Kansas City, KS – The ARCA Menards Series visited the Kansas Speedway Saturday afternoon for its fourth race of the 2026 season. Gio Ruggiero and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team won their second race of the year, his first since the season- opener at Daytona. Ruggiero held off Daniel Dye in an overtime restart to win the race.
Practice and qualifying for the Tide 150 were canceled Friday afternoon due to severe weather in the area. Jack Wood and the No. 28 Pinnacle Racing Group started on the pole position. A competition caution would occur at Lap 20, while the halfway race break took place at Lap 50.
As the green flag flew, Wood was dominant in the early going, leading through the competition caution. During the caution flag period, most of the race leaders came down to pit road for fresh tires and fuel. Meanwhile, Dye, who was making his stock car return, assumed the race lead at Lap 27.
The first caution of the race would fly just a few laps later at Lap 33 when Robbie Kennealy in the No. 11 Fast Track Racing team rolled to a stop at the start/finish line due to a mechanical issue. Afterward, a brief 17-lap dash to the halfway break was seen. Before the halfway break at Lap 50, Dye had led for 16 laps from Lap 24 to Lap 39.
Coming to the restart at Lap 60, Ruggiero and Dye were on the front row. Ruggiero continued to lead the way even with multiple yellows late in the going. One of those yellows occurred with 25 laps to go, when Garrett “Cleetus” McFarland had a blown engine going into Turn 1.
As McFarland blew an engine, he left fluid and oil on the racetrack. In doing so, Isabella Robusto and Andy Jankowiak would spin out in the process. Both Robusto and Jankowiak were left with a DNF due to a wrecked car. Due to the fluid on the track, there was a brief red-flag period for cleanup.
Following the caution, the race would resume at Lap 81. Ruggiero led for five laps until Wood passed him at Lap 86 and led through Lap 101. While it looked as though Wood would potentially go on to lead the final few laps of the event, a late race caution came out with just three laps to go, prompting the race to go into the first overtime. The caution was for the No. 66 of Dystany Spurlock, who spun off the No. 18 of Ruggiero.
As the race went back green for the second overtime restart, the No. 28 of Wood brought out another yellow, after spinning on the backstretch off the No. 25 of Gavan Boschele’s car.
For the final restart of the race, Ruggiero and Dye were the leaders in a two-lap dash to the finish. Dye began to gain momentum, catching Ruggiero in the process. However, Dye was unable to catch the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, and Ruggiero went on to claim his second career ARCA Menards Series victory by 0.190 seconds.
“You just got to do whatever it takes to win,” Ruggiero said after the race. “That’s what I did. I thought we had a really strong car, and I just couldn’t let these guys down and lose the race. My crew chief, Matt Ross, just had a baby, so I needed to get him a nice gift (which was) to win. I definitely executed on those last restarts and did what it took.”
There were six cautions for 33 laps and seven lead changes among four different leaders. Ruggiero led three times for 50 laps en route to victory.
The next ARCA Menards Series national series race is slated for Saturday, April 25, at Talladega Superspeedway, live on Fox Sports 1 with radio coverage provided by MRN Radio.
Official Race Results Following The Tide 150 at Kansas Speedway
- Gio Ruggiero, led 52 laps
- Daniel Dye, led 16 laps
- Jake Bollman
- Gavan Boschele, led three laps
- Lanie Buice
- Jason Kitzmiller
- Jade Avedisian
- Monty Tipton
- Thomas Annunziata
- Dystany Spurlock, 1 lap down
- Ryan Vargas, 2 laps down
- George Siciliano, 2 laps down
- Bobby Earnhardt, 3 laps down
- Matt Kemp, 3 laps down
- Alex Clubb, 5 laps down
- Michael Maples, 5 laps down
- Jeff Maconi, 6 laps down
- Jack Wood, OUT, Crash, led 39 laps
- Takuma Koga, 7 laps down
- Garrett Mitchell, OUT, Mechanical
- Andy Jankowiak, OUT, Crash
- Isabella Robusto, OUT, Crash
- Brayton Laster, OUT, Mechanical
- D.L. Wilson, OUT, Mechanical
- Robbie Kennealy, OUT, Mechanical
- Brad Smith, OUT, Mechanical
- Craig Pellegrini, Jr, OUT, Mechanical
- Will Kimmel, OUT, Mechanical
- Nate Moeller, OUT, Mechanical
