ARCA: Jeff Maconi checks all boxes despite a short afternoon
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: @Truexfan561 on X/Twitter
Jeff Maconi finished last in Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway when his No. 86 Maconi Setup Shop Ford fell out with mechanical issues after 1 of 100 laps.
The finish came in Maconi’s debut in the national ARCA Menards Series and his second overall ARCA-sanctioned start.
Like many of today’s drivers, Maconi is heavily involved in sim racing. He is the founder and president of Maconi Setup Shop, an iRacing service he launched in 2020 that provides setups for users of the platform. Last season saw Maconi get behind the wheel of a real-life stock car for the first time. He entered the CRA Late Model Sportsman Series season finale at Winchester Speedway with Brayton Laster’s BLaster Motorsports team, though the debut was short-lived as ignition issues left him with a 27th-place finish, unable to complete a single lap.
In March, Alex Clubb’s Clubb Racing Inc. announced that Maconi would make his ARCA debut in the East Series race at the Nashville Fairgrounds. This time, Maconi was able to go the distance in his series debut, finishing 12th and bringing the car home in one piece. His second start of the season came this weekend at Michigan, making his debut in ARCA’s national tour. A Facebook post from Maconi suggests unspecified mechanical issues ended his day after just one lap, but the driver nevertheless remained thankful for the opportunity. While some on social media mocked Maconi for finding such satisfaction in an apparent “start-and-park,” Maconi reiterated on Twitter that his afternoon was a success, saying, “My job is to show up, drive as fast as I can, do what I’m told by the team/series, and keep the car clean. We checked all the boxes, great day!”
In total, 27 cars appeared on the Michigan entry list - due to a situation involving the Wayne Peterson Motorsports team, only 26 started the race. Nate Moeller was originally entered in the team’s No. 0 entry, but oil pump and engine failures on Brayton Laster’s No. 06 car led Moeller to hand his ride over to Laster, which was renumbered to the No. 06. Because of the change, Moeller was credited with 27th-place points and a “did not start” status. According to Laster, Moeller had only intended to run a couple of laps at the 2-mile speedway to ensure the short-track car was shaken down before Berlin. Despite facing numerous issues throughout the race, however, Laster soldiered on to complete 70 laps, placing 19th as the final car running at the finish.
Joining Maconi in the Bottom Five were Jeff MacZink, whose engine let go on Lap 5, and three entries from Fast Track Racing: Matt Kemp, Mike Basham, and Tony Cosentino ran five, eight, and ten laps respectively before pulling behind the wall. Fast Track’s fourth entry, driven by Morgen Baird, went the full distance and finished 13th.
Up front, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen took his third win of the season, holding off NASCAR Truck Series regular Corey Heim, who made a late fill-in appearance for Jake Finch as an illness prevented the Venturini driver from taking part in the race.
DID NOT START
27) #0-Nate Moeller
THE BOTTOM FIVE
26) #86-Jeff Maconi / 1 lap / quit (mechanical)
25) #9-Matt Kemp / 5 laps / quit
24) #65-Jeff MacZink / 5 laps / engine
23) #12-Mike Basham / 8 laps / quit
22) #10-Tony Cosentino / 10 laps / quit
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 6 of 20)
1st) CCM Racing, Brad Smith Motorsports, Wayne Peterson Racing, Kimmel Racing, Fast Track Racing, Clubb Racing Inc. (1)
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 6 of 20)
1st) Ford (4)
2nd) Toyota (2)
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 6 of 20)
