From First Laps to the National Stage: Landon Brown’s 2026 ARCA Rookie Season

Five racetracks. Five official ARCA starts. Two race teams. One incredible learning experience.

When we started planning the 2026 racing season, we really didn’t know what to expect.

Just a year earlier, Landon Brown was competing in the Kenyon Midget Series, racing lightweight open-wheel cars on short tracks throughout the Midwest. He had enjoyed success there, winning races and proving he could compete at the front.

But moving into ARCA was an entirely different challenge.

Landon had never raced a full-size stock car. He had never competed on a mile-and-a-half speedway, never experienced the aerodynamics of racing in traffic at nearly 180 mph, and never driven anything remotely like a 3,400-pound ARCA car.

By the time October arrived, he had made five official ARCA starts at Nashville, Chicagoland, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Kansas and Phoenix, earned an opportunity with Nitro Motorsports and Toyota Racing, and worked with some incredibly talented people throughout the sport.

There were certainly disappointments along the way. In fact, we probably experienced more than our share.

But looking back at where we started and how far Landon has come, it’s difficult to view this season as anything other than an incredible learning experience.

Nashville: Proving He Belonged

Our ARCA journey began with Kimmel Racing and an opportunity that grew out of Landon’s success in the Kenyon Midget Series.

After an initial stock-car test at Salem Speedway and his first experience in a current-generation ARCA car at Kansas Speedway, Landon headed to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway for his first race.

Nobody really knew what to expect.

Landon responded by qualifying sixth out of 21 cars.

It was an exciting moment, but even more encouraging was what happened once the green flag dropped.

He was comfortable racing in traffic, running seventh around the halfway point and showing the pace to compete with some of the best drivers in the field.

Unfortunately, an electrical failure ended his night early.

He officially finished 17th, but we left Nashville knowing something important: Landon had the ability to compete at this level.

That first race gave us the confidence to keep moving forward.

Chicagoland and IRP: Learning the Hard Way

Our next two races came on NASCAR weekends at Chicagoland Speedway and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Both presented completely different challenges.

At Chicagoland, Landon qualified 15th in a 27-car field for his first ARCA Menards Series national event. An early fuel contamination problem sent him to the back of the field, but he worked his way forward and recovered to finish 15th.

The result doesn’t tell the entire story.

He was learning how to manage a much heavier, more powerful car over a longer race, dealing with traffic and aerodynamic challenges he’d never experienced before, and adapting to the physical demands of racing inside an extremely hot cockpit.

At IRP, Landon qualified 14th out of 34 cars, just over half a second from the pole.

Once again, trouble came early.

An electrical problem dropped him to 32nd, two laps down. Rather than giving up, Landon continued pushing, racing hard and working his way back through the field to finish 18th.

That race may have been one of the most important experiences of his season.

When Landon climbed out of the car, he was smiling.

Despite another frustrating result, he knew how much he had improved. He had raced aggressively, made passes, managed traffic and become increasingly comfortable with the car.

The confidence he was developing was obvious.

The finishes weren’t what we had hoped for, but the progress was real.

A New Opportunity with Nitro Motorsports and Toyota Racing

Following IRP, we were fortunate to connect with Nitro Motorsports and begin an entirely new chapter.

Nitro offered Landon the opportunity to drive the No. 15 Toyota Camry in the ARCA Menards Series season finale at Kansas Speedway.

For a young driver with only three ARCA starts, this was a tremendous opportunity.

It meant working with a highly competitive organization, experienced crew chiefs Doug Richert and Jeff McClure and a team connected to Toyota Racing’s driver-development program.

Landon also had the opportunity to spend time at Toyota Racing Development, working in the simulator and learning from the resources available to drivers within the Toyota program.

The experience and knowledge he gained were invaluable.

Kansas was particularly meaningful because it was the track where Landon had first driven a current-generation ARCA car earlier in the year.

Unfortunately, race day didn’t go as planned.

Rain canceled practice and qualifying, leaving Landon without the opportunity to get comfortable in the car during the weekend. Then, almost immediately after the race began, a mechanical failure ended his night on the opening lap.

Although he was unable to complete a racing lap, Kansas officially counted as Landon’s fourth ARCA start.

After all the preparation and anticipation, it was an incredibly disappointing night.

But what happened next said a great deal about Nitro Motorsports.

The team offered Landon another opportunity to race.

That brought us to Phoenix.

Phoenix: Competitive Speed, More Challenges and Valuable Lessons

On October 17, Landon made his ARCA Menards Series West debut at Phoenix Raceway behind the wheel of Nitro Motorsports’ No. 10 Toyota Camry, proudly carrying University of Kentucky branding.

Phoenix was another new track and another opportunity to gain experience in a full-size stock car.

Despite having limited seat time at the challenging one-mile oval, Landon adapted quickly. He posted the 11th-fastest time in practice and followed that up by qualifying 11th out of 27 cars.

When the green flag dropped Saturday evening, Landon immediately went to work, moving into ninth position during the opening laps.

For the first 10 laps, the car showed competitive speed, and Landon looked comfortable racing among the top 10.

Unfortunately, as the run continued, the handling began to change.

The car developed a tight condition that progressively worsened, creating additional tire wear and making it increasingly difficult to maintain pace. As the handling deteriorated, Landon began slipping back through the running order.

Then another familiar problem resurfaced.

