For 3 drivers, Thursday, September 11th, at Bristol Motor Speedway is not just another ARCA Menards Series race. It’s a chance at a championship. To seal their name in history alongside Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Harrison Burton, William Byron, and so many more who have taken the ARCA Menards East Series trophy. Here are your 3 contenders, where they sit, a bit about their season, and how they could MATHEMATICALLY win the ARCA Menards East Championship.

3rd Place- #11 Zachary Tinkle (289 pts, -30)

The Speedway, Indiana driver has fought adversity from the start of the season, having to run a backup car for the first few races of the season due to a preseason testing wreck, yet continuing to fight and battle his way up from that wreck. Tinkle has driven to 4 top tens, with his best finish coming at the Nashville Fairgrounds, finishing 5th. Zachary, currently, has a best finish of 9th during the combination races between the East and National series, coming at Dover. Tinkle, as well, is a consistent driver, with an average finish of 9.9 and 1012 laps completed on the year.

Now, how can Zachary Tinkle and Andy Hillenberg take home the championship? They are a clear long shot for the championship, and would need Isaac Kitzmiller to finish 26th (or worse) and finish 12 spots ahead of Tyler Reif to hoist the title at the end of Bristol. No matter the finish, however, the driver and team of the #11 will come home happy, as this is the second time in the team’s thirty-year history that any driver has gone into the finale with a mathematical shot at the title.

2nd Place- #23 Tyler Reif (300 pts, -19)

Speaking of adversity, Tyler Reif has had some of his own, too. The 2023 General Tire 150 winner at Phoenix Raceway was penalized midway through the season due to body height issues on the racecar, docking them six points and making their title hopes harder walking into the next race at Flat Rock. His response? A runner-up finish at Flat Rock, and he held that up again with a top 5 run at Dover from starting from the back. The 18-year-old is holding his own with Sigma Performance Services and is one of 3 drivers ready to battle for a championship at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Now, what can Tyler do to clinch the ARCA Menards Series East championship? It’s a simple situation. Tyler Reif must finish 11 spots ahead of the 79 to tie Isaac Kitzmiller, or 12 to outright beat the 79 and take the title home. We will get to it in the case of a tiebreaker later in this article.

1st Place- #79, Isaac Kitzmiller (319 pts)

Isaac Kitzmiller took the ARCA Menards Series East points lead at Rockingham when he finished 6th, and hasn’t looked back. He hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 in a race at all this season, and has finished every race on the lead lap besides Flat Rock, where he finished 4 laps down to the winner, Max Reaves.

Isaac has been one of the most consistent drivers of the East Series, as his average finish of 5.6 is higher than both Tinkle’s and Reif’s, and he has the most laps completed in the series this season (1021). His best finish in the combination races is better than both his counterparts, finishing 4th at Dover, just ahead of the #23 of Reif in 5th, and his father, Jason Kitzmiller, in 8th. His best start this season is currently 3rd at the combination race at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Now, how can Isaac Kitzmiller take home the title? It’s simple, he must finish 13th or higher in order to mathematically ensure the title follows along in the hands of the driver of the #79.

Now, I talked about the case of a tiebreaker, in which there is a case of it. If Tyler Reif finishes 11 spots ahead of Isaac Kitzmiller, we will have a tie. The tiebreaker would have gone down to wins; however, we cannot in this scenario due to neither driver having them. It boils down to whoever has had the better finishing position in a race this season- Tyler Reif. Reif has had 2 second places, coming at Nashville and Flat Rock. Kitzmiller’s best run was 4th at Dover.

This is shaping out to be one of the best championship battles the ARCA Menards East Series has seen in years. The Bush’s Beans 200 is live on Thursday, September 11th, at 5:30 EST on Fox Sports 1.

Header Image Credit: Rachel Mummey/ARCA Racing