A late restart propels Brenden Queen to his seventh ARCA Menards Collection victory this season at Salem Speedway on Saturday evening within the Kentuckiana Ford Sellers ARCA 200.
SALEM, Indiana – For many of Saturday’s ARCA Menards Collection race at Salem Speedway, Brenden Queen loved a quiet and unassuming evening inside the highest 5.
Brenden Queen’s Seventh Victory
One warning remodeled Queen’s good evening into one other nice one. After polesitter Max Reaves introduced out a late warning flag, Queen bested Lavar Scott on the following restart and pulled away for his seventh victory on the 2025 ARCA Menards Collection season.
Regardless of being below the climate, Queen persevered by way of his personal adversity to additional consolidate a commanding benefit within the ARCA Menards Collection standings. Queen was additionally thrilled to lastly earn a victory at a half-mile brief monitor like Salem after coming so shut all season.
“[The win] will make me really feel good till tomorrow,” Queen mentioned. “What a day. Battled myself, clearly not feeling one of the best, however that’s not an excuse. You need to present as much as work and get after it. I’m simply so pleased with these Pinnacle Racing Group guys. We’ve labored so laborious on the brief monitor stuff and stayed with all of it evening.
“You don’t all the time need to have one of the best automobile, you simply bought to be there when it counts.”
Queen refined his abilities at half-mile brief tracks across the Southeast, like his dwelling monitor, Langley Speedway. The accomplishments Queen gathered at Langley alone included three monitor championships and three victories within the facility’s prestigious Hampton Warmth.
All of the experience Queen possessed on half miles had but to translate right into a victory within the ARCA Menards Collection. Queen did acquire wins at tracks like Iowa Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, however a triumph at a half-mile eluded him till Saturday’s race at Salem.
The Late Restart
It took persistence on Queen’s behalf earlier than a possibility materialized for him to make a cost for the win. Reaves and Scott dominated the opening 175 laps at Salem, with the latter having pulled away to a large benefit till Reaves hit the skin wall within the fourth flip.
Scott had the advantage of the highest facet for the restart. However Queen timed his bounce completely to edge forward of Scott on the exit of the second flip. Slight contact with the skin wall additional hindered Scott’s momentum, forcing him to accept a disappointing fourth after coming inside attain of his first ARCA Menards Collection win.
“[Queen] had a very good restart,” Scott mentioned. “I went down into [turn] two, hit the wall somewhat bit, and after that, I simply had injury. From that time on, I knew we couldn’t do something to get again to him, so I attempted to take care of. We nonetheless got here away with a fourth-place end, nevertheless it undoubtedly sucks.
“It’s all God’s timing, and proper now it’s not my time but. I’m simply going to maintain working, and finally it is going to be my time for certain.”
Saturday noticed Scott fall brief to the motive force he’s been battling for the ARCA Menards Collection title all 12 months lengthy. Queen now has a close to insurmountable factors lead. Effectivity has been a prevailing theme for Queen throughout each sort of monitor on the ARCA Menards Collection calendar. Consistency is why the Salem victory introduced him catharsis.
Consistency was there all evening for Queen. One excellent restart was all it took for him so as to add one other trophy to his rising assortment.
“As a race automobile driver, you reside for these moments,” Queen mentioned. “That’s going to alter the race. I knew I needed to let [Scott] hearth and beat me to the road. He fired, and I used to be in a position to keep even with him. As soon as I had leverage into [turn] one, it was my race to lose at that time.”
Andrew Patterson scored a career-best runner-up end in a one-off look with Nitro Motorsports. He was adopted within the operating order by Leland Honeyman, Scot,t and Isabella Robusto.
The remainder of the highest ten consisted of Mason Mitchell, Will Kimmel, Conner Popplewell, Tony Cosentino, and Ryan Vargas.
Brenden Queen continues to guide the purpose standings after 18 races within the 20-race schedule. Lavar Scott is in second now, 56 factors behind the chief. Lawless Alan, Jason Kitzmiller, and Isabella Robusto spherical out the highest 5.
Up Subsequent
Subsequent Friday’s Reese’s 150 at Kansas Speedway serves because the penultimate occasion of the 2025 ARCA Menards Collection season. The inexperienced flag is ready to wave at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET, with FS1 offering stay protection of all of the on-track motion.
