| Description | Race 1 of 8 in the 2026 ARCA Menards Series East |
|---|---|
| Year | 2026 |
| Race name | Cook Out 200 |
| Details ref | [1][2][3][4][5] |
| Fulldate | March 28, 2026 |
| Location | Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina |
| Course | 0.363 mi |
| Course | 0.584 km |
| Avg | 55.396 miles per hour (89.151 km/h) |
| Pole driver | Max Reaves |
| Pole team | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Pole time | 15.036 |
| Most driver | Max Reaves |
| Most team | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Most laps | 186 |
| Car | 77 |
| First driver | Tristan McKee |
| First team | Pinnacle Racing Group |
| Network | FloRacing NASCAR Channel |
| Announcers | Charles Krall and Phil Parsons |
| Radio | ARN |
| Distance | 72.6 mi |
| Distance laps | 200 |
| Distance | 116.838 km |
| Fast driver | Max Reaves |
| Fast team | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Fast time | 15.272 |
The 2026 Cook Out 200 was an ARCA Menards Series East race held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina. Contested over 200 laps on the 0.363 miles (0.584 km) short track, it was the first race of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series East season, and the inaugural running of the event.
In a chaotic race, Tristan McKee, driving for Pinnacle Racing Group, survived an aggressive battle for the lead in the final laps, and pulled away from Max Reaves on the final restart to earn his first career ARCA Menards Series East win.[6] Reaves had dominated the event by leading a race-high 186 laps from the pole position, before getting shuffled back and finishing second. Isaac Kitzmiller finished third, with Derek Kneeland and Nick Tucker rounding out the top five. Landon S. Huffman, Dystany Spurlock, Jackson McLerran, Craig Pellegrini Jr., and Austin Vaughn rounded out the top ten.
The race also made history as Spurlock became the first African American woman to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned event, finishing seventh in her debut with MBM Motorsports.[7][8]
Report
Background
Hickory Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Hickory Speedway from 1952 to 1988) is a 0.363 mi (0.584 km) oval short track in Newton, North Carolina. The track primarily holds NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series season, CARS Tour, SMART Modified Tour, and ARCA Menards Series East races. It also formerly held top-tier NASCAR Cup Series and second-tier NASCAR Busch Series races. Hickory Motor Speedway is owned by Benny Yonnt and led by track promoter Kevin Piercy.
Built in 1952 by Charlie Combs as a dirt track, the facility held its first races in the same year running NASCAR-sanctioned races. The track changed hands in ownership numerous times in its early years. After it was purchased by Bill Edwards and Ed Griffin, the track was paved with asphalt in 1967. After the paving, ownership was again frequently changed until Benny Yount purchased the track in 1986. Under Yount's ownership, periodical renovations to fan amenities and the track itself were made to the facility. In 1999, all NASCAR national touring series left the track following the 1998 season. The track remains for local racing and the NASCAR Weekly Series.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
The first and only practice session was held on Saturday, March 28, at 2:15 PM EST, and lasted for 45 minutes.[9]
Max Reaves, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.065 seconds, and a speed of 86.744 miles per hour (139.601 km/h).[10]
Practice results
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Max Reaves (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 15.065 | 86.744 |
| 2 | 9 | Landon S. Huffman | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.342 | 85.178 |
| 3 | 70 | Nick Tucker | Nitro Motorsports | Toyota | 15.357 | 85.095 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, March 28, at 4:00 PM EST.[9] The qualifying procedure used was a single-car, two-lap system with one round. Drivers were on track by themselves and had two laps to post a qualifying time, and whoever set the fastest time won the pole.[11]
Max Reaves, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, qualified on pole position with a lap of 15.036 seconds, and a speed of 86.911 miles per hour (139.870 km/h).[12]
Qualifying results
Race
Race results
Laps: 200
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 77 | Tristan McKee (R) | Pinnacle Racing Group | Chevrolet | 200 | 13 | Running | 47 |
| 2 | 1 | 18 | Max Reaves (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 186 | Running | 45 |
