Zachary Tinkle

 

Zachary Tinkle has a fantastic story of a kid that came out of the womb wanting to race and begging his parents to let him have a shot to now racing in the ARCA Menards entry-level national NASCAR® series. He started in go-karting, moved up to mini-cup stock car racing then late models. He now is trying to compete full-time in the ARCA Menards series after ending up in the series by happenstance after a family tragedy in 2021 left him never knowing if he’d race again. Fan support and a last minute chance from Wayne Peterson has gotten him where he is today.  With his Racing For Rescues program, Zachary is giving back along the way to pet rescues in cities where he races.

Early racing career

Tinkle would first start racing go karts and mini cup cars in the mid 2010s. In 2014, he would win the Rookie of the Year award in the Central States Region Super Cups. He would then win the series championship in 2017.

Tinkle won the Rockford Speedway MiniCup division championship in 2016.

In 2018, Tinkle moved to the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman championship, and placed 5th in the championship.

In 2019, he would return to the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman championship, and would score 2 wins en route to the series championship, he would also win the 2019 CRA Late Model Sportsman Triple Crown and the 2019 Anderson Speedway McGunegill Engines Late Model Series championship. He is the first driver to have won all three in the same year.[2]

In 2020, Tinkle would run part-time in the JEG'S / CRA All-Stars Tour and would place 7th in the championship. He would again compete part-time in 2021. He would also partake in Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway in the Pro Late Model division, where he would score 1 fastest qualifier and place 7th in points.

In 2021, his racing career would come to a halt when his father, Brad Tinkle, had a stroke Tinkle would start a GoFundMe in order to restart his racing career.

ARCA Menards Series

Tinkle would announce that he had signed for one race with Wayne Peterson Racing on July 15, 2021, after Peterson needed a driver for the race.[4] Peterson was impressed with Tinkle's performance, and would him sign him for three more races that year.

After Tim Richmond was injured at the 2021 Henry Ford Health System 200, Tinkle was announced to replace Richmond for the last four races of the season.[5]

He would return to Wayne Peterson Racing for a majority of the schedule in 2022.

ARCA Menards Series East

Tinkle was scheduled make his debut in the 2021 Pensacola 200 in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East season, driving the No. 22 for Brandon Oakley Racing. However, the team would withdraw. He would instead make his debut in the 2021 Bush's Beans 200 for Richmond Clubb Motorsports.

On December 6, 2022, Tinkle announced that he will run full-time in the East Series in 2023, driving the No. 11 car for Fast Track Racing.

In their first race together in a full-time capacity, Tinkle drove to a career best seventh place finish at the season opening race at Five Flags Speedway. He would then finish sixth at the next race at Dover Motor Speedway.

Motorsports career results

ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	AMSC	Pts	Ref
2021	Wayne Peterson Racing	06	Ford	DAY	PHO	TAL	KAN	TOL	CLT	MOH	POC	ELK	BLN 13	IOW	WIN 11	GLN	MCH 15							17th	238	[8]
			Chevy															ISF 12	MLW
	Richmond Clubb Motorsports	27	Toyota																	DSF 8	BRI 20	SLM 18
	Wayne Peterson Racing		Ford																				KAN 17
2022		06	Chevy	DAY 24		TAL 20	KAN 11	CLT 17	IOW 22															9th	619	[9]
	Fast Track Racing	10	Toyota		PHO 29					BLN 13	ELK 18	MOH
	Wayne Peterson Racing	06	Ford										POC 26
			Toyota											IRP 15	MCH 21		ISF 12
	Fast Track Racing	01	Ford													GLN 23			DSF 18	KAN 20
		12																MLW 20				SLM 17	TOL 21
		11																			BRI 20
2023		01	Ford	DAY	PHO	TAL	KAN 27	CLT																19th	235	[10]
		11	Toyota						BLN 9	ELK		IOW 11	POC	MCH	IRP 13	GLN	ISF	MLW 13	DSF	KAN	BRI 13	SLM 11	TOL
		12	Ford								MOH 20

ARCA Menards Series East

ARCA Menards Series East results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	AMSEC	Pts	Ref
2021	Richmond Clubb Motorsports	27	Toyota	NSM	FIF	NSV	DOV	SNM	IOW	MLW	BRI 20	52nd	24	[11]
2022	Wayne Peterson Racing	0	Ford	NSM 16	FIF	DOV	NSV					15th	98	[12]
		06	Chevy					IOW 22
	Fast Track Racing	12	Ford						MLW 20
		11								BRI 20
2023			Toyota	FIF 7	DOV 6	NSV 7	FRS 6	IOW 11	IRP 13	MLW 13	BRI 13	4th	336	[13]

ARCA Menards Series West

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series West results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	AMSWC	Pts	Ref
2022	Fast Track Racing	10	Toyota	PHO 29	IRW	KCR	PIR	SON	IRW	EVG	PIR	AAS	LVS	PHO	66th	15	[14]