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

December 2022

  • Brayton Laster returning to Mullins Racing for Daytona & Talladega: After making his ARCA Menards Series debut with Mullins Racing last season, 20-year-old Brayton Laster will return to the team for a pair of events in 2023. Laster, from Greenwood, Indiana, will once again compete in the opening race of the ARCA Menards Series season at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18 and the third race of the year at Talladega Superspeedway on April 22. Laster’s No. 03 will carry sponsorship from a pair of family businesses, JunkCarBlaster.com and AutoRepairVINStickers.com, with additional sponsorship announced later. “I am beyond excited,” Laster said. “Last year it was all about learning, all about getting experience. I had never been on an asphalt track bigger than a 3/8-mile until Daytona last year. I was definitely out experienced when it came to competing against the rest of the ARCA Menards Series field. “When I say I am excited, I feel like I have a shot to go turn some heads.” The relationship with Mullins Racing began last year after Laster reached out to team co-owners Dinah and Willie Mullins about participating in the annual pre-race practice at Daytona after discovering them on TikTok. The relationship steadily grew from there, with Laster eventually signing up to compete in a pair of ARCA Menards Series events in 2022. “I always knew the power of social media, but I didn’t realize it would be this powerful,” Laster said. “It was real late in December (of 2021). I reached out to Willie after seeing their whole thing on Facebook and TikTok about wanting drivers for the Daytona practice. The amount of stuff we’ve done in the past year is absolutely unthinkable when it comes to competing at a level I never thought I’d be anywhere near competing at. The way everything has grown and happened in the last 365 days, I still can’t get a grasp for what we’ve gone out here and done.” (In part from Mullins Racing PR) (12-20-22)
  • Kayla Surles joins Mullins Racing for Daytona test: Kayla Surles is paving her own path into the ARCA Menards Series and she hopes that will begin when she takes part in the ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway on January 13-14 with Mullins Racing. The 21-year-old from Fredericksburg, Virginia, has become one of the dominant drivers on the Modified racing scene in the Commonwealth. She picked up six wins at Dominion Raceway, finishing runner-up in division standings at the four-tenths-mile track. However, it’s not just her on track success that’s earned her the opportunity to go to Daytona, it’s also her off-track work ethic.  She is also the shop manager at Bugsy’s Repair, the commercial automotive repair shop owned by husband-and-wife Willie and Dinah Mullins, who also own the Mullins Racing ARCA team. “I’ll go anywhere from helping to sand the trucks and helping the painters get those ready to paint, to mechanics and welding and all that,” Surles said.  “Last year, they had talked about driving their ARCA car before the test because of all the help during the pandemic, and I told them, ‘I don’t want you to put me in the car because you think that’s what I want for all the help, I want you to put me in the car because you think I might do well in it.’ They said ‘alright, show us what you got’ and it was kind of a breakout year for me. I had one win last year, and this year everything kind of came together.” (In part from Mullins Racing PR) (12-15-22)
  • Mandy Chick secures multi-race sponsorship from 2023: Mandy Chick will compete in the ARCA Menards Series during the 2023 season with sponsorship from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a partnership that was announced during the PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis last week. Rose-Hulman, located in Terre Haute, Indiana, will be the primary sponsor of the No. 74 Toyota driven by the 21-year-old Chick at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18 and Talladega Superspeedway on April 22. The private university will also support Chick as a marketing partner throughout the season. Chick plans to compete in most of the events on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series schedule, with additional details to be announced later. “Our partnership with Rose-Hulman is something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time,” said Chick, who is currently a junior at Rose-Hulman and made her ARCA Menards Series debut during the 2022 season. “Since day one of my freshman year, the Rose community has rallied around my racing career. I am very excited for this new opportunity to see how my academic and professional careers collide with Rose-Hulman by my side.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (12-14-22)
  • FOX Sports to broadcast all ARCA races in 2023: ARCA and FOX Sports announced today an extension of their broadcast rights agreement through 2024 that will also expand the number of events covered. They also released the ARCA Menards Series 2023 broadcast schedule. For the first time in series history, FOX Sports will carry all 20 ARCA Menards Series races live on FS1 or FS2, an increase of 11 races from 2022 and 12 races from 2018-21. All races will also be available live on the FOX Sports App to authenticated subscribers. The new agreement extends a 26-year relationship between ARCA and FOX Sports that started in 1997. “ARCA has a well-documented history of building long-term relationships with partners that add value to all stakeholders involved with the series. This is evidenced by our network television relationship with FOX Sports spanning more than 25 years,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “Together, we deliver high quality motorsports content that reaches millions of homes, directly benefitting our fans, partners, race teams and tracks.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (12-09-22)
  • William Sawalich joins Joe Gibbs Racing for 2023 season: Joe Gibbs Racing will continue to field an entry in the ARCA Menards Series after announcing Friday morning the signing of 16-year-old William Sawalich to a multi-year agreement. Sawalich, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is set to compete in 20 races on the ARCA platform beginning with the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West combination race at Phoenix Raceway on March 10. As part of his 20-race ARCA schedule for 2023, Sawalich will contest the full ARCA Menards Series East schedule aboard the No. 18 Starkey Toyota Camry. “I think it’s awesome to have such a long period of time at Joe Gibbs Racing, just to learn all about it and make it a second home,” Sawalich said. “It’s just a great opportunity for me. I’m really excited to get this going next year.” (In part from ARCARacing.com) (12-09-22)
  • Toyota wins 2022 ARCA manufacturer’s championship: Toyota continues to set the benchmark for manufacturers in the ARCA Menards Series after clinching its seventh manufacturer’s championship during the 2022 season. Toyota clinched the manufacturer’s championship, its sixth straight, following Sammy Smith’s fourth victory of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 15. Smith won six ARCA Menards Series races during the 2022 season, more than any other driver. In addition, Brandon Jones (three), Corey Heim (two), Chandler Smith (one) and Jesse Love (one) also scored ARCA Menards Series victories for Toyota in 2022. In all, Toyota drivers and teams won 13 of the 20 ARCA Menards Series races contested in 2022. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (12-08-22)
  • Zachary Tinkle running partial ARCA national schedule for Fast Track Racing in 2023: After racing with Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team for half of the 2022 ARCA Menards Series season and earning a ninth-place finish in the season-long championship, Zachary Tinkle and Fast Track Racing are pleased to announce that Tinkle will be competing for the ARCA Menards Series East championship in 2023. Tinkle commented, “Racing with Andy Hillenburg and the Fast Track Racing team was a tremendous opportunity in the 2022 season. If it weren’t for Andy, I would not have ended up ninth in the ARCA Menards championship standings. This gave me the chance to get to know him and the team. I have full confidence in them and I think we’ve put together a great program for 2023 and I can’t wait to get back to the race track.” Tinkle will be in the team’s No. 11 car for the 2023 season. “I’m very honored that Andy trusts me to run Fast Track’s flagship number. I take great pride and responsibility to living up to the history,” Tinkle added. (In part from Fast Track Racing PR) (12-06-22)
  • Clubb Racing Inc partners with Casey Carden for partial 2023 schedule:  Clubb Racing Inc. is proud to partner with Casey Carden once again for the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season. Carden, a road-course ringer, made two starts with the team in 2022. While some tough luck plagued the team at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, Carden and the team rebounded to finish on the lead lap at Watkins Glen International later in the season. In 2023, Carden will be taking the wheel at the road courses once again, but the plans don’t stop there. The target is a five-race program incorporating some oval starts with an eye on a full-season effort for 2024. “I had a tremendous amount of fun working with Alex [Clubb] and his team in 2022,” Carden said. “They work hard and are some of the most passionate racers I have worked with. The entire crew is always hustling to continue to push their program to the next level. I am looking forward to seeing what we can do in 2023.” Added team owner Alex Clubb: “Casey brings a professional approach to the table and works well with our team. Our goal is to build on the relationship we started this year and continue to get Casey more comfortable in stock cars while we work toward bigger goals for the team.” The team is currently finalizing Carden’s schedule, and sponsorship opportunities remain available as the team prepares for 2023. (In part from ARCARacing.com) (12-02-22)