FLAT ROCK — In a finish that was not unexpected, 15-year-old Max Reaves continued his hot streak in the ARCA East Series on Saturday night, winning his third straight race in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment to begin his young career in the series. He is just the second driver in East Series history to win his first three races entered.

Reaves — a protege of NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte, who was at the track Saturday and signed autographs for a long line of fans — won the pole for Saturday’s Dutch Boy 150 and held off the hard-charging 17-year-old Tyler Reif, who kept him honest for the entire 150-lap distance. Reif managed to lead 6 laps on Saturday, but Reaves dominated with 144 laps led.

The win follows two earlier wins for Reaves at Five Flags Speedway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. He’ll aim to be come the first driver to win four straight races to start his East Series career when the series returns July 18 at Dover. That race will be televised live on FS1.

Others who fought hard all night and came home with solid finishes include Takuma Koga, who came all the way from Japan to race and took him an ARCA career-best 3rd-place finish. The driver was ecstatic after the race, proclaiming his love for short tracks and saying, “I love Detroit!” Koga battled for much of the race with East Series points leader Isaac Kitzmiller, who ended up 7th after a flat tire derailed his race.

Matt Kemp also had a strong night, qualifying 2nd and finished 4th, his first ARCA East top-5 finish. Austin Vaughn scored his first career ARCA Menards Series East top-5 finish in fifth. 

FLAT ROCK — History could be made tonight at Flat Rock Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series East, as Max Reaves aims to continue a dominant start to his career in the Dutch Boy 150.

Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and coming off two straight wins to start his series career at Five Flags Speedway and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, he is aiming to make it three straight victories tonight at Flat Rock, which would tie the series record for most consecutive wins to start a career in the series — held by road racer Will Rodgers, who won three straight starts in 2017 and 2018.

The series returns for the third straight year to Flat Rock, following victories by now-Xfinity regulars Connor Zilisch and William Sawalich. Along with the ARCA race, tonight’s action at Flat Rock will feature Street Stock and Factory Stock competition.

Other notes from tonight’s race:

— Isaac Kitzmiller, just 16 years old, comes into tonight’s Flat Rock race as the ARCA Menards Series East points leader. His team is receiving assistance from ARCA legend Frank Kimmel, who raced 15 times at Flat Rock and won twice in 1998 and 2000.

— Tyler Reif has three career ARCA Menards Series West victories and seeks his first ARCA East win tonight. In 2024, Reif won at the 0.375-mile Shasta Speedway and finished third at the quarter-mile All American Speedway, on his way to winning the West Series’ owner’s championship for Central Coast Racing.

— Zachary Tinkle sits second in the ARCA Menards Series East standings, the highest ranking in his career. He took home a career-best fourth-place finish at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

— Jackson McLerran makes his second start of the season, with two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief Todd Parrott overseeing his effort this weekend.

— Local favorite Jeffrey MacZink makes his first start of the season at Flat Rock. MacZink, who lives just a few miles from the track, started his racing career in the Street Stock division at the track.

— The 150-lap race will be run straight through will no scheduled breaks and no scheduled pit stops. The only pit stops will be for emergency repairs or adjustments.

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Amber Balcaen was the fastest of 70 drivers that participated in this week’s two-day ARCA pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway. Balcaen turned her fast lap, 49.102 seconds/183.292 miles per hour, in a tight draft with her Nitro Motorsports teammate Thad Moffitt and fellow Toyota drivers out of the Venturini Motorsports stable.

The 62nd Annual Daytona ARCA 200 is scheduled for Saturday, February 15, at noon. The race will be televised live on FOX and will be carried live nationwide on select affiliates of the MRN Radio Network. Live timing and scoring data from all on-track activity, including practice on Thursday, February 13, and General Tire Pole Qualifying on Friday, February 14, is available at ARCARacing.com.

In other highlights from the two-day test:

— Eighteen-year-old Chase Pinsonnault made a strong debut in the ARCA Menards Series, timing in second fastest at 49.226 seconds/182.830 miles per hour. Pinsonnault, a third-generation racer, has driven in the ASA STARS National Tour for NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar; he will make his first career ARCA Menards Series start in the Daytona ARCA 200.

— Balcaen, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Pinsonnault, from Windsor, Ontario, gave Canadian drivers a sweep of the top two positions for the first time in the history of the pre-season practice runs at Daytona International Speedway.

FLAT ROCK, MICHIGAN — The hot streak continues for young William Sawalich, who at 16 has just won his second ARCA Menards Series East win of 2023. He’s the latest young talent driving a No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs, and continues to show he has the talent to succeed at higher levels.

Sawalich started Saturday’s race in 4th position, but was showing speed all race at the quarter-mile track, which hadn’t hosted an ARCA event since the year 2000.

The first 100 laps of the 150-lap event were dominated by Sean Hingorani, another young driver who had claimed the pole for the Flat Rock event, held in front of an enthusiastic crowd that welcomed the return of the series with open arms.

Even with a handful of cars falling out of the 16-car field for various reasons, there was still a lot of lapped traffic to negotiate, eventually taking its toll on Hingorani and allowing his competitors to catch up.

For the first time since June 2000, the ARCA Menards Series platform will race at the tight, banked quarter-mile Flat Rock Speedway when the ARCA Menards Series East takes to the track on May 20, 2023. 

The ARCA Menards Series raced at the track, affectionately known as The Level Pebble, 56 times from 1953 through 2000. The track’s first races were a pair of 250-lap events, run on the same day, both won by JulianPetty, his only two series victories. Other winners at Flat Rock Speedway over the years include Bob Hunter, Bill Lutz, Les Snow, Iggy Katona, Bobby Watson, Andy Hampton, Ramo Stott, Ron Hutcherson, A. Arnold, Moose Myers, Bill Green, Bill Kimmel, Jim Cushman, Marvin Smith, Bob Dotter, Lee Raymond, Bobby Jacks, Bill Venturini, Ed Hage, Bob Keselowski, Tracy Leslie, Dave Weltmeyer, Grant Adcox, Bobby Bowsher, Harold Fair, Jeremy Mayfield, Gary Bradberry, Andy Hillenburg, Joe Ruttman, Tim Steele, Frank Kimmel, and Bill Baird. Kimmel won the final race in 2000. 

The schedules for the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West have been finalized, with seven races slated for the East and eleven set for the West.

The ARCA Menards East season will commence with the series’ ninth visit to New Smyrna Speedway on Tuesday, February 15. The ARCA Menards West season kicks off a month later with a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, March 11.  

One thing is clear after this weekend: Ford has hit a home run by bringing Hailie Deegan on board.

The 18-year-old phenom has a strong racing pedigree, talent to spare, and a great attitude overall. Previously, her detractors have critiqued her willingness to use the chrome horn to get a victory. But in Saturday’s ARCA race, she showed she has the patience to go far in this sport, and not make enemies unnecessarily.

Deegan’s efforts landed her a 2^ndplace finish, sandwiched between two Venturini cars in 1^stand 3^rd, and she was happy with her effort.

“Pretty much at the end there, all I wanted to do was finish. My goal for this race was top three to top-five was a victory for me,” Deegan said. “It is a long season and I have to race against these guys week in and week out. It is best to stay on good terms with them. Second is really a win to me this weekend. Winning the first race would have maybe been a little too high of standards for the rest of the season. Everything would have been downhill. This gives me something to still work towards.”