Iest qualified fifth for the Southern National 200 and maneuvered his way into third by the time the caution flag waved on lap 52.
The No. 54 Fusion had begun to build loose on the long run and the laps after the restart shuffled Iest back to seventh, where he was running when the caution waved for the lap 75 competition break.
The team would pit for right side tires and trackbar adjustments and restart seventh. The adjustments seemed to aid the handling for Iest as he charged back forward to the third position by the lap 125 competition break.
The California driver reported he was good through the center of the corner, but just a little too snug on exit. Crew chief Derek Smith opted for four tires, fuel and further trackbar adjustments to the No. 54.
Iest would restart in third for the final 71 laps. He would take command of second on lap 144 and held steady there for the remaining 56 laps. The second-place finish marks a new career-best for the young driver in the ARCA Menards Series East.
So far in 2021, Iest has four top-five and five top-10 finishes in five starts. He is fourth in the series standings, 28 points back from the leader.
Next event: Iowa 150 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa on July 24 at 9 p.m. ET.
