17-Year-Old Leads Flag to Flag in General Tire 150 at Phoenix,
But Does So Through Numerous Restarts Including a Green-White-Checkered
Date: Thursday, March 5
Event: General Tire 150
Series: ARCA Menards Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1-mile oval)
Length: 150 laps (150 miles)
Start/Finish: 1st / 1st (Running, completed 157 of 157 laps)
Note: Race extended seven laps past its scheduled 150-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Overview:
Carson Brown delivered a dominant performance Thursday at Phoenix Raceway, leading every lap of the General Tire 150 to take his first ARCA Menards Series victory in just his third career start. Brown started from the pole and immediately took the lead around the 1-mile oval, but the 17-year-old was never able to settle in as multiple caution periods forced numerous restarts. Brown was unfazed, regularly powering around his nearest pursuers off turn two, keeping his No. 28 Distributor Wire & Cable Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group (PRG) at the front of the field. Even with some spirited battles with his PRG teammate Tristan McKee, including a green-white-checkered finish that saw the two trade paint, Brown won out. When the checkered flag waved, Brown crossed the stripe .299 of a second ahead of McKee, giving PRG a 1-2 finish for the first time in team history.
Carson Brown, driver of the No. 28 Distributor Wire & Cable Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group:
“We had a lot of speed, but just struggled to be comfortable. I felt like we were burning the tires off it to go that fast and stay out front. I felt like if we weren’t opening up the corner and staying in the higher groove, we just struggled really bad. We were down there in the rubber and just kind of floating it out there doing what I could to keep the car from being pinched down to the bottom, and I feel like it worked. We chose the top every restart, felt comfortable out there and did everything we could. Things got a little hairy there at the end off of (turn) two, made a little bit of contact, but a free car is typically a fast car, and that’s what we had tonight.”
Notes:
● This was Brown’s first career win in the ARCA Menards Series and his second overall victory of 2026. Brown won the Feb. 10 Clyde Hart Memorial Super Late Model race at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, which served as the season opener for the ASA Stars National Tour.
● Brown won the pole for the General Tire 150 with a time of 27.670 seconds at 130.105 mph. It was his first career ARCA Menards Series pole.
● The General Tire 150 marked Brown’s third career ARCA Menards Series start. Brown made his ARCA debut last March at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, when he finished sixth in the ARCA East season opener. His second ARCA start came last November at Phoenix in the ARCA West finale when he finished second.
Next Up:
Brown returns to the ASA Stars National Tour for the Sunshine State 200 on March 14 at Five Flags Speedway. His next ARCA start comes April 4 at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway. Across ARCA and Late Models, Brown is scheduled to compete in 53 pavement races in 2026.
