Flat Rock Speedway

As a development driver, Isaac Kitzmiller knows this weekend will serve as a preview of what to expect over the next couple years.

The current ARCA Menards Series East points leader, Kitzmiller’s busy slate begins by competing alongside his father Jason on Thursday in a Pro Late Model at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Once that race ends, he will take a short flight to Michigan for his first start at Michigan’s Flat Rock Speedway in Saturday’s Dutch Boy 150 for the East Series.

Accumulating track time is an invaluable necessity for Kitzmiller as he looks to stand out amidst a growing crowd of young prospects. Running at both Flat Rock and North Wilkesboro across a three-day stretch will be a challenge in multiple regards, but he is ready to embrace the task and further refine his race craft.

“I’m super blessed to get the opportunity to do all this racing,” he said. “The nice thing is I’ll have a day between North Wilkesboro and Flat Rock to settle down and get back to being focused on the ARCA car. I’m going to watch [a lot of video], talk with my ARCA crew chief Doug Howe and get prepared as much as possible.”

Kitzmiller’s journey to the ARCA Menards Series platform is closely intertwined with that of his father, who secured a ride with CR7 Motorsports for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in 2020.

One trip to Daytona was enough to convince Isaac he wanted to be a driver just like his dad. Witnessing the infield atmosphere and competitive, side-by-side racing was an enthralling experience for a young driver who was motivated to one day earn a chance to compete for a win at Daytona himself.

Jason Kitzmiller’s ARCA Menards Series spotter in four-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Tim Fedewa was the one to help Isaac get formally introduced to Legends competition. Driving for Joe Ryan Racecars, it did not take long for Isaac to acclimate himself to the discipline and start tallying consistent results against others in his age group.

With Isaac finding his comfort zone in Legends, he started to branch out into full-bodied stock cars in 2024 by running a part-time Grand National Super Series schedule, where Jason was also a regular competitor. Isaac showcased his cohesion against seasoned veterans like his dad by winning four of the nine events he entered.

Jason is impressed by Isaac’s progress but is also not surprised by what he has observed. From the moment Isaac first expressed an interest in racing, Jason instilled patience and a level-headed mindset into his son, adding those qualities have consistently manifested for Isaac all the way into his rookie East Series campaign.

“I think does a lot more prep work than most do,” Jason Kitzmiller said. “He watches a ton of video and spends a ton of time on iRacing. He’s really patient, tries to put himself in good situations and tries to avoid situations that could cost him a good finish. Not showing a lot of aggression, [but being] passive and even keeled will serve him well.”

RELATED: Career stats for Jason Kitzmiller

Patience has rewarded Isaac Kitzmiller across his three East Series starts so far. Although only a handful of drivers participate in the East Series on a full-time basis, he remains the best of that group with two top fives, one at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida and the other at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Those helped him build an 11-point advantage in the point standings.

Despite the strong start, Kitzmiller admitted there are several aspects about the East Series and Pro Late Models he is still learning. Every weekend teaches him something new about how to maximize his performance, which is why he’s optimistic about being able to contend for victories sooner rather than later.

“It’s definitely been a change,” he said. “You have to learn where your right front is at, which was the biggest challenge for me, and I’m still struggling with that a little bit. I feel like I’m getting better. The more races I’ve ran, the more comfortable I’ve gotten with the full-bodied cars.”

Consistency will be needed for Kitzmiller to maintain his points lead, especially with Joe Gibbs Racing having swept the first three East Series races of 2025. Aside from Gibbs’ part-time East Series driver Max Reaves, the primary obstacle standing in Kitzmiller’s way is Tyler Reif, who also has two top fives in three starts.

Jason knows Isaac is more than capable of fending off Reif to earn the East Series championship at the end of the season. As long as his son keeps absorbing information and finds ways to improve his track position, Jason believes Isaac can thrive in stock cars long after he has advanced past the East Series.

“I think he needs to qualify a little bit better,” Jason said. “Toward the end of the race, he needs to put himself in a better position to win, but that’s still a big ask for a 16-year-old to be on a track he’s never been before against guys who have more experience in a full-bodied car. It’s very challenging, but that’s what dad asks for, anyway.”

As a father, Jason is cherishing every chance he gets to race against Isaac while the latter remains in the early stages of his development. The Kitzmillers will be teammates in the North Wilkesboro Pro Late Model event for Rackley W.A.R., which shares a close partnership with Kevin Harvick Inc.

There are days when Jason finds it hard to believe the kid that accompanied him to Daytona for his ARCA Menards Series debut five years ago is now in an optimal position to win major stock-car events. Jason knows that day is coming soon and hopes to be at the track in some capacity when Isaac parks his car in Victory Lane.

“I really want to be there for first big win,” Jason said. “Whether that’s in ARCA or the CARS Tour, it would mean a bunch to me just to get to watch him and see everything come full circle. I would be happy to lose to him if he was getting ready to win the race for sure.”

Earning that breakthrough victory in either a Pro Late Model or in the East Series will require Isaac to keep adhering to his father’s core principle of being patient. The competition is only going to get tougher as he gets older, so his goal is to sustain the early season momentum and build confidence as his schedule continues to get busier.

“I want to get consecutive top three finishes and not wreck the car so we can bring something back to the shop and work on it,” Isaac said. “You can’t really work on the car if it’s wrecked. We’d love to get a win, for sure, and I feel like we definitely can, but the biggest thing is getting [consistent] finishes up front and keep the nose on it.”

The goal for Isaac Kitzmiller is to one day start at Daytona just like his father. It will be a few years before he reaches the minimum age requirement for that, but he plans to rack up as many short-track accomplishments as he can before then, one of which he hopes is the East Series championship.