16‑year‑old Tristian McKee clinched the 2026 ARCA Menard’s Series East title at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Dominant run at Bristol
McKee, a Spire Motorsports development driver, entered the finale with a one‑point advantage over rising Joe Gibbs Racing star Max Reaves. He led the field for almost the entire race, maintaining his lead through every restart and finishing 3.8 seconds clear of Reaves, who eventually sat fourth.
Race outcomes and reactions
Carson Brown captured the victory by winning every lap of the race, while his Pinnacle Racing Group colleague McKee took the runner‑up spot. Reaves fell to seventh on the final restart but clawed back to fourth before the checkered flag. “It feels really good… it means a lot just to get a championship in Trans Am, and then in the lower levels of NASCAR starting out, so yeah, it’s definitely really cool,” McKee said, thanking Spire teammates and Chevrolet.
Throughout the eight‑race ARCA East schedule, McKee secured four victories and never finished worse than third, while the 16‑year‑old Reaves added two East wins of his own.
Truck Series debut and future plans
McKee made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut earlier in the season, earning back‑to‑back top‑tens: eighth at Richmond and sixth at Loudon. He will step into the Truck race at Bristol immediately after the East event.
Watch: Kyle Busch breaks out the broom after 2017 Bristol sweep.
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