Iowa native Mitchell to chase ARCA Series leaders this weekend

Mason Mitchell will back behind the wheel when the ARCA Racing Series invades Iowa Speedway this weekend.

The Iowa native and 2014 ARCA Racing Series champion will pilot the No. 98 Chevrolet as part of a second entry for his own racing team Saturday during the Fans With Benefits 150.

“Racing (at Iowa Speedway) is more important to me than racing anywhere else,” Mitchell said. “It’s my home and will always be my favorite track.”

Mitchell, who is from West Des Moines, will try to chase down 2018 ARCA Racing Series championship contenders Sheldon Creed and Zane Smith.

Mitchell’s team drives Chevrolets, but the Toyota Camry has dominated the ARCA Racing Series in 2018.

And the top team has been MDM Motorsports featuring Creed and Smith, who are currently 1-2 in the point standings.

MDM Motorsports will have several drivers in the race Saturday, including Creed, Smith, Harrison Burton and Chase Purdy.

Creed, who is in his first full ARCA season, leads the points standings with 2,910. He has two wins and 10 top-five finishes in 11 starts this season.

“We have been consistent all year and just have some fast race cars,” Creed said.

“I don’t have a lot of experience at Iowa, but it’s really racy and you are not stuck in just one groove.”

Creed’s only race at Iowa Speedway came in the ARCA race last year. He finished third and led 11 laps. Smith also ran in last year’s race said he “did not have a good weekend.”

Having so many drivers from one team racing up front can only benefit the MDM Motorsports team.

“I have known Sheldon for a long time. We are good buddies,” Smith said. “We help each other out the best we can without hurting ourselves. The teams have been putting everything together. We’ve got a good team, and we hope to get win No. 4 this weekend.

“Iowa is a pretty sweet track. The top groove will come into play.”

Smith trails Creed in the standings by 165 points. He has three wins and eight top-five finishes in 11 starts.

Burton has one win, two top-five finishes and three top-10 tallies in four ARCA starts this season.

The other full-time MDM Motorsports ARCA Racing Series driver is Purdy, and he comes into the weekend fourth in the standings with 2,455. Purdy has five top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts.

“Whenever once car figures something out, we share that information with the other drivers on our team,” said Smith, who is in his first full season in ARCA after making 14 starts last year and two in 2016. “Hopefully one of us figures enough out to win, and the others can take advantage of that, too.”

Riley Herbst is between Smith and Purdy in third. He leads Purdy by 105 points, but trails Smith by 185.

Some of the other drivers in the field Saturday include Travis Braden, Gus Dean and Natalie Decker, who are sitting fifth, sixth and seventh in the points standings.

Part-time ARCA drivers Michael Self, Christian Eckes, Chandler Smith and Burton also are entered in the race.

Self was fourth in last year’s race as part of the Mason Mitchell Motorsports racing team. He has two wins and five top-five finishes in six ARCA starts this year.

Eckes was eighth in last year’s ARCA race at Iowa. He has one win and two top-five finishes in five ARCA starts in 2018.

The last time Mitchell was in an ARCA car was last year at Iowa. Mitchell won the 2015 ARCA race at Iowa.

The 24-year-old Mitchell hopes to be faster than everyone on Saturday, but he’s run in just 10 races in ARCA competition since winning the season title in 2014.

Mitchell hopes to slow down the Toyota domination in the series. Toyota cars have won 11 ARCA races this season between powerhouse teams MDM Motorsports and Venturini Motorsports. Eckes, Self, Decker and Smith all drive for Venturini. Smith has one win and three top-five finishes in four starts this season.

Saturday’s Fans With Benefits 150 waves the green flag at 8 p.m.