ARCA / ARCA EAST: One-and-done for Nate Moeller at Bristol as LASTCAR title battle carries on into Kansas
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Nate Moeller finished last for the 8th time in his ARCA Menards Series career (and 5th time in his ARCA Menards Series East career) in Thursday’s Bush’s Best 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway when his No. 0 Peterson Motorsports Chevrolet fell out with mechanical issues after 1 of 200 laps.
The finish came in Moeller’s 36th career national ARCA start and 24th career East Series start.
One of ARCA’s most notable journeymen in recent years, Moeller has driven for five different organizations in 2026, having previouly made one start each with Fast Track Racing, Maples Motorsports, Clubb Racing Inc., and Kimmel Racing. While he picked up two previous last-place finishes in 2026, both came during these one-offs for other teams outside of his usual Wayne Peterson Racing entries. A planned ‘start-and-park’ for Maples at Kansas saw Moeller serve as both driver and crew chief on the same day. His second last-place finish of the year came at another 1.5-mile track at Chicagoland, while he ‘start-and-parked’ a third entry for Alex Clubb’s team.
On Thursday, Moeller made his 13th start of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season. His ninth start of the year with Peterson resulted in his first last-place finish for the team (and his third overall) in 2026. The result moves Peterson into a tie with Brad Smith for most last-place finishes this year. Moeller and Smith are both on the entry list for Friday’s season finale at Kansas, meaning a last-place finish from either driver would be enough to clinch the 2026 LASTCAR ARCA Menards Series Drivers’ Championship. Should neither driver finish last at Kansas, Smith would take the title on a bottom-five tiebreaker, currently on 12 this season to Moeller’s nine.
In the LASTCAR ARCA Menards Series East Drivers’ Championship, Michael Clayton clinched the title for 2026 as the year’s only repeat last-place finisher, picking up back-to-back finishes at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Flat Rock Speedway.
Of the 35 cars on the entry list at Bristol, only 32 took to the track for qualifying, with Moeller’s lap time of 21.098 seconds anchoring those who made an attempt. Quinn Davis, Con Nicolopoulos, and Chase Buscaglia were unable to record a lap time, though all three took the green flag to start the race.
Moeller and Brad Perez, who completed 11 laps in Michael Maples’ No. 19 Chevrolet, were the only apparent ‘start-and-parks.’ The next two drivers to fall out of the race were Bobby Dale Earnhardt and Hunter Wright, who sustained crash damage on Lap 45 in an incident also involving Davis and Nicolopoulos, though the latter two drivers were able to continue following repairs. Davis, paying tribute to the late Dolly Parton, finished 25th, while Nicolopoulos ended up 30th following damage from a second incident. Smith, meanwhile, rounded out the Bottom Five with an apparent electrical issue.
At the front of the field, Carson Brown led every lap for the second time this season to take his third win overall of 2026. Tristan McKee finished second to clinch the ARCA East championship, while NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Kaden Honeycutt placed third. Max Reaves, McKee’s closest competition for the series championship, finished fourth and ended the year three points short of the title, while 2025 ARCA East champion Isaac Kitzmiller rounded out the Top Five.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
35) #0-Nate Moeller / 1 lap / mechanical/quit
34) #19-Brad Perez / 11 laps / mechanical/quit
33) #89-Bobby Dale Earnhardt / 42 laps / crash/accident
32) #95-Hunter Wright / 44 laps / crash/accident
31) #48-Brad Smith / 48 laps / mechanical/electrical
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 19 of 20)
1st) Brad Smith Motorsports (3)
2nd) Maples Motorsports, Fast Track Racing, KC Motorsports (2)
3rd) Ryan Huff Motorsports, Rise Racing with Earnhardt-Shearer Racing, Costner Motorsports, White Motorsports, MBM Motorsports, Clubb Racing Inc., City Garage Motorsports, CCM Racing, ACR Motorsports, Wayne Peterson Racing (1)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 19 of 20)
1st) Chevrolet (10)
2nd) Ford (7)
2nd) Toyota (2)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2026 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.
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 19 of 20)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 8 of 8)
1st) City Garage Motorsports, Wayne Peterson Racing (2)
2nd) Tim Monroe Racing, Fast Track Racing, Maples Motorsports, CCM Racing (1)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 8 of 8)
1st) Ford (4)
2nd) Chevrolet (3)
3rd) Toyota (1)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 8 of 8)
