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

July 2020

  • Sam Mayer earns first career ARCA victory at Toledo: Sam Mayer has accomplished so much so soon into his stock car racing career, it’s hard to believe there was still something he hadn’t done. There was, but he checked those off Friday night at Toledo Speedway. The 17-year-old from Franklin, Wisconsin, dominated the Menards.com 200 presented by SPxE. It was Mayer’s first win in the ARCA Menards Series – and his first victory in the the Sioux Chief Showdown. Mayer’s No. 21 Chevrolet led the last 97 laps and crossed the finish line 1.607 seconds ahead of Ty Gibbs. Taylor Gray finished third, followed by Bret Holmes and championship points leader Michael Self. Holmes shaved one more point off Self’s lead, which is now eight. Drew Dollar, Derek Griffith, Hailie Deegan, Tim Richmon and Rick Clifton rounded out the top 10. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-31-20)
  • Bill Kimmel Sr. passes away at 91: Bill Kimmel Sr., a three-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series in the 1970s, father of series veterans and champions Bill and Frank Kimmel and grandfather of current drivers Will and Frankie Kimmel, passed away July 30 at his home of natural causes at the age of 91. Bill Kimmel Sr. drove his first race in 1949 at Sportsdrome Speedway in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and raced for a living from the 1950s through the 1980s, winning more than 500 feature races and 12 track championships throughout the Midwest. In addition to driving in MARC/ARCA Series races for four decades, he was a consistent winner in the rough and tumble open wheel sprint cars of that time period. All three of his sons, Thom, Bill and Frank, became successful race drivers. Frank and Bill Jr. both won multiple championships driving locally at tracks including Charlestown Speedway, Sportsdrome Speedway and Louisville Motor Speedway. Frank moved to the ARCA Menards Series in 1992, earning Rookie of the Year honors and after winning four consecutive track championship at Louisville, in 1999 Bill joined the ARCA team Frank drove for owned by Larry Clement. Bill Kimmel Sr.’s grandsons Will and Frankie are also both ARCA Menards Series drivers and champions local tracks including Salem Speedway and Sportsdrome Speedway. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-31-20)
  • Anthony Alfredo returns to DGR-Crosley for Michigan: DGR-Crosley announced today NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Anthony Alfredo will rejoin the team for the upcoming ARCA Menards Series race at Michigan International Speedway in the No. 17 Ford Fusion on Sunday, Aug. 9. Blake Bainbridge will be Alfredo’s crew chief for the race. Alfredo raced for DGR-Crosley in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series for 13 races in 2019. "Since I have a few weeks off from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, I am very excited to strap into an ARCA Menards Series car for DGR-Crosley at Michigan as I make just my third start in the series," Alfredo said. "It will be a pleasure to work with the men and women at DGR-Crosley again. I am very thankful for David Gilliland and everyone on the team for giving me the opportunity to compete in this race. I know they are working hard to bring me a great car so we can have a shot to win. I plan on making everyone proud by having a successful weekend and ultimately taking home the checkered flag." (In part from DGR Crosley PR) (07-30-20)
  • Bret Holmes scores first career victory at Kansas Speedway: Bret Holmes finally got to experience the emotions of standing in victory lane with a dominating performance Friday night in the Dawn 150 at Kansas Speedway. The 23-year-old Munford, Alabama, driver put the family-owned No. 23 Holmes II Excavation Chevrolet out front for 82 laps and crossed the finish line 14.458 seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Repko. It was the first career win in his 69th career start for Holmes, who began racing in the series as a 19-year-old in 2016. "We’ve been working so hard for this," said Holmes, who had led 42 laps in his career and just 17 before this season. "I’ve been working my whole life for this. My team did this for me. It’s been a long tough road. I just thank my family and my friends. They believed in me when I didn’t." Riley Herbst, who started on the pole because the starting lineup was set by owner’s points, finished third. Corey Heim was fourth and Tanner Gray overcame an early penalty to take fifth. Championship points leader Michael Self was sixth. It was his eighth straight top 10 to start the season but also represented back-to-back finishes outside the top five. That has allowed Holmes to chop Self’s points lead down to nine. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-25-20)
  • Drew Dollar picks up primary sponsorship from Sunbelt Rentals: Venturini Motorsports and Drew Dollar are pleased to welcome Sunbelt Rentals to the team as the primary sponsor on the No. 15 Toyota Camry for the duration of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season. With a passionate team of 15,000 rental experts, a growing network of over 900 locations and an extensive equipment fleet that exceeds $10 billion, Sunbelt Rentals helps professionals and do-it-yourselfers get things done. With a highly diversified offering of equipment, solutions and services available, [Sunbelt Rentals assists] customers throughout North America extend their capabilities, complete projects on-time and handle times of crisis. (In part from Venturini Motorsports PR) (07-24-20)
