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

June 2021

  • Corey Heim wins at Pocono: Corey Heim took the green flag for the final restart Friday at Pocono Raceway thinking he was in the wrong position. Turns out he was in the perfect place at the right time, and 17 laps later, he took the checkered flag to win the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at the 2.5-mile tri-oval. The victory marked the 18-year-old’s third of the ARCA Menards Series season. On that last restart, knowing the inside was the preferred lane, race leader Ty Gibbs dipped low in an attempt to block a charging Chandler Smith at the drop of the green flag. Gibbs and Smith made contact and drifted to the inside wall, sending Smith back up the race track. Somehow, Smith avoided other cars and saved his own from a spin. The driver of the No. 20 JBL Toyota for Venturini Motorsports was the primary beneficiary of the incident. Heim’s win at Pocono allows him to keep his championship standings lead over Gibbs, now by four points. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-26-21)
  • 25 cars entered for General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at Pocono: Twenty-five cars are entered for Friday's event at Pocono Raceway. Entries include #8 Sean Corr, #10 Ed Pompa, #11 Jade Buford, #12 Nick Igdalsky, #15 Drew Dollar, #21 Jack Wood, #23 Sam Mayer, #25 Chandler Smith, #28 Kyle Sieg, #30 Kris Wright, #35 Greg Van Alst, #36 Ryan Huff, #50 Jeff Noland, #57 Bryan Dauzat, #69 Scott Melton, #73 Andy Jankowiak, and #97 Jason Kitzmiller. Full Entry List (06-22-21)
  • Ed Pompa racing at Pocono; carrying "virtual camper" logos: Ed Pompa has carried the logo of the Double H Ranch on his car since he started racing in 2006. Now with names of “virtual campers” featured on the logo, he will do so again when he competes at Pocono Raceway on Friday, June 25, in the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200. The race will mark the Ballston Spa, New York, native’s 24th ARCA Menards Series start at the Tricky Triangle. Located in Luzerne, New York, Double H Rance is a “serious fun camp” member. Its mission is to provide specialized programs and year-round support for children and their families dealing with life-threatening illness. Its purpose is to enrich their lives and provide camp experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe and medically sound. All Double H Ranch programs are free of charge and capture the magic of the local Adirondack Mountains. The Double H Ranch, co-founded by Charles R. Wood and Paul Newman, is a 501 (c) (3) organization; all contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. “2020 was a tough year for everyone,” said Pompa. “Double H Ranch, for the first time since they opened in 1993, couldn’t have any children attend camp due to the restrictions. All the children who were scheduled to attend had to resort to a ‘virtual camp,’ instead. This was extremely tough on not only the kids, but on the staff at Double H Ranch, as well. This amazing group of staff and volunteers give their time and energy to help the campers have the greatest camp experience. They can forget about being a ‘sick kid’ and just be a ‘kid’ for a week. When the 2021 race season rolled around, I decided to do a little something for the campers who didn’t get to experience Double H in 2020. Trimaxx Graphics designed an awesome wrap for Talladega, and we added all 476 names of these ‘virtual campers’ from 2020 to the Double H Ranch logo on the hood of the car. They rode with me at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover International Speedway. They will also be with me at Pocono.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-17-21)
  • Berlin Raceway picks up race sponsor: The stars and cars of the ARCA Menards Series will return to the legendary Berlin Raceway, located just west of Grand Rapids in Marne, Michigan, on Saturday, July 17, for the Zinsser Smart Coat 200. The event marks the return of the nationally touring, nationally televised stock car series to West Michigan after a two-year hiatus. “Berlin Raceway has a long history of hosting some the biggest short track events in the Midwest, and we’re proud to carry on that tradition again with the Zinsser Smart Coat 200,” said Berlin Raceway president and general manager Jeff Striegle. “Our fans are always tuned up for long-distance races, and at 200 laps there’s a lot of racing to be done. It’s a great distance because the drivers have to be patiently aggressive. There’s no time to waste, but there’s also an element of strategy. We’re looking forward to a great race in front of a lot of great race fans." (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-11-21)
  • Daniel Dye joins GMS Racing for partial ARCA schedule: GMS Racing announced the addition of 17-year-old Daniel Dye to drive the No. 21 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet SS for eight ARCA Menards Series events this season. For the first time in his career, the Daytona Beach, Florida, native will compete at Southern National, Elko, Berlin, Iowa, Winchester, Milwaukee, Bristol and Phoenix. Dye has previous experience at Bristol with a fourth-place finish in the U.S. Short Track Nationals Super Late Model event in September 2020. In addition, Dye will join the Chevrolet Drivers Edge Development program, which features industry-leading physical and mental training, engineering and technical support, simulation time, enhanced social media exposure and more. “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to drive the 21 for GMS Racing this season in the ARCA Series, and work with the group at Drivers Edge Development,” said Dye, a high school junior. “The history of success GMS has had, with multiple wins and championships over the last few seasons, speaks for itself.” Dye has driven ARCA and Late Model entries for Ben Kennedy Racing since his ascension from Quarter Midgets and will continue pilot the No. 43 for BKR in late model events throughout the southeast, including the Governor’s Cup, Snowball Derby and more. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-08-21)
  • Ty Gibbs wins the Dawn 150 at Mid Ohio: One of Ty Gibbs’ streaks in the ARCA Menards Series ended Friday, when he failed to earn his sixth consecutive General Tire Pole Award and qualified second for the Dawn 150 at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. But the 18-year-old driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota extended the more important streak and won his fourth ARCA Menards Series race in a row, again in dominating fashion. Gibbs has now won five of the seven races the series has contested in 2021. He took the lead at Mid-Ohio on Lap 7 and, with the exception of one lap, led the rest of the way on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course. Friday’s Dawn 150 at Mid-Ohio marked the 1,500th ARCA Menards Series race, a milestone the race winner appreciated. "It means a lot to win ARCA’s 1,500th race; it’s a wonderful series," said Gibbs. "Overall, it was a really good day. We had to fight. Had a good restart and just took off from there." Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-05-21)
  • Arnout Kok to make ARCA debut at Mid-Ohio with Fast Track Racing: Making his professional motorsports debut on American soil, Durbin, South African native Arnout Kok will field the No. 10 Brand South Africa Toyota Camry for Fast Track Racing in this weekend’s Dawn 150 for the ARCA Menards Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Beginning his driving career in 100c karts in 1994 in his home country of South Africa, Kok has worked his way up through racing ranks to include competing in Formula Ford, Formula Asia, Historic F1, Formula Junior, Formula GTI, Legends and Late Models. Additionally, Kok has tested and competed across the globe, including in Japan, the Philippines, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Holland, capturing the European Late Model Series championship in 2017. Joining Kok in his ARCA Menards Series debut in the United States as primary partner on the No. 10 Camry is Brand South Africa, further extending their partnership and presence in professional motorsports. First appearing in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in 2020, Brand South Africa was established to help create a positive and compelling brand image for the country while also attracting tourism and investment in both South Africa and business initiatives and brands in native companies. "It’s exciting to finally get behind the wheel to compete on American soil," said Kok. "Our debut was perhaps a little delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it feels great to finally be in the United States to drive professionally. I grew up watching racing events on television at Mid-Ohio and dreamed of the day when I could race there. Now it’s happening, and I couldn’t be more excited for both myself and for Brand South Africa to join us in this endeavor." Noted Fast Track Racing owner Andy Hillenburg: "Obviously, this is a very interesting weekend for us having an international driver behind the wheel. We’re really looking forward to seeing Arnout run on American soil this weekend at Mid-Ohio, making his debut with us and the series." (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-03-21)