Spire Motorsport’s 15-Year-Old Prospect Wins Big in NASCAR Debut

What’s Happening?

At just fifteen years old, Tristan McKee won his first NASCAR touring series race Friday afternoon in the ARCA Menards Series race at Watkins Glen International.

• While he was not the best car during Friday’s race, McKee ran towards the front for most of the afternoon. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brent Crews dominated the majority of the race before being sidelined with electrical issues during pace laps prior to a white flag restart. Despite slapping the wall coming to that restart, the young driver held off Tyler Reif and Kris Wright to score the victory.
• Many short track fans may remember McKee for winning the CARS Tour Pro Late Model at Dillon Motor Speedway in 2023 at the age of 12. Earning a reputation for his prowess in Late Model racing, McKee signed a developmental contract with Spire on Jan. 16.
• As part of that deal, McKee races in several series throughout the year, with duties in the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car division, CARS Tour Pro Late Model division, and the Trans Am TA2 Series. McKee has one CARS Tour Pro Late Model win at Cordele Motor Speedway in April and a best finish of second in the Late Model Stock division.
• Friday’s race was McKee’s first career start in the ARCA Menards Series, coming just a few days after his 15th birthday. McKee is now the second youngest winner in ARCA history, with Todd Gilliland being three days younger than McKee when he won at Toledo in 2015.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.