  • Tanner Gray secures new sponsor for Kansas: [Tanner] Gray’s No. 17 Ford Fusion will have a new look. Pneumatech will be the primary sponsor for the race. Since 1966, Pneumatech has provided industry-leading compressed air and gas treatment solutions to production facilities across the globe. Its innovative machines and accessories provide clean, dry air and gas to industries such as automotive, textile, power generation, oil & gas, food & beverage, and electronics. They design equipment that is easy to configure, transport, use and maintain, and they provide responsive service globally to ensure you get the most out of your equipment over its long lifetime. Furthermore, they have the capability to engineer products to fit your specific applications. (In part from DGR-Crosley PR) (07-24-20)
  • 18 cars on Kansas entry list: Eighteen cars are entered for Friday's Dawn 150 at Kansas Speedway. Notable entries include #01 Mike Basham, #06 Con Nicolopoulos, #8 Russ Lane, #11 Tyler Hill, #12 Corey Heim, #18 Riley Herbst, #20 Ryan Repko, #22 Derek Griffith, #69 Eric Caudell, and #97 Jason Kitzmiller. Full Entry List (07-23-20)
  • Ty Gibbs wins the Shore Lunch 150 at Iowa Speedway: Ty Gibbs dominated the Shore Lunch 150 in yet another impressive performance. Gibbs led 140 laps en route to his second straight win and the third in his last four starts. Throw in an ARCA Menards Series East win earlier this summer and the West finale to close out 2019, and Gibbs has won five of his last eight starts across all three. While he fended off challenges from Chandler Smith, Hailie Deegan and Sam Mayer at various points of the race, his No. 18 Monster / Terrible Herbst Toyota finished 1.410 seconds ahead of Mayer. Mayer appeared to be closing fast in the final laps but scrapped the wall and was unable to complete the final charge. Bret Holmes finished third, followed by Chandler Smith and Taylor Gray. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-19-20)
  • Kody Swanson to drive for Chad Bryant Racing at Iowa: USAC Silver Crown Series champion Kody Swanson will make his ARCA Menards Series debut for Chad Bryant Racing in Saturday afternoon’s Shore Lunch 150 at Iowa Speedway. A three-time and reigning Little 500 winner, Swanson will drive the No. 22 Fatheadz Eyewear Ford. Following his first USAC Silver Crown Series championship in 2014, Swanson had the opportunity to test an ARCA car at Daytona International Speedway in preseason testing, but Saturday’s race will be the first in the series’ composite-style race car. "This is an unbelievable opportunity for me," said Swanson. "I’m excited to take this next leap in my racing career and compete in the ARCA Menards Series at Iowa Speedway with a winning-race team." Longtime marketing partner Fatheadz Eyewear has expanded its relationship with Swanson for his ARCA debut in a primary role. "We are excited to extend and grow our relationship with Kody this year as he embarks on this next opportunity in the ARCA Menards Series," said Rico Elmore, Founder and CEO of Fatheadz Inc. "Kody has been a great ambassador of our brands for the past few years and we’re excited to be associated again with him as he transitions into stock car racing with Chad Bryant Racing." (In part from ChadBryantRacing.com) (07-15-20)
  • ARCA adds more 2020 race dates: The Automobile Racing Club of America has solidified the balance of its schedule through August for the ARCA Menards Series following NASCAR's recent schedule update for the top three national tours. The ARCA Menards Series will run a doubleheader at the sanctioning body’s hometown track in Toledo, Ohio, on July 31 and August 1. The Friday night/Saturday night doubleheader at Toledo Speedway will mark the first time since 1956 that the series has run a pair of races on the same weekend in Toledo. And it is also the series’ first weekend doubleheader since 2003 when weather forced the June race at Pocono Raceway to be moved to back-to-back days during the track’s July race weekend. The ARCA Menards Series will also be part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Gander Trucks on Friday, July 24 at Kansas Speedway and a NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader on Sunday, August 9 at Michigan International Speedway. That sets the table for a historic weekend at Daytona International Speedway August 14-16. The ARCA Menards Series will join the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Trucks for their first races on the storied 3.56-mile Daytona road course. The ARCA Menards Series race on August 14 replaces ARCA’s first scheduled visit to Watkins Glen since 2001. The ARCA Menards Series will close out the month of August at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, which was originally slated for August 2. The ARCA Menards Series will compete on Saturday evening, August 29, with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES running on Sunday, August 30. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-14-20)
