The battle for the 2022 ARCA Menards Series championship between Nick Sanchez and Daniel Dye is down to the penultimate race of the season, as the series invades Indiana’s Salem Speedway this Saturday for the running of the Herr’s Snacks 200.

The race serves as the 19th event on the 2022 ARCA Menards Series schedule and will be the 106th visit by the series to the 0.555-mile paved oval.

Entering Saturday’s race, Sanchez holds a narrow, five-point advantage over Dye in the ARCA Menards Series standings. Sanchez has one previous start at Salem, which ended with a 17th-place finish following a crash last year. Dye has not yet raced at Salem in the ARCA Menards Series.

The ARCA Menards Series made its debut at Salem in 1955, when Jack Harrison drove to Victory Lane. Several notable names have won races in ARCA competition at Salem in the years since, including Nelson Stacy, Jack Bowsher, Benny Parsons, Iggy Katona, Ramo Stott, Bobby Allison, Bob Keselowski, Frank Kimmel, Ken Schrader, Justin Allgaier, Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, Grant Enfinger, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and, most recently, Jesse Love.

Below is everything to know about Saturday’s event.

Herr’s Snacks 200 at Salem Speedway

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Sanchez and Dye enter the Herr’s Snacks 200 in the midst of a dog fight for the ARCA Menards Series championship. Sanchez, who has three wins this year, will look to pad his five-point advantage with a strong run Saturday.

Dye, who is winless in ARCA Menards Series competition thus far this season, enters Salem following a fifth-place finish in the most recent event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 15. That, combined with Sanchez’s 12th-place effort, allowed Dye to close the gap in the race for the championship.

Both drivers will be contenders to win the Herr’s Snacks 200, but they’re far from the only drivers looking to take home a trophy Saturday afternoon.

Sammy Smith, the winningest driver in ARCA Menards Series competition this year with four victories in the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 Toyota, will look to add a trophy from Salem to his collection. Taylor Gray, a three-time ARCA Menards Series winner this year, is entered for David Gilliland Racing. Defending Salem winner Jesse Love is back in the No. 20 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports.

Rajah Caruth, who continues the hunt for his first ARCA Menards Series victory, could also be a driver to watch Saturday. Conner Jones returns to Venturini Motorsports for his fourth ARCA Menards Series race of the season, and series regular Toni Breidinger will once again pilot the No. 25 for the Venturini team.

Will Kimmel, from nearby Sellersburg, Indiana, will return to action at his home track in the Kimmel Racing No. 69. It will be his 15th ARCA Menards Series start at the 0.555-mile oval, where he is the defending winner of the track’s Halloween 200 event for Lucas Oil Grand American Stock Cars.

Landon Huffman, who recently locked up his first Hickory Motor Speedway Late Model Stock Car track championship, is slated to return to ARCA Menards Series competition for the first time since 2016. He’ll be driving for team owner Jeff McClure.

The complete entry list for Saturday’s Herr’s Snacks 200 at Salem Speedway is available here.

RACE FACTS

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Herr’s Snacks 200 is limited to 26 plus provisional positions. This event will be run under the 2022 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive laps qualifying. No adjustments or repairs may be made on car after taking the green flag at start/finish line. All cars must make a qualifying attempt, and all drivers must practice before they can qualify.

RACE PIT STOP: Break pit stop procedure. Breaks at or near the conclusion of Laps 75 and 125. All cars will be required to make at least one pit stop prior to last 10 laps of race. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: The maximum tire use at track (total, “from home” plus purchased at track) for the event is 14. Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is six (6).