ARCA: Immediate engine woes give Ryan Huff first last-place finish since 2020
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Huff’s No. 36 takes the green flag as the last car in frame before immediately slowing due to an engine issue. (PHOTO: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Ryan Huff finished last for the 2nd time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Saturday’s General Tire 200 at Daytona International Speedway when his No. 36 Commonwealth Equipment Ford fell out with an engine issue on the opening lap.
The finish came in Huff’s 21st career ARCA start.
Since the beginning of the 2020s, Huff has established himself as a recurring presence on the ARCA grid for both his family-owned team and Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing. His first appearance on this site came just before the onset of the pandemic, with crash damage taking him out of contention at Phoenix in March 2020. Across six part-time seasons, Huff best career finish came at the fall Kansas race in 2022, where he finished fifth in Fast Track’s No. 11 entry.
In 2025, Huff failed to qualify at Daytona when inclement weather set the field by 2024 owners’ points. As Huff’s No. 36 team had only run the Daytona race in 2024, his entry did not have a high enough ranking to make the field. This season, however, Huff would line up 20th on the grid after posting a lap time of 50.382 seconds. But immediately, Huff appeared to miss a shift after taking the green flag, slowed on the apron, and pulled behind the wall with an engine failure, securing the first last-place finish of the 2026 ARCA season.
For the third-straight year, Daytona’s entry list exceeded the maximum 40-car field size, as a total of 50 cars attempted to qualify for the race. The most notable DNQ was Greg Van Alst, who won the ARCA season-opener at Daytona just two years ago. Other drivers missing the show were Ron Vandermeir Jr., Logan Misuraca, Tony Cosentino, Andrew Patterson, Nick White, Steve Lewis Jr., Robert Martin, Nolan Wilson, and Dale Shearer.
Following Huff in the garage was Derek White, whose race was limited to 34 laps by a recurring vibration. Mini Tyrell, who won the “Race for the Seat” competition hosted by Kaulig Racing and RAM Trucks, brought out the first caution for a single car spin before eventually parking after 37 laps with a mechanical issue. Tyrell’s RAM-sponsored entry noticeably lacked any Chevrolet branding on the car. Isabella Robusto led 10 laps early before her Nitro Motorsports entry fell out with a mechanical issue of her own after 42 laps. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Alex Clubb, whose race ended after 44 laps due to a combination of a shock issue and a radiator leak.
Up front, Gio Ruggiero went one spot better than his runner-up finish in Friday night’s Truck Series race, scoring Joe Gibbs Racing’s first-ever ARCA victory at Daytona. Jake Bollman provided the lone bright spot for Nitro Motorsports’ six entries with a second-place result, while Kole Raz finished third.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #36-Ryan Huff / 0 laps / engine
39) #66-Derek White / 34 laps / vibration
38) #17-Mini Tyrell / 37 laps / mechanical
37) #55-Isabella Robusto / 42 laps / clutch / led 10 laps
36) #03-Alex Clubb / 44 laps / radiator
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 1 of 20)
1st) Ryan Huff Motorsports (1)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 1 of 20)
1st) Ford (1)
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 1 of 20)
