archives

Scroll down to view past ARCA Racing Series news and rumors.

October 2016

  • 2017 General Tire Superspeedway Challenge announced: ARCA Racing Series officials have released the 2017 General Tire Superspeedway Challenge schedule featuring eight race dates across seven states at seven superspeedways. "These tracks provided exciting race action in our inaugural season and just as we hoped, the General Tire Superspeedway Challenge came down to the end," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for General Tire. "We can't wait to get back to these tracks to see what the 2017 season will bring. We know it will be worth watching." ARCA's General Tire Superspeedway schedule kicks off at Daytona Int'l Speedway with the 54th running of the Lucas Oil 200 Saturday afternoon, February 18. Talladega Superspeedway will host the tour next with the 55th annual General Tire 200 on the 2.66-mile superspeedway May 5. Michigan Int'l Speedway is back on board for its annual Corrigan Oil 200 on Father's Day weekend Friday, June 16. Pocono Raceway, an ARCA tradition since 1983, returns with two races, the General Tire #Anywhere Is Possible 200 on June 9, followed by the ARCA Series 150 on July 28. The ARCA races at Pocono will be the tour's 64th and 65th on the 2.5-mile triangular superspeedway. The 2017 season wraps with three consecutive superspeedway races at Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 14), Kentucky Speedway on General Tire Super Weekend (Sept. 22) and the season finale at Kansas Speedway October 20. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-28-16)
  • Daytona preseason testing to be held in January: Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America announced that the test dates for the ARCA Racing Series at Daytona International Speedway are on Friday and Saturday, January 13 and 14, 2017.  The announcement marks the second consecutive year ARCA’s annual pre-season testing sessions will be held exclusively in January. The series had historically held its test sessions in December. “Testing in January proved to be very favorable with the teams last year,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “The Daytona test has always been an important part of our schedule and our racing season, and testing in January will once again be beneficial in a number of ways, for our teams, drivers and for the Series.” A third day of on-track activity has been scheduled for Sunday, January 15. The Sunday agenda is slated exclusively for testing of the Five Star Composite body, scheduled to debut at Daytona in February of 2018. Series officials announced this fall that 2017 would be the final year that steel bodied cars would be eligible for competition at the two superspeedways annually on the ARCA Racing Series schedule (Daytona and Talladega). (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-28-16)
  • ARCA office destroyed by fire UPDATE Electrical Related: The home office of the ARCA Racing Series in Temperance, Michigan was destroyed by a fire early this morning. The building suffered significant damage, but no injuries were reported. ARCA's President Ron Drager released the following statement: "We know we've lost some documents, computers and some historical artifacts we can't replace; however, we know we're racing today at Winchester Speedway, racing today at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, and we're full ahead for Friday's Kansas 150 at Kansas Speedway." (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-09-16)
    UPDATE: The cause of the ARCA Racing office fire Oct. 9 has been deemed electrical related. Bedford Township fire Chief Ron Whipple reported on the cause after reviewing the case. There were no injuries, but quite a bit of damage resulted to the office and its contents at 8117 Lewis Ave. after a business alarm sounded about the fire. In the meantime, ARCA has moved its headquarters into a home that is on the same property as the building that used to serve as its office. (In part from MonroeNews.com) (10-21-16)
  • Chris Bailey Jr. joins Jent Motorsports for full 2017 schedule: 26 year-old Chris Bailey Jr. announced today that he will drive for Jent Motorsports full time in 2017. The South Park, Pennsylvania driver competed with Max Force Racing this year, running in 10 events and completing full races at Pocono and Kansas. Bailey commented in a Jent Motorsports team release that he is "extremely excited for the future" and that "it's a dream come true, not just for [him] but for [his] whole family." (In part from Jent Motorsports Facebook) (10-18-16)
  • Kyle Weatherman released from hospital following Kansas crash: Kyle Weatherman was released from a local hospital early Monday morning following a multi-car accident during the Kansas 150. Weatherman took to Twitter to thank his fans for their support: "Good morning. Thanks for everyone's support, last night was the hardest wreck I've ever been in. Got released from the hospital at 1:30 last night. Very blessed everything did its job in the wreck, also very blessed God was watching over everyone involved in the wreck. Everything is okay with me just very sore. Thanks again everyone." (In part from KyleWeatherman Twitter) (10-15-16)
