RPW Exclusive: 17-year-old Carson Brown Off to Hot Start With ARCA, ASA STARS Wins

RPW Exclusive: Stephen Durham / BOSTON, MA – Most 17-year-olds are finishing their junior or senior year of high school—announcing college plans, preparing for graduation, and getting ready for prom. Carson Brown’s weekend’s though have been pretty busy.

Instead, the 17-year-old from New London, North Carolina is traveling the country, competing—and winning—at some of the top levels of stock car racing with the ASA STARS National Tour and the ARCA Menards Series.

Brown has been on a roll early in 2026. He opened the season with a victory in the ASA National Tour opener at New Smyrna Speedway in February, and most recently picked up a win in just his third ARCA Menards Series start at Phoenix Raceway.

The win at Phoenix was a dominant performance for Brown, who led 157 laps. The race ultimately came down to a green-white-checkered restart, but Brown held off his Pinnacle Racing Group teammate and the field for the win.

“This win means a lot to me. We have kicked off the season very well between ARCA, super late models, and even late model stock,” Brown said. “The Pinnacle Racing Group No. 28 was strong. We fought handling issues in practice with rear grip, but we still had great speed. We made it better, and we had the speed to fend off everyone, including my teammate.”

That final restart featured a battle between Brown and his 15-year-old teammate, Tristan McKee. Brown says the two have plenty of history racing against each other.

“Between Legend Cars and super late models, we’ve raced each other a lot. We know each other’s racing styles. I knew it was going to get a little dicey there,” Brown said. “We kept it pretty clean though. I was able to float it out there on the top, create as much drive as possible, and come home with the win.”

Brown is on a part-time schedule with the ARCA Menards Series in 2026. When asked how Brown can build off this momentum moving forward, he knows the Pinnacle Racing Group can keep it rolling.

“We just need to keep the momentum rolling and keep the confidence up with the crew guys, making the right adjustments throughout the year,” Brown said. “We need to continue finding the right balance, bring speed every race, and have the car where it needs to be. We can accomplish a lot with Pinnacle Racing Group and have a great season, especially starting off strong.”

With a win already in just his third start, expectations are naturally rising for Brown in the ARCA Menards Series.

“I feel like we have great guys to be working with. I feel like I’m capable of running really well with them,” Brown said. “The expectations are definitely a lot higher now that we won the first race of the year together. I’m just looking forward to the future with them and we’ll see how many races we can win together.”

Before his victory in Phoenix, Brown had already scored another big win earlier in February at New Smyrna Speedway with Anthony Campi Racing in the Appalachian Sucker Punch ASA STARS National Tour race. He is coming off a strong season in the series, finishing second in the championship standings—just 34 points behind Cole Butcher.

“We’re running really well. Confidence is high,” Brown said. “We’re running well in every car right now and we just need to keep it that way. We’re working really hard with everyone at Chevrolet, General Motors, and everyone over at Wise Optimization so I can be the best I can be and make the most of my car and crew.”

As young drivers move up the ladder in stock car racing, the competition only gets tougher. At times, drivers from the top levels of NASCAR even drop down to compete in the ARCA Menards Series.

For Brown, the opportunity to race against more experienced competitors is something he welcomes.

“It’s awesome, and I love it,” Brown said. “It’s a great way to learn how to race against the best—be around them, learn their tricks, learn how they go about their race craft and drive their cars. Everybody drives a race car a little differently and cars are set up differently.”

Trying to build a career in racing requires a major commitment, and Brown is fully invested. The 17-year-old plans to compete in at least 50 races during the 2026 season.

“It’s definitely really hard and not easy,” Brown said. “You just take it race by race, weekend by weekend, and do everything you can to prepare for what’s ahead. We take the motorhome pretty much everywhere we go to make it easier, so we can head straight to the next track instead of going home.”

Earlier in February, Brown was also named to the development program at Richard Childress Racing, another major step forward in his young career.

“It’s been awesome working with RCR and Chevy,” Brown said. “There are a lot of really smart people across the board between RCR and Chevy. It’s definitely been an honor to work with them, and I’m just the lucky kid who gets to hold the steering wheel.”

Brown is also quick to thank the sponsors and partners that help make his racing career possible.

“I’m really thankful for RCR, Chevy, Wise Optimization, GBS Corp, Ebologistics, DWC Distributor Wire and Cable, Andy’s Frozen Custard, and everyone who puts everything into this.”

Next up, Brown and the Anthony Campi Racing team will head to Five Flags Speedway this weekend for the next ASA STARS National Tour event. Brown will compete on a part-time schedule in the ARCA Menards Series throughout the 2026 season.