ARCA / ARCA EAST: Brad Smith becomes seventh last-place finisher in seven races
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: Jonah Ylhainen, @DnfRacers
Brad Smith finished last for the 19th time in his ARCA Menards Series career and 2nd time in his ARCA Menards Series East career in Friday’s Atlas 150 at Iowa Speedway when his No. 48 Copraya.com Ford fell out with mechanical issues after completing 1 of 150 laps.
The finish came in Smith’s 430th career ARCA start and 25th in ARCA East.
A longtime journeyman of the ARCA Menards Series, the 55-year-old Smith has made a name for himself in the ARCA platform as perhaps its most recognizable independent. While the Michigan driver only has a fraction of the budget of ARCA’s powerhouse teams, to dismiss Smith as nothing more than a “start-and-park” field filler would not do his story justice. In 2020, Smith earned headlines after picking up his long-awaited first career top-ten finish with a ninth-place finish at Winchester, and in 2022, he added a second such finish with a tenth-place run at Berlin. Despite encountering numerous hardships that have this year included a DNQ at Phoenix and a forced withdrawal from Dover due to “major” tow rig problems, his small team continues to persevere, traveling across the country to attempt virtually every race on both the ARCA and ARCA East calendars.
Smith was one of 26 entries for the first of four consecutive combo races to close out the ARCA East season. Of those drivers, all but Rita Goulet participated in practice, with Smith’s 27.698-second lap placing him 23rd on the speed chart. Goulet and Presley Sorah anchored the starting grid in 25th and 26th respectively as they did not set qualifying times, while Smith lost roughly four-tenths of a second from his practice time, locking in the 24th-place starting spot with a time of 28.106. According to team volunteer Jonah Ylhainen, Smith’s engine was “a little sick,” leading the driver to decide to “just take it easy and bring it home in one piece,” securing the last-place finish in the process.
Following Smith up the order was Sorah, whose reason out was also listed as “mechanical” after completing 6 laps. The remainder of the Bottom Five was decided in a Lap 24 crash triggered by contact between Amber Balcaen and Greg Van Alst. Balcaen appeared to give Van Alst’s car a push into turn 3, getting Van Alst out of shape and collecting both Balcaen and Marco Andretti in the resulting crash. Balcean and Van Alst completed 23 laps while Andretti limped back to pit road to be credited with 24.
The aftermath of the crash between Van Alst and Balcaen (Screenshot: FS1)
As Van Alst and Balcaen were second and third in points entering Iowa, Andres Perez’s strong sixth-place finish further established himself as the championship favorite for the national ARCA Menards Series tour. In the ARCA Menards Series East picture, meanwhile, the top two championship favorites finished Friday night’s race in those same spots with Connor Zilisch taking the victory over William Sawalich.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
26) #48-Brad Smith / 1 lap / mechanical
25) #86-Presley Sorah / 6 laps / mechanical
24) #22-Amber Balcaen / 23 laps / crash
23) #35-Greg Van Alst / 23 laps / crash
22) #17-Marco Andretti / 24 laps / crash
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 7 of 20)
1st) Fast Track Racing (3)
2nd) Kennealy Keller Motorsports, Peterson Motorsports, Clubb Racing Inc., Brad Smith Motorsports (1)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 7 of 20)
1st) Ford (3)
2nd) Chevrolet, Toyota (2)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2024 ARCA season to view the full drivers’ standings for both the ARCA Menards Series and its East and West divisions. You can also find the manufacturers’ and owners’ standings for all three series HERE.
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 7 of 20)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 8)
1st) Fast Track Racing, Peterson Motorsports (2)
2nd) Brad Smith Motorsports (1)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 8)
1st) Ford (3)
2nd) Toyota (2)
3rd) Chevrolet (0)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 8)
