenix Racing
Phoenix Construction
Toyota
John Allen
32Andres Perez de LaraRev Racing
Max Siegel Inc.
Chevrolet
Glenn Parker
403Alex ClubbClubb Racing Inc.
Race Parts Liquidators / Misfit Productions
Ford
Brian Clubb
506Mitch GibsonWayne Peterson Racing
Peterson Motorsports
Toyota
Nate Moeller
66Lavar ScottRev Racing
Max Siegel Inc.
Chevrolet
Danny Johnson
79Logan MisuracaRev Racing
Clean Harbors
Chevrolet
Jay Lupo
810Cody DennisonFast Track Racing
Timcast.com
Toyota
Chris Vanscoy
911Zachary TinkleFast Track Racing
Racing For Rescues
Toyota
Todd Parrott
1012Eric CaudellFast Track Racing
Wet Pets By Steve / Coble Enterprises / Doug Design
Chevrolet
Nathan Davis
1115Kris WrightVenturini Motorsports
FNB Corporation
Toyota
Larry Balsitis
1217Marco AndrettiCook Racing Technologies
Group 1001
Chevrolet
Sean Samuels
1318Williams SawalichJoe Gibbs Racing
Starkey / Soundgear
Toyota
Matt Ross
1420Gio RuggieroVenturini Motorsports
JBL
Toyota
Kevin Reed Jr
1522Amber BalcaenVenturini Motorsports
ICON
Toyota
Jeff Spraker
1623Tyler ReifVegas Fastener Machine-SPS-Spencer Clark FoundtnJoe Farre’
1725Toni BreidingerVenturini Motorsports
Sunoco
Toyota
Cayden Lapcevich
1827Tim RichmondRichmond Motorsports
Immigration Law Center
Toyota
Adam Murphy
1928Connor ZilischPinnacle Racing Group
Chevrolet Performance / Silver Hare Development
Chevrolet
Shane Huffman
2031Tim GouletRise Motorsports
Max Buchanan Foundation
Chevrolet
Matthew Wright
2132Christian RoseAM Racing
West Virginia Department of Tourism
Ford
Ryan London
2233Lawless AlanReaume Brothers Racing
AutoParkIt
Ford
Josh Reaume
2335Greg Van AlstGreg Van Alst Motorsports
Phil’s Heating And Air
Ford
Jim Long
2439D.L. WilsonCW Motorsports
Heart O’ Texas Speedway / ETR
Toyota
Riley Higgins
2548Brad SmithBrad Smith Motorsports
Copraya.com
Ford
Terry Strange
2655Dean ThompsonVenturini Motorsports
Thompson Pipe Group
Toyota
Billy Venturini
2771Dawson SuttonChevrolet-Wheeler Trucking-Victory Custom TrailersMardy Lindley
2873Andy JankowiakKLAS Motorsports
Acacia Energy
Toyota
Mike Dayton
2982Corey DayPinnacle Racing Group
Hendrickcars.com
Chevrolet
Greg Ives
3093Brian ClubbCW Motorsports
Race Parts Liquidators / Misfit Productions
Ford
Jeff Phillips
3195Andrew PattersonMAN Motorsports
Winsupply / SCS Gearbox
Toyota
Tony Ponkauskas
3297Landen LewisCR7 Motorsports
Grant County Mulch
Chevrolet
Frank Kimmel
3398Dale ShearerShearer Speed Racing
Shearer Speed
Toyota
AJ Bruson
3499Michael MaplesFast Track Racing
Don Race Petroleum LLC / Maples Motorsports
Chevrolet
Mike Sroufe
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