ARCA: Chris Golden pulls behind the wall early as Clubb Racing focuses on owners’ standings
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: @ClubbRacingInc/X/Twitter
Chris Golden finished last for the 2nd time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Saturday’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 at Salem Speedway when his No. 03 Race Parts Liquidator Ford fell out with mechanical issues after 14 of 200 laps.
The finish came in Golden’s fifth career ARCA start.
Saturday’s race at Salem marked Golden’s second start of 2025. His first came at Berlin, where he finished 19th driving the No. 86 for Alex Clubb’s team. This time, however, Golden moved to the No. 03, while Clubb ran his second-straight race in the No. 86 after he switched from the No. 03 at Bristol last week. The move coincides with reports that the team has swapped Owners’ Points between their two entries in an effort to improve the No. 86’s position in the standings heading into 2026.
The team’s Facebook page indicated that while Clubb would attempt to go the distance, Golden would be forced to “start-and-park,” only running a handful of laps for the benefit of the team’s rank in the owners’ standings. That lap total came out to 14, solidifying the second last-place finish of Golden’s career. Golden later shared on his personal Facebook page that the Salem race would be his last start of 2025 as he continues to seek additional funding and sponsorship for the 2026 season, with the stated goal of competing for the ARCA Menards Series East championship next year.
A total of 21 cars appeared on the entry list. Golden lined up last on the starting grid after he was unable to post a qualifying time - when asked by a fan in a Facebook comment why Golden did not run a lap in the session, the team responded, “bumped steering wheel kill switch.”
Following Golden up the running order in 20th place was Matt Kemp, running just four more laps than Golden in Andy Hillenburg’s No. 9 entry, likely another “start-and-park” effort as the standard “mechanical” reason out was given on Racing-Reference. Clubb’s night was spoiled by an alternator wire breaking on his No. 86 - while he was able to finish under power, his 145 laps completed forced him to settle for 19th place. Max Reaves was the final DNF of the night, hitting the wall while running second shortly after he had been passed for the lead by Lavar Scott. Reaves’ damage ultimately proved terminal, and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver pulled behind the wall with 173 laps completed. Rounding out the Bottom Five was LASTCAR ARCA Championship leader Brad Smith, who passed Reaves on the final lap of the race to finish 17th with 174 laps to his credit.
Up front, Scott appeared set to potentially score his first career ARCA victory, but was caught out on the restart following Reaves’ incident. Brenden Queen overtook Reaves despite being in the less-preferred inside lane - Scott then tapped the wall while trying to chase Queen back down and faded to fourth by the checkered flag. Andrew Patterson finished a career-best second for Nitro Motorsports, while Leland Honeyman placed third in the Venturini No. 20 Toyota recently vacated by Lawless Alan. Honeyman’s teammate, Isabella Robusto, rounded out the Top Five.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
21) #03-Chris Golden / 14 laps / mechanical
20) #9-Matt Kemp / 18 laps / mechanical
19) #86-Alex Clubb / 145 laps / running
18) #18-Max Reaves / 173 laps / crash / led 111 laps
17) #48-Brad Smith / 174 laps / running
AUTHOR’S NOTE: While the collaborative effort from Jeff Smith’s Berlin last-place finish used Fast Track Racing owner points, it was primarily a Brad Smith Motorsports entry. For the sake of consistency with ARCA’s standings, Fast Track has been credited with the last-place finish in our standings below.
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 18 of 20)
1st) Fast Track Racing (7)
2nd) Brad Smith Motorsports (4)
3rd) Clubb Racing Inc. (2)
4th) CCM Racing, Wayne Peterson Racing, Kimmel Racing, City Garage Motorsports, Venturini Motorsports (1)
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 18 of 20)
1st) Ford (11)
2nd) Toyota (7)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2025 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.
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 18 of 20)
