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

August 2018

  • CJ McLaughlin to race at Lucas Oil with SciAps sponsorship: CJ McLaughlin Motorsports and SciAps Inc. are announcing today that they have entered into a multi-race partnership starting at the Lucas Oil Raceway on September 7th. SciAps will be the primary sponsor for CJ's ARCA racing debut at the Shore Lunch 200 in Indianapolis. "I am super excited to have SciAps on board with us for both my ARCA debut and a home-track race in Thompson. I am also thrilled that we were able to partner with a local company that is growing and creating jobs for hard-working Americans in the Boston, MA and Laramie, WY areas." - CJ McLaughlin (In part from CJMcLaughlin.net) (08-30-18)
  • Tommy Vigh Jr. returns to Fast Track Racing for DuQuoin: Tommy Vigh Jr. is near wrapping up his 2018 racing season, one the best of his career since teaming up with Extreme Energy Solutions in 2016. Vigh brought his short track experience, along with his sponsors, to ARCA in 2018, making his ARCA debut on June 15, finishing 15th at Madison. Vigh continued the momentum, as he racked up a 12th place finish at Illinois State Fair Grounds. Vigh Jr. is scheduled to compete at Du Quoin State Fair Grounds, in hopes to finish in the top ten; behind the wheel of equipment supplied by Andy Hillenburg and his Fast Track Racing Enterprises. Vigh will pilot the #10 car of Hillenburg, decorated with the logo of Extreme Energy Solutions, Inc. and its product brands, including: SMART Emissions Reducer, Extreme Kleaner, H2O Energy Flow, and Extreme Xtra Fuel Treatments. “Every time Tommy hits the track, he is improving and he is showing signs of promise that he can compete on the short tracks of ARCA. We hope to help develop Vigh so he can go the distance on a full ARCA schedule,” commented Hillenburg, owner of Fast Track Enterprises. (In part from Extreme Energy Solutions PR) (08-30-18)
  • Joe Graf Jr. scores first career ARCA victory at Berlin: Joe Graf, Jr. nudged two drivers out of the way on the final two green flag lap to score his first career ARCA Racing Series win in the Primera Plastics 200 at Berlin Raceway. Graf edged Zane Smith at the finish by 0.041 seconds, about three feet. Graf had to work his way past Chandler Smith, who himself had recovered from a spin while battling for the third position at lap 141. C. Smith pitted for right side tires and quickly knifed his way through the field to take the lead from Christian Eckes at lap 163. C. Smith led until lap 200 when he was nudged out of the way coming to what should have been the checkered, but starter Denise Engle instead waved the caution flag setting up a one lap dash to the finish. C. Smith would go on to finish seventh. On the final restart at lap 206, Graf led the field to the green but spun his tires at the green, which allowed Zane Smith and Travis Braden to move around. But heading into turn three, Graf dove to the bottom side of the track and made contact with Z. Smith, moving him up the track and allowing Graf to take the win at the stripe. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (08-26-18)
  • Ken Schrader Racing; Holmes fined and penalized after Springfield: Based on ARCA Racing Series post-race technical inspection following the August 19 Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the Ken Schrader Racing #52 team has been determined to be in violation of 2018 ARCA Rulebook page 45, Item 3 which references minimum rear quarter panel height. Due to the infraction, crew chief Matt Weber has been fined $750 and team owner Ken Schrader and driver Bret Holmes have been penalized with the loss of 25 championship points (Driver, Car Owner and Short Track Challenge). (In part from ARCARacing.com) (08-24-18)
  • Christian Eckes wins at Springfield: Christian Eckes took over the lead when most of the other lead lap cars pitted late in the race and held off two furious charges, first from teammate Logan Seavey and then from eventual runner up Sheldon Creed, to score his second ARCA Racing Series win of 2018 in Sunday's Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fair. Eckes nipped Creed at the line by 0.305 seconds on a two-lap overtime dash to the checkered flag. Eckes and crew chief Kevin Reed pitted for the final time of the day under the second caution flag at lap 50. When the rest of the lead lap cars pitted under the third caution just ten laps later, Eckes was elevated to the lead, a lead he wouldn't give up the rest of the distance. "I can hardly believe this," Eckes said in victory lane. "We were 1.7 seconds off the pace in practice. I literally have no idea how we ended up here. I thought Logan Seavey would have been the car to beat, and he was, and I thought Sheldon Creed would have been the car to beat, and he was. I didn't expect to win today. I thought we would have to just run the day out. Once I figured out I was driving the car all wrong it really took off." Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (08-20-18)
  • Kelly Kovski returning at Springfield with Allgaier: Kelly Kovski will return to racing in the ARCA Racing Series in Sunday's Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. It will be the first ARCA appearance for Kovski since he was injured while spectating at a sprint car race at Volusia County Speedway in February, 2017. Kovski, a Springfield native, will pilot Mike Allgaier's No. 16 Schluckebier Farm / Billingsley Towing Chevrolet, the same car he crew chiefed to victory with Grant Enfinger behind the wheel in 2017. "I told Grant last year when we were getting ready for this race that it would probably work out that we'd win the year I wasn't driving and that's exactly what happened," Kovski said. "So I told him this year we need to make it happen for me." Kovski has a long association with the Allgaier family, having worked with Justin Allgaier both during his ARCA days as a driver and on his short track equipment now that he has become a full-time competitor in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Kovski also worked as crew chief in 2011 and 2012 when Enfinger drove for Allgaier Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (08-18-18)
