ARCA: Nate Moeller makes it to Charlotte, Will Kimmel’s pole run ends early
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: Nathan Moeller/Facebook
Nate Moeller finished last in Friday’s General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway when his No. 9 Fast Track Racing Toyota fell out with handling issues after 1 of 100 laps.
The finish came in Moeller’s 20th career ARCA start.
After last week’s East Series race at Flat Rock, Moeller shared on Facebook that he was unsure when his next race would take place. Still, he looked forward to getting back behind the wheel “at whatever the next one is.” Moeller would not have to wait long as he got the opportunity to drive Fast Track Racing’s No. 9 entry at Charlotte, his second start of the year for the team following a start-and-park appearance for the team at Kansas.
On Friday, Moeller was again one of multiple early exits for Fast Track, running only a single lap before pulling behind the wall. Moeller them performed his own version of “the Double,” stepping onto the pit box as crew chief for Brayton Laster’s No. 06 Wayne Peterson Racing entry. Laster would go on to finish 20th.
With the late entries of Moeller and Kole Raz, 32 cars appeared on the entry list. Of these 32, only 31 contested the race. Jason Kitzmiller, currently fifth in ARCA’s driver point standings, went into the weekend eligible for ARCA’s 50-point segment bonus for attempting the first five races of the year. However, he was presented with a schedule conflict due to his daughter’s graduation falling on the same weekend. Wanting to put family first, Kitzmiller practiced the car before withdrawing from the race, resulting in a DNS but maintaining eligibility for the additional 50 points, with ARCA PR director Charlie Krall confirming Kitzmiller would receive the bonus.
Following Moeller up the running order were his Fast Track Racing teammates Mike Basham and Matt Kemp, who completed 10 and 12 laps respectively before retiring from the race. Around the time the Fast Track cars were pulling in, a surprising feel-good story also came to a premature end as Will Kimmel’s car began showing signs of engine trouble. After finishing last at Kansas, Kimmel had rebounded to take a shock pole position in qualifying, made all the more unlikely after his hauler suffered a flat tire roughly 40 minutes away from Charlotte. After arriving at the track and qualifying on pole, Kimmel, who was driving a 2016 Lira Motorsports car formerly driven by Sheldon Creed, led the first 12 laps before hearing the motor go away off of Turn 2. Nevertheless, it was still arguably Kimmel’s strongest showing in ARCA competition since his pair of fourth-place finishes last season at Charlotte and Salem. The final spot in the Bottom Five was claimed by longtime ARCA veteran Brad Smith.
Up front, Austin Green led 53 laps and outdueled William Sawalich to take his first career victory. Sawalich eventually faded to fourth, with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Grant Enfinger and new ARCA points leader Lavar Scott finishing second and third respectively. The result comes at opportune time for Green - while his 2024 XFINITY Series season was highlighted by a fourth-place finish at Sonoma, he has yet to finish better than 26th in the series in 2025, making Friday’s ARCA victory a much-needed momentum boost heading into the summer months.
DID NOT START
32) #79-Jason Kitzmiller
THE BOTTOM FIVE
31) #9-Nate Moeller / 1 lap / handling
30) #11-Mike Basham / 10 laps / quit
29) #12-Matt Kemp / 12 laps / quit
28) #69-Will Kimmel / 13 laps / valve spring / led 12 laps
27) #48-Brad Smith / 16 laps / too slow
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 20)
1st) CCM Racing, Brad Smith Motorsports, Wayne Peterson Racing, Kimmel Racing, Fast Track Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 20)
1st) Ford (3)
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 5 of 20)
