archives

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

June 2022

  • Joe Cooksey & Ken Schrader join Fast Track Racing for DuQuoin: [Joe] Cooksey has no idea who will be on his crew at DuQuoin. What he does know for now is that he’ll be driving a car fielded by Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team in the Sept. 4 Southern Illinois 100. As a bonus, Cooksey will be a teammate to three-time DuQuoin ARCA winner Ken Schrader, who is also driving for Hillenburg. According to Cooksey, the plan is to have a great time yet when it comes down to business, neither driver will be sharing any serious notes. “He’ll do his thing and I’ll do mine,” Cooksey said. “We’ll poke around with each other and have a great time but we’re each in it to win it. Besides, the last time I asked Schrader for advice, all he said was, ‘You’ve got three pedals and a steering wheel; just figure it out.’ “We’re definitely serious about it, but no matter what it’s going to be a good time. Andy (Hillenburg) is generally excited. We’ll come out with years of stories out of one weekend. It’s gonna be good, but he (Hillenburg) also knows he’ll have a better chance with the two of us in his cars. But when the race starts, I’m as serious as a heart attack. It doesn’t matter who it is. Once we start racing, it’s every man (and woman) for himself.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-30-22)
  • Clubb Racing fielding two cars at Mid Ohio for Rita Thomason & Casey Carden: When the field takes the green on Friday, July 8 for the Dawn 150 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, Clubb Racing will have two cars in the field: Rita Thomason in the team’s flagship No. 03, and Casey Carden in the No. 3. Thomason, known as “The Racing Cop,” will make her second start in the ARCA Menards Series. She finished 12th earlier this season in the Zinsser Smart Coat 200 at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway. Thomason is looking for a good run, as she will feel back at home on a road course. Thomason started racing in 2018 with autocross and then moved into spec Miata before making the jump to the ARCA Menards Series. Carden will make his ARCA Menards Series debut at Mid-Ohio. He comes from a road racing background with starts in a variety of sports cars, including the former IMSA Continental Tire Challenge Series and Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series. Carden currently manages Denton Carden Racing, which specializes in sports car racing preparation as well as driver coaching. Carden will be driving the No. 3 Beachy Blooms/Denton Carden Racing/Layne Denton Band Ford Fusion. Clubb Racing will be borrowing the No. 3 from Willie and Dinah Mullins of Mullins Racing in the same fashion the No. 03 was used for races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for both cars. The Dawn 150 at Mid-Ohio is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, July 8, and the race will broadcast live on FS1 with a live stream available on the Fox Sports App. (ARCARacing.com) (06-29-22)
  • Sammy Smith dominates at Elko Speedway: Last week Sammy Smith needed a bit of luck to win his first ARCA Menards Series race at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway. That wasn’t the case Saturday at Elko Speedway as the driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports dominated the Menards 250 to earn his second ARCA Menards Series victory in as many weeks. “This one feels way better, to win it like this. We kicked their butts today,” Smith said after his dominant run. “Thanks to the whole team.” Smith swept the day at Elko Speedway. He opened the afternoon by topping practice and followed that up by earning the General Tire Pole Award for the Menards 250 during qualifying. [Jesse] Love chased Smith, but he was never able to seriously challenge him and was forced to settle for second. Landon Pembelton, making his ARCA Menards Series debut, finished a strong third for Venturini Motorsports in the No. 15 Toyota after racing within the top-five throughout the evening. Taylor Gray finished fourth after spinning to bring out the first caution of the race and Daniel Dye completed the top-five. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-26-22)
  • 20 cars entered for Elko Speedway: Twenty cars are entered for tomorrow's Menards 250 at Elko Speedway. Noteable entries include #03 Alex Clubb, #7 Colton Collins, #11 Bryce Haugeberg, #12 Willie Mullins, #15 Landon Pembelton, #17 Taylor Gray, #20 Jesse Love, #27 Dallas Frueh, #55 Tom Hessert, and #66 Ron Vandermeir Jr. Full Entry List (06-23-22)
