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]