Radio communication became intermittent, with the issue appearing to stem from Landon’s earbuds. Throughout much of the evening, he struggled to hear his spotter and crew, making communication extremely difficult and, at times, nearly impossible.

In a race where traffic, positioning and split-second decisions are so important, losing reliable communication with your spotter creates an additional challenge.

But Landon did what we’ve come to expect from him.

He adapted, remained patient, gave his competitors additional room when necessary and focused on bringing the car home safely.

Despite the handling challenges and communication issues, he brought the No. 10 Toyota home without a scratch, finishing 17th.

There was also some confusion involving timing and scoring that we believe may have affected Landon’s ability to remain on the lead lap and ultimately gain additional positions. But at the end of the day, those are technicalities.

What matters most is what we saw on the racetrack.

Landon ran inside the top 10, showed competitive speed and demonstrated that he could race with some very talented drivers. With the right adjustment to the car’s handling, we believe he had the potential to be extremely competitive throughout the evening.

And perhaps that’s one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned from this entire season.

At this level of racing, the margin between success and disappointment can be incredibly small.

A minor setup adjustment, a little additional tire wear, a communication problem or a mechanical malfunction can completely change the outcome of a race.

The driver, the car, the setup, the crew, the equipment and the decisions made throughout the race all have to come together.

It’s not enough to have a fast driver. It’s not enough to have a fast car.

Everything has to work together, and sometimes the difference between running in the top 10 and finishing 17th is much smaller than the results suggest.

Phoenix was another example of that reality.

While the finishing position wasn’t what we had hoped for, we came away encouraged by Landon’s performance, his ability to adapt to difficult circumstances and the progress he’s made in such a short time.

Most importantly, he finished his rookie ARCA season doing exactly what he came here to do: learning, competing and proving he belongs.

More Than Just Finishing Positions

If you look only at the results from 2026, you might miss much of what made this season so important.

There were mechanical failures, unexpected setbacks and plenty of moments when we wondered what might have been.

But there were also tremendous accomplishments.

Landon qualified sixth in his very first ARCA race. His VERY FIRST STOCK CAR RACE! He earned approval to compete at every track on the ARCA schedule. He adapted to radically different racetracks and race cars, competed against experienced drivers, and had the opportunity to work with two established racing organizations.

Most importantly, he improved with every opportunity.

The driver who climbed into an ARCA car at Kansas for the first time earlier this year is not the same driver who climbed out of the car at Phoenix in October.

He’s more comfortable, more knowledgeable and much more confident in his ability to race at this level.

And that’s really what this first season was about.

One thing we’ve learned is that racing at this level is about much more than simply having the talent to drive a race car fast.

Preparation, experience, equipment, communication, adjustments and execution are all critical pieces of the puzzle.

We saw firsthand how quickly a promising race can unravel when even one of those pieces isn’t quite right.

But we also saw that Landon has the determination, patience and ability to adapt when things don’t go as planned.

Those are qualities that don’t always show up in the finishing results, but they’re important qualities for any young driver hoping to build a future in this sport.

The People Who Made It Possible

None of this would have happened without the tremendous support we’ve received along the way.

Thank you to Kimmel Racing for believing in Landon and providing the opportunity that started his ARCA career.

We’re equally grateful to Nick Tucker, Billy Venturini, Doug Richert, Jeff McClure Jonathan Jones and the entire Nitro Motorsports organization for welcoming Landon into their program and providing such valuable opportunities at Kansas and Phoenix.

We also appreciate Toyota Racing for the resources and experiences that helped Landon continue his development.

A special thank-you goes to the University of Kentucky for becoming part of Landon’s racing journey and allowing us to proudly represent UK, the Pigman College of Engineering and UK Invests.

And, of course, we’re incredibly thankful for our business partners, supporters, family and friends who have helped make this season possible.

Racing at this level requires an enormous commitment. Without people and businesses willing to believe in a young driver and invest in his future, opportunities like these simply don’t happen.

We’re grateful for every single person who has been part of this journey.

Looking Ahead to 2027

So, what’s next?

That’s the question we’re already working on.

Our goal is to build on everything Landon learned this season and find opportunities that allow him to continue developing as a driver.

We know there’s more potential to unlock. We’ve seen glimpses of it throughout the year, and we believe the experience he gained in 2026 provides a much stronger foundation for whatever comes next.

As always, moving forward will depend on finding the right opportunities, putting together the necessary partnerships and making smart decisions about the future.

Nothing is guaranteed in racing.

But one thing this season has reinforced is that sometimes an opportunity can take you much further than you ever imagined.

At the beginning of the year, making one ARCA start would have been a tremendous accomplishment.

By October, Landon had competed at five different racetracks, made five official ARCA starts, worked with two established racing organizations, represented the University of Kentucky on a national stage and become part of the Toyota Racing environment.

That’s a pretty remarkable journey in just a few months.

There were plenty of times we wished things had gone differently.

But we wouldn’t trade the experience, the relationships or the lessons learned.

The results haven’t always reflected the progress. But the progress has been undeniable.

Thank you to everyone who followed along, cheered us on, supported our program and believed in Landon throughout his first ARCA season.

We’re proud of what he accomplished.

And we’re excited to see where this journey takes us next.

The 2026 season may be finished. But we’re hoping this is only the beginning.

Phil Brown

Landon Brown Racing