  • Chase Briscoe wins race; championship at Kansas: #77 Chase Briscoe won the Kansas 150 and secured the 2016 ARCA Racing Series championship. Briscoe took the lead when #55 Dalton Sargeant had ignition issues and held off #99 Austin Cindric in the closing laps for his sixth victory of the season. #28 Michael Self finished third, while #8 Brandon Jones and #15 Noah Gragson rounded out the top five. A multi-car accident occurred on lap 49 that collected #08 Nick Higdon, #10 Kyle Weatherman, #14 Morgen Baird, #22 Myatt Snider, and #23 Bret Holmes. Kyle Weatherman was transported to a local hospital and released early Monday morning. Full Results (10-15-16)
  • 36 cars entered for Kansas: Thirty-six cars are entered for the season ending Kansas 150. Entries include #06 Mark Meunier, #08 Nick Higdon, #2 Eric Caudell, #7 Codie Rohrbaugh, #8 Brandon Jones, #10 Kyle Weatherman, #14 Morgen Baird, #15 Noah Gragson, #17 Ty Majeski, #23 Bret Holmes, #28 Michael Self, #32 Shane Lee, #33 Gus Dean, #57 Bryan Dauzat, #69 Kevin Hinckle, #85 Scott Edwards, and #99 Austin Cindric. The race to begin at 8:30 PM EDT. FOX Sports 1 will have television coverage. Full Entry List (10-13-16)
  • Michael Self joins Ranier Racing with MDM for Kansas race: Michael Self, a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West six-time winner, will be making his debut for Ranier Racing with MDM this Friday at Kansas Speedway for the ARCA Racing Series finale while piloting the No. 28 Sinclair Chevrolet. Self and Ranier Racing with MDM have teamed up with Sinclair, which will be the primary sponsor for the No. 28 Chevrolet as they make their way to Kansas this weekend. Self has had one previous start at Kansas Speedway just last year, but this will mark his first ever ARCA Racing Series start at this particular speedway. (In part from Ranier Racing with MDM PR) (10-12-16)
  • Roulo Bros. Racing; Ty Majeski to compete in Kansas 150: Ty Majeski has officially entered the ARCA Racing Series finale in the Roulo Bros. No. 17 Forest County Potawatomi Ford for this Friday’s Kansas 150 at Kansas Speedway. The announcement comes on the heels of a big weekend for Majeski, who won the Oktoberfest 200 for the first time at LaCrosse Speedway. His performance at the 47th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend helped him clinch his third ARCA Midwest Tour championship, making Majeski the first person to ever win three ARCA Midwest Tour championship titles. This will be Majeski’s second start on a mile and a half and first start at Kansas Speedway. (In part from Roulo Bros. Racing PR) (10-11-16)
  • Noah Gragson joins Venturini Motorsports for Kansas: Noah Gragson will join Venturini Motorsports for the ARCA Racing Series season finale at Kansas Speedway on October 14. "The last couple weeks have truly been amazing," says Gragson. "Running with Venturini Motorsports at Kansas is an exciting opportunity and just another step towards my integration into the Toyota family. The Venturini Motorsports group has a strong reputation in the series and a proven track record. I'm looking forward to working with Billy (Venturini) and the guys on the team. It's going to be an exciting week!" A current member of the NASCAR Next program, the 18-year old Gragson will make his VMS debut driving the team's No. 15 SpeedVegas / Alert ID Toyota Camry and will be paired with two-time season winning crew chief Jeff McClure. (In part from Venturini Motorsports PR) (10-11-16)
  • Gus Dean joins Win-Tron Racing for the Kansas 150: Gus Dean and GREE, the world's largest manufacturer of specialized Cooling & Heating Products officially announced today the Bluffton, South Carolina native has joined Win-Tron Racing for the ARCA Racing Series season finale next Friday night at Kansas Speedway. Dean will drive the No. 33 GREE / Cab Installers Toyota Camry, the same marketing partnership he had for his Talladega Superspeedway debut which resulted in his first career ARCA victory in just his second career start. Dean’s Toyota will also be decked out in shades of pink to showcase their support for Breast Cancer Awareness month. “I’m excited to join Win-Tron Racing,” said Dean. “This is a great opportunity for myself, GREE and Cab Installers to cap off the season on a high note while also allowing me to get some more experience on a mile and a half track. “I’m appreciative to Kevin (Cywinski) and the entire Win-Tron Racing team for welcoming us for the ARCA season finale and allowing us to help spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness.” (In part from Gus Dean Racing PR) (10-06-16)