  • Tommy Vigh Jr. adds races to schedule; both dirt: Tommy Vigh Jr. is scheduled to compete at both upcoming ARCA dirt track races: the Allen Crowe 100 at Illinois State Fairgrounds and the General Tire Grabber 100 at Du Quoin State Fair Grounds. Vigh is expected to continue to point the momentum to a strong showing, as he carries with him a 15th place finish from his ARCA career debut at Madison. Vigh also brings with him years of wisdom from his dirt track racing career, where he continues to compete on Saturday nights at the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York. Vigh stands 5th in points at his home track this season with a number of top five and four top ten finishes. Vigh will be behind the wheel of equipment supplied by Andy Hillenburg and his Fast Track Racing Enterprises. Vigh will pilot the #10 car of Hillenburg, decorated with the logo of Extreme Energy Solutions, Inc. and its product brands, including: SMART Emissions Reducer, Extreme Kleaner, H2O Energy Flow, and Extreme Xtra Fuel Treatments. (In part from Fast Track Racing PR) (08-18-18)
  • Cole Glasson to race at Kansas for Win-Tron Racing: Eighteen-year-old Cole Glasson will make his ARCA Racing Series debut driving for Win-Tron Racing during the ARCA season finale at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 19. Glasson took part in the ARCA Racing Series test at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., in June, turning a handful of laps in the No. 32 GREE Cooling Products Chevrolet driven by Win-Tron Racing’s full-time driver and Elko Speedway winner Gus Dean. Following the successful test, Glasson continued to work with Win-Tron Racing to secure an opportunity to make his ARCA debut. That dream will become a reality on Oct. 19 at Kansas Speedway. Glasson's No. 33 Win-Tron Racing Chevrolet will carry primary sponsorship from AM Technical Solutions, a construction management, project management and facility solutions firm for the high tech markets. Founded in 1994, AM Technical Solutions has more than a 20 year track record of delivering high complexity construction projects for many of the leading technology companies with proven success. (In part from MPM Marketing) (08-18-18)
  • Empire Racing Group purchases assests from Mason Mitchell Motorsports: Mike "Grumpy" Cheek, VP and Competition Director for Empire Racing Group confirmed Monday that ERG has purchased the operating assets of Mason Mitchell Motorsports. Mason Mitchell made the very difficult and emotional decision to cease operation and to sale the team’s assets last week. "Mitchell has been a long-time friend of ERG. I have watch him grow with his team into a champion in the ARCA Racing Series," Cheek said. When asked how Mitchell came about the decision to cease operations, "I guess this is meant to be", said Mitchell. "For me, I need to get back home and regroup. Perhaps at some point in time, I can get back into the racing arena. But, for now rest and relaxation is greatly needed." With the purchase of MMM, this will allow ERG to take their small, budding team to the next level of performance and remain strong in the ARCA Racing Series. "Things work out for a reason", Cheek said. Cheek had been in talks with John Corr about switching manufacturers over from Ford to Chevrolet. Corr, who is the owner of ERG, had been wanting to switch for some time now. "Switching over to Chevrolet will help to strengthen ERG’s alliance with Richard Petty Motorsports. Since 2016, ERG has been partners with RPM as a development team and with the purchase of MMM’s operating assets just makes good sense. Mitchell has some fast-hot rods and I am happy that now all our fleet will be Chevrolet," Cheek said. In addition to acquiring MMM’s operation assets, ERG has also hired some key personnel, starting with veteran crew chief Jeff McClure. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (08-18-18)
  • Logan Seavey to drive for Venturini at Springfield & DuQuoin: Venturini Motorsports announced today the addition of 21-year old Toyota Development Driver Logan Seavey to the team’s lineup for a pair of upcoming ARCA Racing Series dirt races at the Springfield and DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Seavey, a native of Sutter, California, made headlines last month after leading 53-laps and nearly pulling off the victory in his first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in the Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway. Seavey will pilot VMS' No.20 Craftsman Toyota Camry at the Springfield dirt mile on August 19 and again at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds during the series’ annual Labor Day feature on September 3. "I'm really excited and thankful to Toyota and Craftsman for the opportunity to come run these ARCA races with Venturini Motorsports," says Seavey. "We started out the year with plans to run the midget fulltime and things just kind of picked up from there, especially after the truck race. Eldora was a dream come true – we just missed it, but had a heck of a time leading laps and being there at the end. It was a great experience. And now I get a chance to run on the Springfield and DuQuoin dirt miles in the ARCA Series." (In part from Venturini Motorsports PR) (08-09-18)
  • Roger Carter & Dana Royal arrested in Michigan: The Chippewa County sheriff said an anonymous tip submitted through the agency's mobile app helped them arrest a couple they said stole a motorhome and used a fake business. On July 10, deputies received the tip that a North Carolina parole absconder was living on Sugar Island in Chippewa County in a 5th wheel RV with his wife "Marie Carter" and her two daughters. Investigators said valid felony warrants were located for Roger "Lee" Carter II of North Carolina and Indiana. Detectives said that "Marie Carter" was actually Dana Upright Royal. Then on July 18, Chippewa County investigators learned the Hamburg Township Police Department took a report earlier in the month tying the couple to a theft of a 2012 motorhome valued at $60,000. The Hamburg Township Police Department said the couple was also using a fake business front of RVNow.com. Detectives also learned the 5th wheel on Sugar Island was also stolen by conversion from a couple out of Kentucky. The 5th wheel RV was recovered on the Sugar Island property, Chippewa County Sheriff Michael Bitnar said. During the course of the investigation, it was learned that Roger “Lee” Carter and Dana Upright Royal fled the Chippewa County area, said Bitnar. The couple was arrested on Thursday by troopers from the Michigan State Police Tri-City Post after leaving Chippewa County. Carter is lodged at the Chippewa County Jail on a charge of larceny by conversion of $20,000 or more. He is being held on a $5,000 bond and on the warrants out of North Carolina. Royal is being held in the Bay County Jail on an outstanding felony warrant for fraud. (In part from UpNorthLive.com) (08-01-18)