  • Ty Gibbs wins at Kentucky: Ty Gibbs kept his race car off the wall and, in the end, put it in Victory Lane. The Charlotte, North Carolina, managed to avoid spinning into the wall while battling for the lead with just under 40 laps to go, and then charged back to the front to win the General Tire 150 Saturday afternoon at Kentucky Speedway. [Bret] Holmes, who was chasing his first career win in 67 starts, instead had to settle for a career-best second-place. [Michael] Self wound up making his way back through as well to salvage a third-place run. It was his sixth straight top 10 to start the season. Sam Mayer and Drew Dollar were fourth and fifth, respectively. Ryan Repko finished sixth, followed by Derek Griffith, Ryan Huff, Tanner Gray and Jason Kitzmiller. Hailie Deegan, who entered the race second in points behind Self, was involved in an accident on Lap 77 after contact with Dollar while running fourth and finished 14th. That moved Holmes and Dollar to second in points, each 22 back of Self, and dropped Deegan to fourth. She is 24 points out of the lead. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-11-20)
  • 17 cars entered for the General Tire 150 at Kentucky: Seventeen cars are entered for Saturday night's General Tire 150 at Kentucky Speedway. Entries include #06 Don Thompson, #11 Willie Mullins, #12 Dick Doheny, #17 Tanner Gray, #18 Ty Gibbs, #20 Ryan Repko, #21 Sam Mayer, #22 Derek Griffith, #69 Scott Melton, and #97 Jason Kitzmiller. All cars will make the event that will air on FOX Sports 1 at 2:30 PM ET. Full Entry List (07-09-20)
  • Thad Moffitt secures primary sponsorship for Memphis: DGR-Crosley [has] announced that CleanPacs brand by Aqua ChemPacs will be the primary sponsor of Thad Moffitt’s No. 46 Ford in the ARCA Menards Series race at Memphis International Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 26, as well as an associate sponsor for his remaining ARCA races in 2020. Aqua ChemPacs is the industry leader in 100 percent dissolvable concentrated liquid chemical packs. Moffitt, the 19-year-old grandson of NASCAR legend Richard Petty, is scheduled to compete in most of the ARCA Menards Series races this season in his first year with DGR-Crosley. “I’m thrilled Aqua ChemPacs decided to join our team,” Moffitt said. “They are committed to producing environmentally-friendly products. Every time an Aqua ChemPac bottle is reused that is one less bottle that is reaching a landfill, or ending up in our oceans and lakes. I’m proud to represent a company which believes in protecting our environment and has high-quality cleaning products for commercial and residential use." (In part from DGR-Crosley PR) (07-09-20)
  • ARCA announces additional race dates: NASCAR today announced its schedule of events through August for all three national series and the ARCA Menards Series, which includes two additional NASCAR Cup Series doubleheaders and two separate stops – on two different courses – at Daytona International Speedway. The ARCA Menards Series will feature three combination event weekends with the NASCAR national series: at Michigan International Speedway, the Daytona International Speedway road course, and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. In addition, the ARCA Menards Series East will race at Dover International Speedway. ARCA Racing officials are working on additional stand-alone dates for the ARCA Menards, East and West series. The latest installment of the 2020 schedule is as follows:
    • Sunday, Aug. 9: Michigan (1:00 PM on MAVTV)
    • Friday, Aug. 14: Daytona Road Course (5:00 PM on MAVTV)
    • Friday, Aug. 21: Dover *ARCA East* (2:00 PM on TrackPass)
    • Saturday, Aug. 29: WWT Raceway (6:00 PM on MAVTV)
    Schedule locations, dates, times and networks are subject to change. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-09-20)
  • Chandler Smith wins at Lucas Oil Raceway: Chandler Smith drove away from the field en route to his ninth win in 23 career starts with a dominating performance in Friday night’s Calypso Lemonade 200. After finishing second to Gibbs last week at Pocono Raceway, Smith — who won the General Tire Pole Award earlier in the day — retook the lead in the No. 20 JBL Audio Toyota from Gibbs on Lap 39 and never relinquished it. Sam Mayer closed on his back bumper with under 10 laps remaining, but after they cleared the car of seventh-place Bret Holmes, Smith was able to stretch the lead back out again and win by .899 seconds on the .686-mile oval. Mayer settled for second, followed by Hailie Deegan. Tayor Gray, 15, finished fourth in his ARCA Menards Series debut, and Thad Moffitt was fifth. Max McLaughlin was sixth, the last car on the lead lap, followed by Holmes. Championship points leader Michael Self finished seventh. He had to pit late in the race for a flat tire after giving up third to Deegan, and lost two laps. Howie DiSavino III and Kyle Sieg rounded out the top 10. Self maintained his points lead of 12 over Hailie Deegan. Drew Dollar, who experienced mechanical issues at the second break and finished 14th, dropped to third – 19 behind Self. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (07-03-20)
  • 20 cars entered for Lucas Oil: Twenty cars are entered for Friday night's race at Lucas Oil Raceway. Entries include #06 Tim Richmond, #1 Max McLaughlin, #21 Sam Mayer, #22 Derek Griffith, #32 Howie DiSavino III, #42 Kyle Sieg, #46 Thad Moffitt, #69 Brian Finney, and #91 Justin Carroll. Full Entry List (07-01-20)
  • Kyle Sieg to race at Lucas Oil with Bruce Cook / RSS Racing: RSS Racing has announced that Kyle Sieg will race in the Calypso Lemonade 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway. The team has purchased ARCA cars and it will be led by Bruce Cook, who took over majority ownership of Finley Racing this year. RSS Racing is seeking sponsorship for Friday night's race. (In part from RSS Racing Twitter) (07-01-20)