  • Colton Collins making ARCA debut at Elko with CCM Racing: CCM Racing is excited to announce that 17-year-old Oklahoma native Colton Collins will be making his ARCA Racing Series debut this weekend at Elko Speedway. Collins, who is a regular crew member for CCM Racing, will be piloting the No. 7 Chevrolet in this weekend’s Menards 250 with sponsorship from Safari Joe’s H2O, a Tulsa-based water and adventure park about 20 miles east of Collins’ hometown of Mannford. Much of Collins’ racing background comes from quarter midgets, having earned multiple championships and race wins around the state of Oklahoma and Midwestern United States over the course of his career. More recently he has competed in the Baby Grand and Super Trucks classes at Bolivar Speedway in Missouri. Getting to race in a major stock car racing series like ARCA is the fulfillment of a long-time dream for him. "I’m very excited to be making my ARCA debut this weekend," said Collins. "I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time and am hoping to make the best of it. Thank you to CCM Racing and team owner Eric Caudell for the opportunity and to Safari Joe’s H2O for coming on board, along with our other partners, RedTide Canopies and Coble Enterprises." (In part from CCM Racing PR) (06-23-22)
  • ARCA announces new technology partner: The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and Creek Enterprise have reached an agreement that will designate the Adrian, Michigan-based company an official technology partner of the ARCA Menards Series. Creek Enterprise becomes ARCA’s first IT services partner and a founding member of organization’s new Tech Partner Platform. Creek Enterprise will also have the ability to create partnerships with the entire portfolio of ARCA partners. The company offers a wide variety of technical services ranging from Infrastructure, Network, Applications Management, Cloud, Fiber, Voice, Technical Protection, Security, Surveillance and Access Control Services. "There are a lot of motorsports fans at Creek Enterprise, and we are very much looking forward to kicking off our partnership with the ARCA Menards Series,” said Jason Derby, president of Creek Enterprise. “We were led to a partnership with ARCA through a previous partnership in the NASCAR series. We’ve already learned a lot, including the incredible knack ARCA has for creating solid business-to-business partnerships. ARCA has a long history with a sizeable and dedicated fan base, but we still feel like this opportunity is one of the best kept secrets in racing.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-23-22)
  • Sammy Smith wins at Berlin Raceway: With 10 laps left, it appeared as though Sammy Smith would have to settle for second during the Zinsser SmartCoat 200 Saturday at Berlin Raceway. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Race-long leader Daniel Dye suddenly slowed with a mechanical problem with seven laps left, allowing Smith to chase down and pass him to take the lead. Smith would lead the final half dozen laps aboard the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota to earn his first ARCA Menards Series victory in his sixth series start. Saturday’s race was also apart of the Sioux Chief Showdown. “That sucks for them. They deserved to win that one. We got lucky today,” Smith said. “Some days it’s better to be lucky than good.” Smith had raced inside the top-five throughout the evening, but admitted that he had nothing for the dominant Dye until the No. 43 GMS Racing Chevrolet suddenly slowed in the final laps. “We weren’t the best car today and I feel like we need to get better,” Smith said. “We’ll continue to work hard and move on to Elko.” Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-19-22)
  • Ryan Unzicker & Hendren Motorsports returning for dirt races: [Ryan] Unzicker and team owner Bill Hendren have indicated to ARCA Menards Series officials they will once again return to the one-mile dirt ovals at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds to chase not only the victory trophies, but the Performance Seed Dirt Double $50,000 bonus, as well. For the first time in series history, if a driver can win both races on the two one-mile dirt tracks, they will earn a $50,000 bonus. The last time a driver swept both dirt races in the same season was 2009, when Parker Kligerman won them both. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-17-22)
