Cleetus McFarland and Squirrel McNutt – ARCA Racing Photo
They did much more than just keep that promise.
McFarland possessed one of the strongest cars in the field that day, leading 19 laps before finishing second to Andy Jankowiak on a frantic last lap. Siciliano also performed well; he found himself inside the lead draft in the closing stages before he was taken out in a crash that collected 12 cars.
Now McFarland and Siciliano are set to tackle a superspeedway of a different kind, the two-mile complex of Michigan International Speedway.
While similar to Talladega in scale, no restrictor plates are utilized at Michigan, meaning both McFarland and Siciliano will have to rely more on their experience at intermediates rather than drafting tracks.
Of the eight starts McFarland has made across the ARCA Menards Series platform, three have been on intermediate tracks. The best of these performances came in his lone ARCA Menards Series East appearance to date at Rockingham Speedway earlier this year, when he finished fourth after starting seventh.
That same weekend, McFarland made his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with Richard Childress Racing before returning for last weekend’s event at Nashville Superspeedway. While the finishes were not to McFarland’s liking, he did gain valuable intermediate experience at the two facilities prior to Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200.
Once he is done with his ARCA Menards Series run Friday, McFarland will contest the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event in a Niece Motorsports chassis. This will serve as his second race with the organization after attempting the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
As for McFarland’s partner-in-crime Siciliano, the transition into full-bodied stock cars is ongoing. Siciliano contested the first two events of the East Series schedule with Rette Jones Racing at Hickory Motor Speedway and Rockingham, where he worked through growing pains to earn finishes of 13th and ninth, respectively.
The decent showings at those tracks were enough for Siciliano to garner approval for his national ARCA Menards Series debut at Kansas Speedway. Although he finished two laps down behind winner Gio Ruggiero, Siciliano kept his car in one piece and ultimately finished ahead of McFarland, who sustained a blown engine with 25 laps to go.
Siciliano is eyeing another solid showing in Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan, where he will look to score his first lead-lap finish on the platform. For McFarland, he seeks to carry the momentum from his runner-up at Talladega and put himself in a position to potentially earn his breakthrough victory.
Through every step of the process, McFarland and Siciliano intend to honor Biffle and the impact he continues to have on both NASCAR and the ARCA Menards Series.
PIT BOX: What to know for Friday’s race
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