Tristan McKee Sweeps Rockingham Weekend in CGM Stats of the Week

The clearest trend in CGM's Rockingham weekend was established early and never changed: #77 Tristan McKee had the fastest car in every major session that mattered. At Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina, Tristan McKee led practice with a lap of 22.617 seconds at 154.397 mph, won the pole in qualifying with a 22.459 at 155.483 mph, then turned that speed into the victory in the 125-lap ARCA Menards Series East race. It was the kind of complete weekend teams chase, fast on the single-lap charts and just as strong when the race settled in.

Practice set up the competitive picture. Behind Tristan McKee, Carson Brown was second on the session sheet at 22.668 and 154.05 mph, while #18 Max Reaves ranked third at 22.826 and 152.983 mph. CGM cars were well represented deeper in the top 10 speed list, with #79 Isaac Kitzmiller fifth in practice at 22.953 and 152.137 mph, #30 Garrett Mitchell sixth at 23.051 and 151.49 mph, and #70 Wesley Slimp eighth at 23.599 and 147.972 mph. That spread mattered later, because it showed both front-end pace and the kind of multi-car depth that often carries into race day.

Qualifying tightened the order but kept the same name on top. Tristan McKee's 155.483 mph lap put the No. 77 on pole, ahead of #18 Max Reaves at 154.274 mph and Brown at 153.819 mph. Isaac Kitzmiller lined up sixth with a 22.981 lap, Garrett Mitchell started seventh at 23.124, and Wesley Slimp rolled off eighth at 23.306. In the aggregate top-20 qualifying list and the combined top-10 speed chart, the No. 77 again stood first, while Brown, Max Reaves, Isaac Kitzmiller and Garrett Mitchell all showed enough pace to suggest the race would be decided by execution as much as raw speed.

The race itself rewarded both. Tristan McKee started first and finished first, completing all 125 laps and converting the pole into the win. Brown moved from third to second and crossed 1.446 seconds back, while #79 Isaac Kitzmiller advanced from sixth to third and finished 3.446 seconds behind the winner. #30 Garrett Mitchell climbed from seventh to fourth, and #70 Wesley Slimp improved from eighth to fifth, giving the front half of the finishing order a clear CGM imprint. For the week, that was one of the strongest themes in the results: good qualifying position, then steady forward movement when the race went green.

The biggest position gains among the race's top finishers came. #95 Jackson McLerran gained six spots, moving from 12th on the grid to sixth at the finish, and #10 Craig Pellegrini Jr. advanced seven positions from 17th to 10th. #17 Cory Roper also improved three places, from 10th to seventh, while #0 George Siciliano moved from 11th to ninth. Not every fast qualifier converted cleanly. #18 Max Reaves started on the outside of the front row but finished eighth, down six spots and two laps off the lead, and #24 Connor Hall and #25 Gavin Boschele were among the most significant fallers after qualifying inside the top five.

Taken together, the Rockingham numbers point to a weekend defined by speed at the top and upward movement through the field behind it. Tristan McKee owned the headline by topping practice, winning the pole and closing out the race, but the broader CGM story was depth as well. Isaac Kitzmiller, Garrett Mitchell and Wesley Slimp all turned mid-top-10 starting spots into top-five race finishes, and several other drivers posted notable gains over 125 laps. In a Stats of the Week snapshot, Rockingham belonged to the No. 77, with the rest of the field spending the weekend trying to match a pace nobody ultimately did.