  • Illinois State Fairgrounds signs title race sponsor: Atlas Roofing Corporation has signed on as the title sponsor of the ARCA Menards Series race on the Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The Atlas 100 is set for 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT on Sunday, August 21 and will be televised live on MAVTV. It marks the first involvement for Atlas with the series. Based in Atlanta, Atlas Roofing Corporation manufactures roof shingles, polyiso insulation, molded polystyrene, and paper and coated facers for new construction, remodels, and renovations. "We always look forward to the summer months because that’s prime roofing season," said Stanley Bastek, sales and marketing vice president for the Shingles and Underlayments division at Atlas. "It’s exciting for all of us to see the Atlas name as the entitlement sponsor for an ARCA Menards Series race, and even better for us to be associated with one of the most unique and traditional races on the schedule." (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-15-22)
  • Brandon Jones wins at Iowa Speedway: Brandon Jones had to wait out a three-hour weather delay and battle through a handful of challenges from the likes of Sammy Smith and Jesse Love. But ultimately, nothing was going to stop the 25-year-old from winning Saturday night’s Calypso Lemonade 150 at Iowa Speedway. Jones, the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular, used a long run at the end of the 150-lap race to overtake Smith and cruise to the victory. Jones, now has a pair of wins in his two ARCA starts in 2022. "Charlotte kind of went the same way," Jones explained after taking the checkered flag in the sixth race of the 2022 ARCA Menards Series season. "Long run toward the end there. Kind of came to life at the end. I had to work for it, though. These guys were really tough on me today. Jesse Love, obviously Sammy Smith was really quick. Those dudes were really hard to race. But all in all, we had a better Toyota Camry there in the long haul, I think." Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-12-22)
  • ARCA announces Performance Seed Dirt Double for Springfield & DuQuoin: Tradition is important to the ARCA Menards Series, and there are few races more laden with tradition and connection to the sport’s roots than the two races on the one-mile dirt tracks at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Both of those races date back to before ARCA’s founding in 1953, and both have been a staple of the schedule since 1983. For 2022, a new twist has been added with the Performance Seed Dirt Double, which will offer a $50,000 prize to any driver who can drive to victory in both events. Should that bonus go unclaimed, the driver with the best combined average finish at Springfield and DuQuoin will claim a $5,000 bonus. “The two races at Springfield and DuQuoin are the direct connection to the foundation of the sport,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “There are thousands of race fans in the heartland of the country who attend those races, and many have been coming to them for decades. Having dirt races has kept us connected to the grassroots of the sport and it has meant a driver who can win the ARCA Menards Series championship has to succeed on a wide variety of racetracks." (In part from ARCARacing.com) (06-11-22)
  • 23 cars entered for Iowa Speedway: Twenty-six cars are entered for Saturday night's Calypso Lemonade 150 at Iowa Speedway. The race is the first ARCA premier and ARCA East combination event of the season. Notable entries include #10 Tanner Allen, #11 Bryce Haugeberg, #15 Conner Jones, #17 Taylor Gray, #18 Sammy Smith, #20 Jesse Love, #23 Connor Mosack, #27 Tim Richmond, #44 Ron Vandermeir Jr, #55 Jonathan Shafer, and #81 Brandon Jones. Full Entry List (06-09-22)
  • Rev Racing & Rajah Caruth add new partner for Iowa, Berlin, and Elko: Rev Racing announced the addition of a new partnership in conjunction with Rajah Caruth. The team will partner with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority through the month of June, in celebration of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. This sponsorship initiative hopes to bring attention to the archipelago nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as it positions itself as The Caribbean You’re Looking For in vacation destinations. Caruth, a second generation Caribbean-American driver, will run the St. Vincent and Grenadines brand on the hood and rear of his No. 6 Chevrolet. This partnership will expand over the next three races of the ARCA Menards Series schedule at Iowa Speedway, Berlin Raceway and Elko Speedway, respectively. “The fact that I can not only go out and race, but represent where I’m from is really meaningful,” said Caruth. “It means a lot to be a representative of the Caribbean Island, and I can’t wait to make them proud.” (In part from RevRacing.net) (06-09-22)