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

September 2021

  • ARCA champion car owner Briggs Cunningham III passes away: Briggs Cunningham III, the co-owner of the team that carried Chase Briscoe to the 2016 ARCA Menards Series national championship, passed away Wednesday. Cunningham was 89. Cunningham’s involvement in ARCA carried on his family’s legacy in motorsports that dated back 1930, when his father Briggs S. Cunningham founded what is now known as the Sports Car Club of America. The elder Cunningham is a two-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a three-time class winner in the 12 Hours of Sebring. He also captained a sailing team that won the famed America’s Cup. Cunningham III’s own motorsports legacy was created when he partnered with co-owner Kerry Scherer to create a powerhouse team that earned 40 ARCA Menards Series victories with 14 different drivers, including current NASCAR Cup Series stars Briscoe and Alex Bowman, Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric and fellow series winner Myatt Snider, NASCAR on NBC analyst Parker Kligerman, and Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. Cunningham never sought the spotlight. In a rare public appearance, he celebrated the 2016 ARCA championship with Briscoe, Scherer and crew chief Chad Bryant at the series’ awards banquet in 2016. Bryant purchased the assets of the Cunningham Motorsports organization in 2018 and continued to operate the team through 2020 before joining forces with GMS Racing to oversee that team’s ARCA program. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (09-29-21)
  • Ed Pompa to run Frank Kimmel throwback at Salem: Ed Pompa is one of the drivers participating in the series’ throwback weekend [at Salem Speedway]. The 58-year-old’s No. 10 Double H Ranch Toyota will resemble all-time ARCA Menards Series championships and wins leader Frank Kimmel’s neon yellow Menards car. “This year’s throwback was originally set up for last year,” Pompa explained. “So we just moved it to the 2021 race.” Pompa also ran a throwback scheme in 2019, when he sported a chrome car that resembled Darrell Waltrip’s NASCAR Cup Series ride of the 1990s. Pompa’s neon yellow ride is the result of the feedback he received a couple years ago. “I got some comments after the 2019 throwback, that throwbacks for the ARCA race should be ARCA-themed,” Pompa said. “OK, I get it, so I went with the ARCA driver with the most wins and most championships.” As was the case in previous races this season, the Double H Ranch logo on the hood of Pompa’s car at Salem will feature the names of Double H Ranch campers who were not able to physically attend camp in 2020 because of COVID-related lockdowns. “This year’s throwback, although not as impressive as the 2019 DW chrome car recreation, is definitely bright,” Pompa said. “(Car owner and spotter) Andy Hillenburg should have no problem finding me on the track, even if the power goes out. I realize I may have put a huge bullseye on my back by running this throwback, but I hope it works out OK. The neon yellow vinyl was almost as difficult to get as the chrome vinyl for the 2019 wrap.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (09-28-21)
  • Jean-Philippe Bergeron joins David Gilliland Racing for three races: David Gilliland Racing [has] announced that Lanaudière, Quebec, Canada native Jean-Philippe “Bergy” Bergeron will join DGR to pilot a Ford Fusion with the ARCA Menards Series for three races to conclude the 2021 season. Bergeron will make his DGR debut at Salem Speedway for the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200. “We had the chance to see Jean-Philippe Bergeron perform on the oval track at the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna in February, and we are very happy to have him with us to finish the 2021 season,” David Gilliland, team co-owner, said. In addition to Salem, the Canadian driver will compete at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City on October 23 with the ARCA Menards Series, as well as Phoenix Raceway on November 6 with the ARCA Menards Series West. “It is an honor to be able to drive for one of the best developmental stock car teams in the United States,” Bergeron said. “You only get one chance to make a good first impression and I intend to give it my all to impress those who have encouraged and supported me over the past few years. I know that I am in good hands with DGR and this experience will certainly have a major impact on my career as a professional driver.” (In part from David Gilliland Racing PR) (09-28-21)
  • David Gilliland fined, suspended, placed on probation: Based on non-compliant activities on pit road after the ARCA Menards Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday Sept. 16, ARCA car owner David Gilliland has been fined $1,500, suspended for one race and placed on probation for the remainder of the 2021 season for violation of 2021 ARCA Rulebook Section 12-8.1, which references ARCA Member Conduct Guidelines. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (09-21-21)
  • Ty Gibbs wins at Bristol Motor Speedway: Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Ty Gibbs and Sammy Smith could not have executed the plan more perfectly. With both the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and the No. 81 Engine Ice Toyota parked on the Bristol Motor Speedway frontstretch, facing each other with their bumpers touching, each driver roared his engine and punished his General Tires for an epic double burnout. Gibbs and Smith carrying out this apparent plan was possible thanks to the way the teammates dominated Thursday night’s Bush’s Beans 200 at the half-mile concrete oval in Bristol, Tennessee. Gibbs won the race after leading all 200 laps for his 10th victory of the 2021 ARCA Menards Series season. But it was Smith whose second-place run was more than enough to clinch the 2021 ARCA Menards Series East championship. As for Ty Gibbs, Thursday’s victory at Bristol was a big step for the 18-year-old in his own title quest. With two ARCA Menards Series races remaining (Salem Speedway on Oct. 2 and Kansas Speedway on Oct. 23), Gibbs has a 26-point lead over second-place Corey Heim in the championship standings. “This is just awesome,” Gibbs said. “This really means a lot to have all my guys there, and to have my teammate, my close friend, to wrap up his championship. It’s just awesome. Great night for our organization.” Race Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (09-17-21)
  • Landen Lewis scores first career win at DuQuoin: Everybody now understands why Landen Lewis, at just 15, was pinned to run the pair of 2021 ARCA Menards Series dirt races for Rette Jones Racing Development and Austin Theriault Racing Development. Lewis, the Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, native who finished seventh in his ARCA debut a couple weeks ago on the Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, won Sunday’s Southern Illinois 100 presented by Lucas Oil at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. The rookie’s first win came in just his second ARCA Menards Series start, and it arrived in dominating fashion. Lewis qualified on the General Tire Pole early Sunday evening and proceeded to lead every lap of the race on the one-mile clay oval. “Right now I’m speechless,” Lewis said in Victory Lane standing next to his No. 2 19th Green Chevrolet owned by Max Siegel. “This wouldn’t be possible without any of my guys. (Crew chief) Mark Rette, (team co-owner) Larry Jones, Austin Theriault — everyone who’s made this possible for me. It’s a dream come true.” Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (09-06-21)
  • Venturini Motorsports (#15 Team) fined and penalized after Milwaukee: Based on post-race technical inspection at the Sprecher 150 ARCA Menards Series / ARCA Menards Series East race at the Milwaukee Mile on Aug. 29, the Venturini Motorsports No. 15 team has been penalized for violation of 2021 ARCA Rulebook Section 20C-10.6F Rear Axle, which references rear wheel alignment. Crew chief Kevin Reed Sr. has been fined $1,000, and driver Jesse Love and team owner Bill Venturini Sr. have been penalized with the loss of five championship points (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, Sioux Chief Showdown), in addition to applicable special awards points. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (09-01-21)