ARCA: Nate Moeller serves as both driver and crew chief at Kansas
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: Jonah Ylhainen, @DnfRacers/X/Twitter
Nate Moeller finished last for the 6th time in his ARCA Menards Series career in Saturday’s Tide 150 at Kansas Speedway when his No. 1 Maples Motorsports Chevrolet fell out with mechanical issues after 2 of 108 laps.
The finish came in Moeller’s 25th career ARCA national start.
Moeller’s last appearance on this site came roughly 11 months ago after the ARCA race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Since then, he has made four additional ARCA national starts: two for Fast Track Racing and two for Wayne Peterson Racing, with a best finish of 19th at the 2025 season finale at Toledo Speedway. Moeller also drove Peterson’s No. 06 Toyota at the ARCA Menards Series East races at Hickory and Rockingham, earning finishes of 14th and 16th, respectively.
PHOTO: Brayton Laster/Facebook
On Saturday, Moeller returned to Peterson’s No. 06 entry - not as a driver, but as a crew chief for Brayton Laster. Moeller also appeared on the entry list a second time, listed as the driver of Maples Motorsports’ No. 1 Chevrolet. As has been common throughout his ARCA career, his entry was a planned “start-and-park.” Once Moeller pulled behind the wall, he quickly got to work assisting Laster’s crew with a transmission issue. According to Laster, his car would consistently pop out of fourth gear on corner entry, forcing him to spend around 40 laps “throw[ing] it back into gear every corner.” The problems with Laster’s transmission eventually caused him to lose fourth gear entirely, forcing him to also park his entry early and settle for a 23rd-place finish. Moeller later revealed images of the culprit on his Instagram page.
In total, 29 cars appeared on the entry list. With qualifying canceled due to inclement weather, the starting lineup was set by the 2025 series owner points. Starting at Race Four in Talladega, the 2026 owner standings will be used in such instances instead. The situation left Dystany Spurlock and MBM Motorsports lining up 29th on the grid for Spurlock’s ARCA national debut, with Moeller one spot ahead in 28th.
Following Moeller up the running order was Will Kimmel, whose entry also appeared to be a planned “start-and-park.” Next behind the wall was Craig Pelligrini Jr., whose ARCA national debut ended early with a vibration after 16 laps. Brad Smith went two further laps before parking, reportedly due to an issue with the car’s front bearings. Rounding out the Bottom Five was ARCA West regular Robbie Kennealy, whose engine failure brought out the first caution for cause on Lap 32.
At the front of the field, Gio Ruggiero scored yet another ARCA win for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Ruggiero’s win was not without controversy, however, as the Gibbs driver spun Spurlock with three laps to go, forcing overtime and allowing him to charge from third to first on two subsequent restarts. Jack Wood, whose No. 28 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet was leading at the time of the penultimate caution, was visibly upset with Ruggiero in a post-race interview with Frontstretch. Spurlock, meanwhile, was able to save her spinning No. 66 Ford and claim the final spot in the Top Ten.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
29) #1-Nate Moeller / 2 laps / mechanical/quit
28) #69-Will Kimmel / 6 laps / mechanical/quit
27) #10-Craig Pellegrini Jr. / 16 laps / vibration
26) #48-Brad Smith / 18 laps / front bearings
25) #11-Robbie Kennealy / 30 laps / engine
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 3 of 20)
1st) Ryan Huff Motorsports, Rise Racing with Earnhardt-Shearer Racing, Maples Motorsports (1)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 3 of 20)
1st) Chevrolet (2)
2nd) 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 3 of 20)