  • G-Force Racing partners with Chris Bailey Jr; Max Force: Roswell, Georgia’s G-Force Racing Gear is teaming up with Chris Bailey for the final ARCA race of the 2016 season in Kansas. “Chris has been on our radar since his ARCA Truck Series Championship and we are excited about getting to work with him for the first time,” said G-Force National Sales Manager Jeremy Curtis. “Chris has been wearing one of our custom suits for years and we enjoy supporting those guys who are part of our program.” Bailey is a former ARCA Truck Series Champion and has been testing and driving cars in 2016 for Mobile, Alabama’s, Max Force Racing. The South Park, Pennsylvania native has been in a support role to Thomas “Moose” Praytor giving valuable feedback helping the Moose to the best season of his ARCA career. In Kansas the support role will be pushed aside for a full blown 150 lap effort for Bailey. “Really pumped up about the opportunity in Kansas. G-Force made my first custom suit and all of their equipment is always top notch,” offered Bailey. (In part from Max Force Racing PR) (10-06-16)
  • Kevin Hinckle returns to Kimmel Racing for Kansas: Kevin Hinckle will return to Kimmel Racing to compete in the season ending Kansas 150 on October 14th. Hinckle will drive the No. 69 Ford with sponsorship from E3 Spark Plugs. The Kansas native made two ARCA Racing Series starts last year and attempted the Iowa race this year before mechanical issues ended his weekend early. (10-06-16)
  • Jack Hughes speaks out against Bobby Hamilton Jr: Allegations continue to be made against former NASCAR driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. following the claims made by ARCA drivers Kevin Hinckle and Cassie Gannis in August. Both drivers are pursuing legal action against Hamilton, with Hinckle and Gannis both filing breach of contract lawsuits. Hamilton’s former partner at Hamilton-Hughes Racing, Jack Hughes, also came forward with allegations leveled towards the 38-year-old driver. Beginning in 2015, Hughes said he had agreed to rent Roger Carter his equipment for his Carter 2 Motorsports organization, the team that Hamilton ran 10 events for in 2015. After Carter’s checks to Hughes for his equipment kept bouncing, Hughes took a trip to the ARCA event at Chicagoland to collect the money from Carter and to see what was going on. Hughes stated that it was at this meeting to receive money that Carter owed Hughes, that he first came in contact with Hamilton. Full Story (SpeedwayMedia.com) (10-06-16)
  • Morgen Baird to join Jent Motorsports for Kansas: 23 year-old Morgen Baird has announced that he will drive the No. 14 entry for Jent Motorsports at Kansas Speedway on October 14th. Baird has two previous this starts this season for Hixson Motorsports at Michigan and Chicagoland, where he finished 17th both times. The Michigan driver also tested for Lira Motorsports to begin the year. He received Carlos Lira's recommendation for the Jent opportunity. (10-01-16)
  • Matt Tifft fined $250 after Kentucky: ARCA Racing Series driver Matt Tifft has been fined $250 for violation of ARCA Rulebook Page 11, Section 4, #14, and the Kentucky Speedway Event Entry Blank, which collectively reference proper display of designated sponsor logos on driver uniform. Tifft finished third in the race, driving the No. 28 Chevrolet for Ranier Racing with MDM. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-01-16)
  • Donate to Double H Ranch; be featured on Ed Pompa's car: ARCA Series veteran Ed Pompa is looking to close out the 2016 season on a high note on and off the track with the Double H Ranch. Racing insiders are aware Pompa has driven over 40 ARCA races with Double H Ranch on the hood donating over $140,000 to the Ranch. Now you can be part of the fun and excitement while contributing to a worthwhile cause! Located in upstate New York, The Double H Ranch serves kids with serious medical issues year round. The Ranch has the capacity to accommodate 126 kids at a time with the cost for each camper at $2,100. There is never a charge to the campers or their families, but the money needed to keep campers coming is huge. For as little as $150 you or your company can have a sticker on the Double H Ranch Ford in Kansas and you can be a part of Racing For the Ranch 2016. The larger the donation, the larger and more prominent your logo will be on the car. 100% of your donation goes to the Double H Ranch. To be part of Racing For the Ranch in 2016 call or email Ed Pompa (bedrock5@nycap.rr.com) or Max Yurenda (maxyurenda@doublehranch.org). (In part from Ed Pompa Racing PR) (10-01-16)
  • Dylan Martin leaves Empire Racing; no ARCA plans in 2017: Dylan Martin has posted an update regarding his 2017 racing plans on Twitter. His message is as follows: "It saddens me to say that tomorrow will be my last day at working and driving at Empire Racing & Saturday will be my last day in North Carolina. Hopefully not for good. But as of right now I am moving back to Florida. Due to our unsuccessful fight for 2017 sponsorships I will not be racing in the ARCA Racing series [in 2017] (as of now)." (In part from Dylan Martin's Twitter) (10-01-16)