ARCA Championship Battle Comes Down to Kansas - Bret Holmes vs. Michael Self

The 2020 ARCA Menards Series season has been one of the best of recent memory and the seasons' championship battle will come down to the wire this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Both Bret Holmes and Michael Self are seeking to earn their first championship. These two drivers are as ARCA exclusive as you can get as ARCA is these two drivers' homes. The points margin is just eight points meaning the race is wide open. Holmes earned his first career victory earlier this season at Kansas and Self clearly has something to prove after losing the championship last season. Self's stats at Kansas are scary good also only finishing outside the top-five once. The championship points battle will come down to the wire for the first time in a while and though it's been a season full of this battle, David very well will face Goliath on Friday Night (October 16).

One of the last "ARCA" guys, Holmes has been in ARCA longer than a lot of people. In a series where drivers come and go, Holmes has been a staple since his debut at Nashville in 2016. With the support and help from Grant Enfinger, Holmes has built a mini-empire in the ARCA Menards Series. Though he might not have the funding or the support that the other teams have, Holmes is proving that money isn't everything. Friday, Holmes has the opportunity to upset the goliaths of the sport. His recent history at Kansas is something worth noting and came to a crescendo earlier this season when he finally earned that long eluded first victory. Now, Holmes has a chance to seal his fate in the ARCA history books with a championship putting him up there with drivers like Justin Allgaier, Frank Kimmel, Andy Hillenburg, and others.

Self is chasing redemption, after not getting the job done in 2019. His success at Kansas, as noted above, is very scary as it's one of his best tracks. It's also a very special one to him as his first career victory came in 2016 with MDM Motorsports. Sunday, it may very well take career victory No. 10 to seal his first championship but that very well could happen. A lot of stuff has been left on the table this season for Self as he has three less top-five finishes than he did last season. He also had his first DNF since Gateway in 2019 last weekend at Springfield, otherwise, the points battle might've been a hair closer. Two straight runner-up points finishes have to haunt Self but for a guy who has never really been in discussion for promotion to Trucks, he's made ARCA his home. Though he's been a consistency through the years, there isn't always next year and with a championship victory, he could seal the deal and maybe get that long-awaited opportunity at the next level.

It's as ARCA as the series can present and Friday, someone will walk away with the championship. A season full of redemption, triumph, adversity, a walk-off home run will only be fitting. With the COVID-19 fastball being thrown, someone will have one of the most important ARCA Menards Series championship trophies. During a season that was thought to be lost, someone will be crowned champion. 

The Speediatrics 150 presented by The NASCAR Foundation will go live on FS2 at 10 p.m./ET and will be available for streaming following the event via the NBC Gold - Video On Demand. (Koelle, 2020)

Photo: Barry Cantrell/ARCA Racing