On Thursday, September 16, Zachary Tinkle went to Bristol Motor Speedway excited to get back on the high banks of the what is touted as the World’s Fastest Half Mile. He had raced there in 2020 in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. Years earlier, at the age of nine, Zachary had also visited the track and said to his Mom that he was going to race the track someday.
He went out for practice for the Bush’s Best 200 in the ARCA Menards Series, filling in for Tim Richmond of Richmond Racing who was still out with an injury from the Michigan International race earlier in the season. Unfortunately, he didn’t get but a few laps in practice as he scraped the inside wall going around a corner. The team put things back in place for practice, but Tinkle missed the rest of practice when a wire came off and the car died. By the time the issue was taken care of, practice just ended. Next up was qualifying. Tinkle went out and qualified 25th out of more than 30 cars on used tires and little practice time.
After driver introductions, drivers belted in and fired up their engines for the Bush’s Best 200. On the hood of the car, was Indiana Owned – a company that had just officially rebranded from Indiana Originals the day prior. Indiana Owned is a membership organization for Indiana based companies with a mission of building healthier, stronger communities and creating more jobs in Indiana.
Zachary’s spotter did a wonderful job keeping him moving, but out of trouble the entire race. He ended taking the checkered flag in 20th place. In a social media post, Tinkle said, “ Thank you to the #27 Richmond team for giving me the opportunity to race again. I tapped the wall in practice and caused them some extra work and appreciate all of the effort. We got back out there and finished the race 20th in a full field at Bristol Motor Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series. Thank you so much to Dewayne [spotter] for making the trip to spot for me. He really helped us keep the car together and on the track so it could go home in one piece.”