ARCA Racing Series At Talladega Superspeedway: Pre-Race Notes

Information By: CHARLES KRALL / ARCA – TALLADEGA, AL – The ARCA Menards Series returns to action after a seven-week hiatus in the General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The race, the third of the 2025 season, will be the 71st series race at the 2.66-mile tri-oval.

The 38 cars entered for the General Tire 200 represent the most for an ARCA Menards Series race at Talladega Superspeedway since 2013.

The starting lineup for the General Tire 200 will be set by 2024 owner points, with William Sawalich (No. 18 Starkey Toytota) on the General Tire Pole.

Jake Finch (No. 25 Phoenix Toyota) led every lap of a nearly caution-free race at Talladega Superspeedway in 2024, the only time in the post-1979 Modern Era that a single driver led every lap at Talladega. Finch will be joined by Venturini Motorsports teammates Patrick Staropoli (No. 15 Syfovre Toyota), Lawless Alan (No. 20 AUTOParkit Toyota) and Isabella Robusto (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota).

Brenden Queen (No. 28 BestRepair.net Chevrolet) leads the ARCA Menards Series championship point standings heading into the General Tire 200. Queen won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and finished second in the most recent series race at Phoenix Raceway in March. He will be making his first start at Talladega Superspeedway.

Lavar Scott (No. 6 Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet) enters the General Tire 200 second in the ARCA Menards Series standings, 11 points out of the lead. Scott has had success in his three previous starts at Daytona International Speedway, with two fourth-place finishes and 24 career laps led, but has yet to find that success at Talladega Superspeedway. Scott finished 31st in his first and only Talladega start in 2024.

Kole Raz (No. 76 Cyclum Nextgen Travel Centers Ford) will make his third ARCA Menards Series start in the General Tire 200. He finished sixth in each of his previous two starts at Daytona and Phoenix. He also started both 2025 ARCA Menards Series East races in 2025, finishing second in the opener at Five Flags Speedway and seventh in the series’ most recent race at Rockingham Speedway.

Spencer Gallagher (No. 23 Allegiant Airlines / Sigma Performance Services Chevrolet) returns to the ARCA Menards Series for the first time since the season finale at Kansas Speedway in 2014, which he won. Gallagher made his first stock car start of any type last Saturday in the ARCA Menards Series East race at Rockingham Speedway; he started 13th and finished tenth.

Garrett Mitchell (No. 30 Kenetik Ford), known as Cleetus McFarland of YouTube fame, is set to make his second ARCA Menards Series start and first since the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Mitchell was involved in two separate incidents not of his making, the second of which cut his day on the race track short. He finished the race as a guest commentator in the FOX Sports broadcast booth.

Andy Jankowiak (No. 73 DAKS Markets Toyota) will be making his fifth career ARCA Menards Series start at Talladega Superspeedway. Jankowiak finished seventh in his first start in 2021, his only top-ten finish at the track. Last year he fought fuel pressure woes which resulted in a 27th-place finish.

Nitro Motorsports heads into Talladega Superspeedway with two entries fresh off the news that team owner Nick Tucker and his business partner Joe Tovo have purchased Venturini Motorsports effective at the end of the 2025 season. Thad Moffitt (No. 46 Induction Innovations Toyota) will continue his pursuit of the ARCA Menards Series championship, making his fifth Talladega start. He has three consecutive top-ten finishes, including a fourth-place finish in his most recent start in 2022. Amber Balcaen (No. ICON Direct/AskAmber.io Toyota) will make her second start of the season; she finished 29th in the season opener at Daytona.

Drew Dollar holds the ARCA Menards Series track race record at Talladega Superspeedway, winning the 2020 race at an average speed of 169.962 miles per hour.

Three of the most recent eleven ARCA Menards Series races have been slowed by caution only once (2014, 2020, and 2024). Only two of those races, 2018 and 2022, have been slowed by more than four cautions (seven in 2018 and six in 2022).

Should the race be extended into overtime, there will be one attempt at a one-lap “green and white together” finish. Once the white flag has been displayed in overtime, the next flag, checkered or caution, will end the race.

The General Tire 200 will be broadcast live on FS1 at 12:30 pm ET/11:30 am CT.