ARCA: Matt Kemp keeps LASTCAR title chances alive with early exit at Kansas
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: Josh Calloni, via Timecard100/@Nascarcatholic
Matt Kemp finished last for the 4th time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Friday’s Reese’s 150 at Kansas Speedway when his No. 9 Edgewater Automation Toyota fell out with mechanical issues after 9 of 110 laps.
The finish came in Kemp’s 17th career ARCA start.
After narrowly missing out on last place the previous week at Salem, Kemp picked up his third such result of the season on Friday night. His was the first of three apparent “start-and-parks” to pull behind the wall in ARCA’s second and final trip of the season to Kansas. Through his 17 starts on the national tour in ARCA, Kemp’s lead-lap, ninth-place result at Berlin earlier this season remains the only race where his Fast Track Racing entry has gone the distance.
While this result will likely be little more than a footnote in Kemp’s career, it does have implications for ARCA’s LASTCAR Drivers’ Championship. With four last-place finishes on the season, series veteran Brad Smith looked set to clinch the title for a second year in a row. Only Kemp and Trevor Ward had two such finishes entering Kansas, and Smith possesses the tiebreaker over Ward (while Ward could have tied Smith’s LPF and Bottom Five total, he would not have been able to catch Smith in terms of Bottom Tens). A clinching scenario became even more likely when the entry list was revealed, with Ward’s name noticeably absent. However, Kemp’s last-place finish ultimately keeps the championship fight going as ARCA prepares for its season finale at Toledo Speedway on Saturday.
Following Kemp up the running order were Kevin Hinckle and Ed Pompa, who, like Kemp, were listed with the standard “mechanical” reason out on Racing-Reference. (The Third Turn lists Hinckle’s reason out as “transmission.”) Bobby Dale Earnhardt’s struggles in his return to the ARCA Menards Series continued, as he suffered terminal crash damage for the second time in as many starts. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Lavar Scott, who made it 20 laps further than Earnhardt before crash damage from his own encounter with the wall ended his night, marking his first Bottom Five (and Bottom Ten) result of the season.
Critically, Smith finished sixth-to-last, completing 68 laps total and only pulling behind the wall with about 10 to go in the scheduled distance. Had Smith finished in the Bottom Five, he would have clinched the LASTCAR Drivers’ Championship. However, should Kemp finish last at Toledo with Smith finishing outside the Bottom Five again, Smith would have only 10 Bottom Fives to Kemp’s 11, awarding the latter the title. Such an outcome is a very real possibility - Smith went the distance at last year’s Toledo finale and finished a season-best 12th, a result that the Michigan native will hope to equal as the 2025 season wraps up on Saturday.
Up front, Brenden Queen scored his eighth victory of the season, outdueling Gio Ruggiero on on multiple overtime restarts. With Scott’s 25th-place finish, Queen all but clinched the ARCA championship, as he only needs to start the finale at Toledo to ensure he receives the final 50-point bonus of the season.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
29) #9-Matt Kemp / 9 laps / mechanical
28) #0-Kevin Hinckle / 13 laps / mechanical
27) #10-Ed Pompa / 16 laps / mechanical
26) #31-Bobby Dale Earnhardt / 27 laps / crash
25) #6-Lavar Scott / 47 laps / crash
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 19 of 20)
1st) Fast Track Racing (8)
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 19 of 20)
1st) Ford (11)
2nd) Toyota (8)
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 19 of 20)
