ARCA Category

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer In a move designed to strengthen a relationship that dates back more than 60 years, NASCAR announced today the acquisition of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). Both NASCAR and ARCA, a Midwest-based sanctioning body for stock car auto racing, share a long history: ARCA founder John Marcum raced against Bill France Sr. and worked as a NASCAR official. More recently, the series has provided a valuable platform for talented drivers looking to make it to NASCAR’s national series. “Our NASCAR family has longRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer One of the feel good stories of the chaotic and carnage-filled ending to the season-opening ARCA Racing Series event at Daytona International Speedway was the second-place finish of Willie Mullins. The 37-year-old driver out of Fredericksburg, Va. avoided multiple late-race accidents to cross the stripe in the second positon for his own Mullins Racing team. It was just the 12th ARCA start for Mullins, with the majority of those coming at New Jersey Motorsports Park, before debuting at Daytona in 2016. “It’s a win forRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer The ARCA Racing Series goes from one of the shortest tracks on the schedule to the largest as the series hits Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for race No. 4 of the 2018 season. After an extremely chaotic race in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, this event is sure to be another thriller, but hopefully with a bit less mangled sheet metal when all is said and done on Friday. The Track Talladega Superspeedway is a 2.66-mile tri-oval with 33 degrees of banking in theRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer Our Motorsports announced today that they will field a second car for Josh Williams in Friday’s ARCA Racing Series General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway. Williams’ breakout season in ARCA came in 2016, when he won two races and recorded five top-five and 11 top-10 results. Williams ran just one ARCA race last season while also competing in seven NASCAR XFINITY Series events. The 24-year-old driver has made eight starts behind the wheel of the No. 90 Chevrolet thus far this season in the XFINITYRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer SALEM, Ind. – Salem Speedway, a 0.555-mile oval with 33-degress of banking, is a difficult track for seasoned veterans and even more so for rookie drivers. Sixteen-year-old Colby Howard made his ARCA Racing Series debut in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 behind the wheel of the No. 78 Mason Mitchell Motorsports Chevrolet. When the checkered flag flew after 200 laps on Sunday afternoon, Howard crossed the line in the eighth position. “Salem is so different compared to anywhere else I have ever raced. It is reallyRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer SALEM, Ind. – When the first caution flew in Sunday afternoon’s ARCA Racing Series event at Salem Speedway, the leaders hit pit road for the first round of pit stops and some fresh General Tire rubber. Bret Holmes exited his pit box as Christian Eckes and Chase Purdy were going past and three-wide usually doesn’t work on the race track, much less on the already tight quarters of pit road at Salem. Holmes’ No. 23 Chevrolet slammed into a crew member pitting the Gus DeanRead More

By Don Radebaugh, ARCA Communications Manager SALEM, Ind. – It was one for the ages, especially for Middletown, N.Y.’s Christian Eckes who held off a hungry pack over the final 50 laps to earn his career-first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory Sunday afternoon at Salem Speedway. Eckes, in the No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, first fought off Zane Smith, then held back the non-stop hard charge from Chandler Smith to win the 103rd running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200. “I can’t believe this…I really can’t,” saidRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer SALEM, Ind. – Chandler Smith was evaluated and released from a local hospital on Sunday after a hard crash on the last lap of the ARCA Racing Series event at Salem Speedway. Smith’s No. 20 Toyota was the dominant car of the race, leading 117 of the 200 laps. But his Venturini Motorsports teammate Christian Eckes was the first car off pit road during the money stop and Smith was left chasing Eckes down over the final laps. The duo were nose-to-tail and side-by-side throughoutRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer The ARCA Racing Series heads to arguably the best track on the schedule and the one most-perfect for the series this weekend for the third race of the 2018 season. With a race day forecast of 63 degrees and a zero percent chance of rain, the stands should be packed at the high-banked half-mile in Indiana. The Track Salem Speedway is a 0.555-mile paved oval with 33 degrees of banking in the turns. The old, bumpy, worn-out surface typically produces fantastic racing and is aRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer Last season, the ARCA Racing Series took the white flag in the General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway with Brandon Lynn leading the way in the No. 88 Mason Mitchell Motorsports Chevrolet. Lynn appeared poised to earn his first series victory, or at the very least, a solid top-five finish in his eighth start in the series. As the leaders barreled into turn three for the final time, a wreck happened on the backstretch to bring out the yellow flag. Lynn’s fuel tank ran dryRead More