| 3 | 6 | 79 | Isaac Kitzmiller | ACR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 41 |
| 4 | 2 | 28 | Derek Kneeland | Pinnacle Racing Group | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 40 |
| 5 | 3 | 70 | Nick Tucker | Nitro Motorsports | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 39 |
| 6 | 5 | 9 | Landon S. Huffman | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | Running | 39 |
| 7 | 8 | 66 | Dystany Spurlock | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | Running | 37 |
| 8 | 13 | 95 | Jackson McLerran | MAN Motorsports | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Running | 36 |
| 9 | 14 | 10 | Craig Pellegrini Jr. (R) | Fast Track Racing | Toyota | 198 | 0 | Running | 35 |
| 10 | 12 | 19 | Austin Vaughn | Maples Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 0 | Running | 34 |
| 11 | 11 | 38 | Toro Rodríguez | MCM Racing Development | Toyota | 196 | 0 | Running | 33 |
| 12 | 16 | 57 | Hunter Deshautelle | Brother-In-Law Racing | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | Running | 32 |
| 13 | 9 | 0 | George Siciliano | Rette Jones Racing | Ford | 193 | 0 | Running | 31 |
| 14 | 21 | 06 | Nate Moeller | Wayne Peterson Motorsports | Toyota | 185 | 0 | Running | 30 |
| 15 | 4 | 24 | Connor Hall | SPS Racing | Chevrolet | 182 | 0 | Mechanical | 29 |
| 16 | 10 | 85 | Quinn Davis (R) | City Garage Motorsports | Ford | 165 | 0 | Running | 28 |
| 17 | 18 | 99 | Michael Maples | Maples Motorsports | Chevrolet | 162 | 0 | Running | 27 |
| 18 | 22 | 34 | Brian Barbarow | WAV Racing | Toyota | 161 | 0 | Handling | 26 |
| 19 | 19 | 00 | Toby Blanton | Jet Daddy Racing | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | Running | 25 |
| 20 | 17 | 13 | Brian Weber | Integrity Autosports | Toyota | 129 | 0 | Mechanical | 24 |
| 21 | 15 | 11 | Matt Kemp | Fast Track Racing | Ford | 19 | 0 | Mechanical | 23 |
| 22 | 20 | 12 | Dustin Hillenburg | Fast Track Racing | Ford | 14 | 0 | Mechanical | 22 |
| 23 | 23 | 14 | Tim Monroe | Tim Monroe Racing | Ford | 1 | 0 | Mechanical | 21 |
| Official race results | |||||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 3 among 3 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 9 for 56 laps
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 1 hour, 17 minutes and 5 seconds
- Average speed: 55.396 miles per hour (89.151 km/h)
Standings after the race
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tristan McKee | 47 | |
| 2 | Max Reaves | 45 (–2) | |
| 3 | Isaac Kitzmiller | 41 (–6) | |
| 4 | Derek Kneeland | 40 (–7) | |
| 5 | Nick Tucker | 39 (–8) | |
| 6 | Landon S. Huffman | 39 (–8) | |
| 7 | Dystany Spurlock | 37 (–10) | |
| 8 | Jackson McLerran | 36 (–11) | |
| 9 | Craig Pellegrini Jr. | 35 (–12) | |
| 10 | Austin Vaughn | 34 (–13) |
- Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
References
- ^ "2026 ARCA Menards Series East schedule announced". ARCA. December 9, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ^ "Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA. December 9, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ^ "Entry list: Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ^ "Qualifying results: Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA. March 28, 2026. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
- ^ "Race results: Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA. March 28, 2026. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
- ^ Calloni, Josh (March 28, 2026). "Tristan McKee Holds Off Max Reaves to Win at Hickory". Frontstretch.com. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
- ^ "Dystany Spurlock set for her historic East Series debut at Hickory". ARCA. March 19, 2026. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
- ^ "Dystany Spurlock Scores Top-10 Finish in Historic ARCA Menards Series East Debut at Hickory". Speedway Digest. March 29, 2026. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
- ^ "Schedule of events: Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA. January 20, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ^ "Practice results: Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA. March 28, 2026. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
- ^ White, Brandon (March 23, 2026). "PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Series East makes inaugural visit to historic Hickory Motor Speedway". ARCA. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ^ Sonderman, Steve (March 28, 2026). "Max Reaves Wins ARCA East Pole at Hickory". Frontstretch.com. Retrieved March 28, 2026.