A multi-car crash involving popular YouTuber Cleetus McFarland has severely damaged Ryan Vargas' ARCA Menards Series championship hopes.
The incident occurred on lap 49 of the 100-lap race at Michigan International Speedway, which was later halted by rain at the halfway point.
Vargas, who entered the weekend second in the standings, attempted to pass McFarland (real name Garrett Mitchell) on the inside.
He lost front-end traction, causing both cars to slide into oncoming traffic.
The collision collected Andy Jankowiak and Jason Kitzmiller as the drivers battled for ninth position.
After the race, Vargas confronted Mitchell in the garage to request more racing room for inside moves.
He acknowledged sliding up but noted that no one was giving any breaks on track.
“I mean just tight three-wide racing (and) got a little snug on the bottom inside there,” Vargas said.
“I just washed up a little and I just had no room to the top side. But I mean at the end of the day I slid up.
So, I guess you could say that is on me but nobody was cutting anybody any breaks out there, which I don't get.”
Mitchell, who is still learning stock car racing, said he hadn't reviewed the incident but emphasized the balance between racing hard and giving room.
“I haven't looked yet, but I mean, give up the position and let him clear you, it’s probably not going to happen,” Mitchell said.
“But it's like we're in a race, so I don't know. There's a balance to it.
And I'm still learning.”
Championship Implications
Vargas saw his deficit grow from 23 points to 28 behind leader Jake Bollman after the crash.
He expressed frustration that even a 12th-place finish would have hurt his underdog campaign against the Nitro Motorsports team.
“It’s gutting,” Vargas said. “I mean that effectively kind of takes us out of it right there.
I hate to say it, maybe that's just me being morbid, but I think we're still in the hunt.”
Jankowiak, who entered fourth in points, also saw his slim title hopes take a hit. He noted the difficulty of avoiding the crash while running three-wide.
Meanwhile, Bollman extended his lead over teammate Thomas Annunziatta by finishing second in the rain-shortened event. He said he focuses on consistent finishes rather than the points gap.
