The NASCAR world is yet again rocked by another mid-season exit in 2026. ARCA Menards Series Championship contender Ryan Vargas has announced his exit from the competition. 

Just a few days back, the team participated in the ARCA Menards race at Pocono Raceway. The No. 91 driver finished the race in 10th place and is currently in third place in the driver's championship, just six points behind second place. 

However, on Monday, the Maples Motorsports driver announced that he will not continue to pursue the championship but will instead become an "Anchor driver." This is due to a lack of sufficient funding. 

"Today, I am announcing that I will not be pursuing a driver's championship fight in the ARCA Menards Series," Vargas said in a video shared on X. "This is not a sad announcement, but a thank you to all of the fans, industry members, and the amazing Maples Motorsports team that has allowed this to get to this point. Full time was never truly in the cards, but we tried our darnedest to find the funding and get where we could do so."

However, the 25-year-old isn't entirely out of a ride. Though he won't be contending for a championship, he'll return on a part-time schedule, that has yet to be decided.

"I'll still be racing sporadically throughout the season, returning more to our "anchor driver" role as previously planned. We've eclipsed many of last year's stats, team bests and overall speed, so I'm thrilled to see what our drivers do while I can lend a hand where I can when not driving," he added.

Ryan Vargas thanked his entire team for bringing his ARCA dream to life, and made a strong concluding statement.

"We have proven that David can challenge Goliath, and I cannot wait to see what our team accomplishes for the rest of the year!" he added. 

Vargas joined Maples in 2025 and secured two top 10 finishes in four races. As for the 2026 season, despite being winless in eight races, he was just 33 points away from first place in the standings. 

Beyond his driver's role, Vargas has also taken on the role of the team’s operations manager. As of now, it is unclear if the No. 91 driver will be coming back to the series next year. 

Ryan Vargas' Impressive NASCAR Resume

Outside ARCA, Ryan Vargas raced in the NASCAR Truck series back in 2023. During his time here, even though he ran a short schedule of just seven races, he managed to get a top ten in his second start in the series at Texas.

The No. 91 Maples Motorsports driver also expanded his portfolio by competing in the NASCAR Canada Series in 2025. During this, he ran almost the entire 12-race schedule and also secured a sole podium finish.

Ryan Vargas has also raced part-time in the Xfinity Series (now O'Reilly Series) between 2019 and 2024, with a sixth-place at Daytona in 2022 as his best result.

Apart from all of his on-track accomplishments, Vargas is also a two-time recipient of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award.

While success has not followed the 25-year-old, his resume showcases his steady journey to making a name for himself in the sport.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak