(TOLEDO, Ohio – December 3, 2013) – The Road to Daytona has been paved for a couple of ARCA champions.
Reigning ARCA Midwest Tour champion Dan Frederickson and Travis Braden, champion of the recently completed ARCA/CRA Super Series, are scheduled to take part in a test at Daytona International Speedway Dec. 20-22 through the “Road to Daytona” program.
ARCA is a stock car racing sanctioning body which has for years provided racers with the opportunity to test their skills and advance their careers. ARCA’s flagship property, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is a development series for drivers aspiring to someday race in NASCAR. The series has helped develop the careers of some of the biggest names in racing.
In addition to its national tour, ARCA also sanctions a number of regional stock car tours, such as the ARCA Midwest Tour and ARCA/CRA Super Series.
Braden, a Wheeling, West Va. native, also participated in the Daytona test in December, 2012, after winning the series rookie of the year. Frederickson, of Lakeville, Minn., secured his test spot in Daytona with his steady ARCA Midwest Tour campaign.
Roush Yates Engines, the North Carolina high performance manufacturer, will supply an ARCA-legal restrictor plate engine lease for the weekend. Other supporters of the ARCA Road to Daytona include Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco, and Andy Hillenberg’s Fast Track Driving School.
Hillenburg, a two-time Daytona winner and the 1995 ARCA champion, will assist each Road to Daytona driver in the test session. His Fast Track High Performance Driving School, ARCA’s Official Driving School, will provide the cars and support for the test.
“Of all the people who race cars, at one level or another, only a very, very small percentage of them will ever have the chance to drive a race car around Daytona International Speedway,” said Mark Gundrum, ARCA’s vice president for business development. “Along with some of our corporate supporters, we have developed a way to provide that experience to some very deserving drivers.”
Previous drivers to earn Daytona test sessions through the Road to Daytona program include Johnny VanDoorn, the three time ARCA/CRA Super Series champion; Jonathan Eilen, the 2012 ARCA Midwest Tour champion; ARCA Gold Cup winner Dakota Carlson; Derrick Griffin, 2011 ARCA/CRA Super Series winner and Gold Cup champion Dennis Strickland.
Eilen made his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut at Elko (Minn.) Speedway last season, scoring a top five finish. The Dec. 20-22 test session will include dozens of prospective ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards drivers who are preparing for the 2014 season, including the Feb. 15 ARCA race at Daytona.
