Block, Quintero go head-to-head in Michigan for U.S. rallying’s ARA crown

Two rising stars of American rallying, Lia Block and Seth Quintero, take their scrap for the ARA National Championship title down to the wire at this weekend’s final round, with Block looking to make U.S. rally history as the first woman to land the overall crown.

A week after the FIA World Rally Championship’s title fight went down to the final yards of the final stage, the American Rally Association decider sees Block starting the Lake Superior Performance Rally just 17 points ahead of Quintero, with that gap getting even smaller when dropped scores come into play.

Block, the 20-year-old daughter of rally and action sports legend Ken, has the chance to finish what her late, great father started by winning a title that eluded him throughout his 18-year rallying career. Block moved back to full-time rallying in 2026 after two seasons racing in the all-women F1 Academy open-wheel series. She’s led the ARA standings since June’s Southern Ohio Forest Rally and took her first national-level victory on August’s Ojibwe Forests Rally (pictured, top).

But making the Block House Racing Hyundai l20 N Rally2 driver’s task a less than straightforward one is 24-year-old Quintero. The Californian FIA Rally-Raid ace is in his first full season of stage rallying, yet has already earned two overall ARA wins and two more podiums in his Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team GR Corolla Rally RC2.

Quintero trails Block by 17 points entering the season finale. Due to the ARA scoring structure, there are multiple points scenarios to consider, but the simplest is this: winner takes all. If Quintero can score his third overall rally win of the season and collect maximum bonus points on the ARA Power Stage, he’ll be champion. And if Block can add her second overall rally win of the season, regardless of the Power Stage points, she’ll be champion.

Outside of those relatively straightforward scenarios, things start to get a little complex. The ARA National Championship counts each competitor’s six best event scores from the eight-round season, while every Power Stage point accumulated through all eight events is included. Quintero, having missed the season-opening Sno*Drift Rally and posted a DNF at March’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, currently has two rounds with no points to discard, while Block has only one – a disqualification from Sno*Drift – leaving a 12-point finish as her next-lowest score.

Those dropped-score complexities mean that an LSPR victory would net Block only 10 additional event points – the 22-point win replacing the earlier 12-point result – plus whatever she earns on the Power Stage. That said, if Block finishes ahead of Quintero, she wins the championship. If Quintero finishes ahead with Block still on the podium, the title will come down to the Power Stage. Regardless, Quintero must finish on the overall podium to retain any path to the title.

“I’m feeling good. We’ve done some really good preparation,” Block told Dirtfish.com. “I feel like I’m in a really good place with my notes, especially from previous years – I’ve had quite a bit of experience here.

“Staying calm and collected throughout the stages and throughout the entire weekend is really important, anything can happen in rallying, so [I’ll] just take everything as it comes.”

Block’s co-driver, Alex Gelsomino, has already claimed the co-drivers’ title. James Morgan has replaced regular pace note-caller Topi Luhtinen alongside Quintero for the final two ARA rounds following the Finn’s injuries sustained from a WRC Rally Chile accident alongside Toyota junior Yuki Yamamoto.

“James and I built some great chemistry [last time out] in Tennessee, so I’m excited to get back on the car with him and finish the year strong,” said Quintero. “I’ve heard LSPR can be a tough rally, so the goal is the same as it’s been all year: drive smart, finish every mile and keep learning. We’re still in the championship fight, so we’ll give it absolutely everything and see where we end up on Saturday night.”

Seth Quintero will have James Morgan reading the notes for a second rally. The duo tested their GR Corolla Rally RC2 earlier in the week (pictured) and will “give it absolutely everything” in Quintero’s quest for the ARA title.

A record field of more than 80 entries is competing on the 2026 edition. Block and Quintero can expect tough competition from a front-running group that includes WRC2 regular Conner Martell again subbing for an injured Travis Pastrana in Subaru Motorsports USA’s Open class Subaru, Patrick Gruszka’s Hyundai i20 N Rally2, Enda McCormack’s similar Hyundai, and a podium-chasing Aoife Raftery in her Ford Fiesta Rally3.

Known as the “oldest, toughest, meanest rally on the circuit,” the Lake Superior Performance Rally is a fitting event to wrap a close-fought season. The rally’s roots reach back more than five decades, including hosting rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973 and '74. Today, it runs on many of those same roads through the forests of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Based in Marquette on the shore of Lake Superior, the rally is renowned for its rough and demanding gravel stages, unpredictable October weather, and the fall colors that draw thousands of spectators into the woods.

Friday’s opening leg is taking the field deep into the forest near Sidnaw for the longest day of competition. Saturday’s stages run closer to Marquette before the rally concludes with a ceremonial finish in the city’s downtown. In total, the itinerary covers approximately 123 competitive miles across 16 special stages.

To follow the action live, go to americanrallyassociation.org/live.