Green Paces Friday ARCA East Practice At Rockingham

Austin Green in action Friday at Rockingham Speedway. (Scotte Sprinkle/Race Face Digital photo)

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – He’s relatively new to oval racing, but second-generation driver Austin Green took little time to get up to speed Friday morning at Rockingham Speedway.

Green, the son of 1994 NASCAR Xfinity (then Busch) Series champion David Green, posted a top time of 22.528 seconds (150.213 mph) around the .94-mile oval to lead 23 cars that turned at least one lap in Friday’s optional 90-minute open practice session for the ARCA Menards Series East.

Piloting the No. 28 Overplay Games Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group, Green’s leading time came on his 44th of 46 laps turned.

The 24-year-old from Concord, N.C., is making his ARCA East debut and first ARCA platform start overall since a national ARCA appearance at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway in 2020.

Following Green on the speed charts were a pair of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, with 18-year-old William Sawalich – an Xfinity Series rookie-of-the-year contender – going second-best at 22.675 seconds (149.239 mph) in the No. 18 Starkey Toyota.

Another teenager in 17-year-old Brent Crews was third (22.705/149.042) in the No. 81 Mobil 1 Toyota, followed by Rev Racing’s Lavar Scott and longtime modified ace turned ARCA regular Andy Jankowiak.

Isaac Kitzmiller, Tyler Reif, Spencer Gallagher, ARCA debutant Lanie Buice, and Kole Raz closed the top 10.

A field of 27 entries is expected for Saturday’s 125-lap race at The Rock, which airs at 1 p.m. ET live on the NASCAR Channel on Tubi, as well as FloRacing, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Now-NASCAR Cup Series star Tyler Reddick won the most recent ARCA East race held at Rockingham, taking the checkered flag there in November of 2012.