archives

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

October 2022

  • Logan Misuraca building awareness around mental health; planning to race in 2023: Despite the efforts of many around the world, a stigma surrounding mental health remains common. Logan Misuraca is hoping to help change that with a new program she believes will also help her get on track with the ARCA Menards Series in 2023. The 23-year-old Floridian recently launched 1inaMillion.Life with the goal of spreading awareness about mental health across the United States and the world. “I developed 1 in a Million just based on my own journey through everything,” Misuraca said. “Whether it be racing, life, everything in itself. The past two years haven’t been the easiest, especially with getting racing going and some of the people I was involved with. It wasn’t the best. I came up with an idea a year ago that I wanted to be able to have a place where everywhere could be involved rather than all just sponsors." 1inaMillion.Life allows fans to buy blocks on Misuraca’s race car for the 2023 season, with the goal being to sell one million blocks on her car. Each block costs one dollar, and fans or sponsors can buy as many blocks as they want. The blocks will be on her car for each race she competes in during the 2023 season. A portion of each block purchased will go toward funding Misuraca’s racing plans in 2023, while another portion will be donated to a mental health charity of her choosing. The plan as it stands now is for Misuraca to compete in as many ARCA Menards Series events as possible in 2023, starting with the opener at Daytona as well as select Late Model events. Exactly how many races in which she’ll compete, and for whom she’ll be driving, are not yet determined. But she hopes to have those plans solidified soon. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-21-22)
  • Mullins Racing announces Amazon wish list campaign: Dinah Mullins could be accused of having crazy ideas from time to time. Dinah, who co-owns Mullins Racing alongside her husband and driver Willie Mullins, recently launched one such wild idea with the goal of giving fans of the small ARCA Menards Series team a way to help — and get their names on a race car in the process. On Oct. 13, the team announced an Amazon wish list campaign. Fans can purchase items for Mullins Racing that the team needs, and in return, the team will put the names of everyone who purchases items on the decklid of Willie’s race car when the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season opens at Daytona International Speedway in February. “It was Dinah’s idea,” Willie said. “Last week we were sitting around and she said, ‘You know, I’m going to do a wish list for Mullins Racing.’ I was like, ‘OK?’ I didn’t expect it to go from there to anywhere else. That’s how it spawned.” The idea for the campaign came to Dinah thanks to her use of the social media platform TikTok, which she uses to promote Mullins Racing via accounts for herself and Willie, as well as regular donations the two make to the Old Dominion Humane Society. “People always on our TikTok’s are commenting, ‘How can we help?’” Dinah said. “We’re big animal people, and the dog rescue group that we tend to work with, they do a wish list, and once a quarter I’ll go in and buy them paper towels and cleaning supplies. Not fun stuff, but things I know they need. Doing it through the Amazon wish list makes it so simple and so easy. You’ve got to make it easy for people to feel a part of it. So we went this route. I have things listed from $10 to $250, and its all absolutely consumable stuff that we go through.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-18-22)
  • Venturini Motorsports team members penalized after Toledo: Based on non-compliant activities on and off track after the ARCA Menards Series race at Toledo Speedway Saturday, October 8, three individuals have been penalized and placed on probation through April 1, 2023 by ARCA. Car owner Billy Venturini has been fined $1,500 and suspended for one race, driver Jesse Love has been fined $500 and crew member Kurt Smith has been fined $500. The penalties are for violation of 2022 ARCA Rulebook Section 12-8.1 which references ARCA Member Conduct Guidelines. (ARCARacing.com) (10-14-22)
  • Nick Sanchez wins 2022 ARCA championship: Early in 2022, Rev Racing announced Nick Sanchez would return to its program for the fourth consecutive year, this time as a full-time driver in the ARCA Menards Series. The goal was to win a series championship. Sanchez, the 21-year-old from Miami, Florida, accomplished exactly that and became the 2022 ARCA Menards Series champion. In doing so, he became the first Rev Racing driver to capture a NASCAR or ARCA touring series championship since Kyle Larson won the East Series title in 2012. Sanchez claimed three victories throughout his first year driving full-time in the ARCA Menards Series, taking checkered flags at Talladega Superspeedway, Kansas Speedway and Michigan International Speedway. Sanchez, who entered the ARCA Menards Series season finale at Toledo Speedway with just a two-point edge over GMS Racing’s Daniel Dye in the championship standings, secured the title with a sixth-place finish in the Shore Lunch 200. He ended the season with nine top fives and 16 top-10 finishes through 20 races. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-08-22)
  • Sammy Smith wins Toledo race and secures KBM owners championship: Sammy Smith won the race after a three-wide pass on pole-sitter Jesse Love and Grant Enfinger with two laps left to give the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports team the ARCA Menards Series owner’s championship. Love started from the pole and dominated the race in the No. 20 Venturini Motorsports Toyota as the team looked to secure the ARCA Menards Series owner’s championship. However, in the closing laps of the race, 2015 ARCA Menards Series champion Grant Enfinger began to close the gap on Love and challenged him for the race lead with four laps left. Enfinger initially cleared Love for the lead, but Love crossed over and drove back under the veteran driver as the two battled for the race lead and the victory. That’s when Smith, who was running in third, made his presence known. Entering Turn 1 with two laps left, Smith used the front bumper of his No. 18 Toyota to move Love out of the way. That opened the door for Smith to dive under both Love and Enfinger to take the race lead and steal the victory. Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-08-22)
  • Daniel Dye & GMS Racing secure 2022 CGS Imaging 4 Crown Championship: Daniel Dye locked up the CGS Imaging Bill France 4 Crown title at Salem Speedway by just one point over his rival for the overall ARCA Menards Series championship Nick Sanchez. Coming into the race with a two-point deficit, Dye finished third on the demanding high banks at Salem, while Sanchez finished sixth. The three-point swing was exactly what Dye needed to take the in-season miniseries championship. Established in 1984 as the Bill France Triple Crown, the program celebrated the diversity of the racetracks the ARCA Menards Series competed on: superspeedways, paved short tracks, and dirt tracks. The program, now called the 4 Crown, now includes road courses and is known as the 4 Crown with the driver who accumulates the most points in the designated races crowned the champion. For 2022, the races were at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen International, the Illinois State Fairgrounds, and Salem Speedway. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-04-22)
  • Sammy Smith dominates at Salem Speedway: Dominant performances have become the norm for Sammy Smith in 2022. The status quo remained in place during the Herr’s Snacks 200 at Salem Speedway on Saturday afternoon, as Smith led every lap to claim his eighth victory between the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East this season. Despite having never seen Salem prior to the weekend, Smith never once doubted that his car would be the strongest yet again once the green flag waved. “[It all comes down to] preparation,” Smith said. “[Salem] is pretty close to Winchester [Speedway] as well, but it was a good day overall and I’m glad we were able to win.” Full Results (In part from ARCARacing.com) (10-01-22)