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

February 2020

  • Hailie Deegan picks up sponsorship for Phoenix and Charlotte: Hailie Deegan will carry Toter colors on her No.4 Ford Fusion for the ARCA Menard’s Series races at Phoenix (March 6) and Charlotte (May 22), and carry the brand as an associate sponsor throughout the season. “I’m really excited to partner with [parent company] Wastequip and glad they are supporting me in the most crucial time of my career, helping me develop and further my skill set to break down barriers as we stay focused on winning,” said the 18-year-old, who joined Ford’s driver development program at the end of last year. Toter manufactures two-wheeled curbside waste and recycling collection bins. “I’ve seen Hailie race, and I’ve been very impressed with her drive, toughness and entrepreneurship,” said Marty Bryant, CEO of Wastequip. “Further, her winning spirit and dedication to her sport align perfectly with Toter’s ‘Built for Extremes’ commitment — she’s a tough fighter in a crowded space who won’t settle for anything short of leading the field.” (In part from Racer.com) (02-13-20)
  • Michael Self wins the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona: Michael Self’s 2019 season ended one spot short of a championship. In the 2020 season opener, he made sure to put the field on notice, dominating from the pole to win the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire for the second time in the last three years. “It’s unbelievable. I can tell you the second time is every bit as sweet as the first,” he said. “And to do it with this group of people around me. Sinclair Oil, Toyota, my family here, a bunch of my friends here. It’s no secret, it’s a little extra special to come to Daytona. And to do it here with these guys makes it more special on top of that. Just a truly amazing day for us a little bit surreal.” The victory is the third straight Daytona win for Venturini Motorsports (Self in 2018, Harrison Burton in 2019) and fourth overall for the organization. In her DGR-Crosley and Ford debut, Hailie Deegan drove her way to a runner-up finish, her best career result and tying the best result for a female in the ARCA Menards Series. Self’s Venturini teammate, Drew Dollar, finished third in his first career series start, with Sean Corr and Thad Moffitt rounding out the top five. Jason White scored a career-best finish of sixth, with Riley Herbst, Willie Mullins, Bret Holmes and Scott Melton completing the top 10. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (02-08-20)
  • Dominique Van Wieringen running partial schedule with Rette Jones Racing: Rette Jones Racing announced today that siblings Dominique and Tristan Van Wieringen will double down and compete in ARCA Menards Series competition beginning with Saturday afternoon’s Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire. Dominique Van Wieringen will drive the team’s No. 30 DuroByte Ford Fusion in this weekend’s ARCA Menards Series season-opener, while brother Tristan will take the wheel two days later on Monday night at New Smyrna Speedway for the ARCA Menards Series East season-opener. Overall, Dominique Van Wieringen is planning to compete in a number of ARCA Menards Series races, while Tristan is set to return to the East Series and run for the series’ championship in 2020. Other races slated for Dominique Van Wieringen include Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Kansas Speedway. As for Daytona, Dominique Van Wieringen returns to the 2.5-mile superspeedway after setting the fastest time in preseason testing last month. Saturday’s 80-lap race will mark her ARCA Menards Series debut. “I’m really excited about getting this opportunity to compete at Daytona for Rette Jones Racing,” said Dominique Van Wieringen, a veteran of ARCA East competition. “As we proved last month, we have a really fast race car and I can’t wait to get on the track and showcase that speed once again and have the opportunity to race for a win in my ARCA debut. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” (In part from RetteJonesRacing.com) (02-06-20)
  • Willie Mullins racing at Daytona & New Smyrna: Willie Mullins and Mullins Racing are going to mix a little bit of old with a little bit of new this year in Florida. Mullins and the No. 3 Crow Wing Recycling Ford team will open the ARCA Menards Series season on Saturday, Feb. 8 by competing in the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire at Daytona International Speedway. Following the race at Daytona, Mullins Racing will travel to New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on Feb. 10 to compete in the Skips Western Outfitters 175, the season opener for the ARCA Menards Series East. "We’re going to do the double I guess you could call it," Mullins said. "That’s our plan. We’re going to try and stick to it and see what happens." Mullins returns to Daytona this year in search of redemption. One year ago Mullins qualified a career-best fourth for the ARCA Menards Series opener, but a crash on the third lap of competition brought a premature end to his day. "We’re cautiously optimistic again," said Mullins, who finished second in the ARCA opener at Daytona in 2018. "We just need to not make any mistakes. I, as a driver, I can’t make mistakes like I did last year. We have a good car and we were solid in the test down there a few weeks ago, we just need to carry that into the race. We want to come out of there with a top-10." Typically Mullins Racing would return home to Fredericksburg, Va., following the race at Daytona. However, thanks to the unification of the rulebooks between the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East and West, the opportunity presented itself for the team to compete at New Smyrna Speedway. (In part from Mullins Racing PR) (02-04-20)
  • Max Force Racing extends UNOH partnership: For the eighth consecutive season, Thomas "Moose" Praytor is partnering with the University of Northwestern Ohio, (UNOH) utilizing students from their High Performance Motorsports Program. UNOH students Collin Peterson, Christopher Wolford, Kai Campbell and Tim Winecoff will begin working with Praytor in the ARCA Season Opener at Daytona International Speedway next week. "Over the years we’ve had a lot of UNOH students work with our race team. We take a lot of pride in the guys we’ve trained that have moved on to NASCAR after finishing their school," offered Praytor. "UNOH’s Adam Lowe was my crew chief when we finished 5th in the point standings and former UNOH Intern Tevin Bair returned to our team this year after spending 2 seasons in NASCAR Xfinity Series." Located in Lima, Ohio, UNOH’s High Performance Motorsports program was created in 1992 and has been training students with the latest technology available in the industry since. (In part from Max Force Racing PR) (02-01-20)