Special from ARCA – TOLEDO, Ohio (Nov. 14, 2017) — Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) have announced that the Champion Racing Association (CRA) powered by JEGS and the ARCA Midwest Tour (AMT) presented by Skag Power Equipment will extend their formal working relationships with the ARCA sanction for 2018.
“These affiliations have been, from the beginning, about three strong, stable independent racing companies joining forces to create a platform for aspiring stock car racing participants,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “CRA and the Midwest Tour have grown to become respected entities in our sport, and our goal is to continue to provide opportunities for drivers, owners, and crew members from the local level to the top tier of motorsports. The ARCA CRA and ARCA Midwest Tour relationships are a good fit.”
ARCA, celebrating its 65th season in 2017, first sanctioned racing activities in CRA’s flagship tour in 2012. The ARCA/CRA Super Series, based in Salem, Indiana, was founded in 1997 and features template-bodied super late model stock cars racing in the Midwest’s most widely recognized racing events.
The ARCA/CRA Super Series schedule annually features some of the biggest pavement short track late model races in the Eastern US including the Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway and the RedBud 400 at Anderson Speedway, both in Indiana, the Battle at Berlin 251 at Berlin Raceway in Michigan and CRA SpeedFest at Watermelon Capitol Speedway in Georgia.
“We look forward to continuing to work with everyone at ARCA,” said Managing Partner Glenn Luckett (Title?). “The ARCA name is well-established in the racing world and well-respected throughout the racing community. We see this relationship further strengthening CRA and short track racing. Working with ARCA the last six years has been very beneficial for the ARCA/CRA Super Series. Extending our agreement with ARCA sets us up to further grow and build on what we’ve been able to accomplish so far.”
The ARCA Midwest Tour features some of the biggest late model stock car racing in the upper Midwest with events such as the Joe Shear Classic at Madison Int’l Speedway, the Illinois Lottery Late Model Showdown at Gateway Motorsport Park (Madison, Ill.) and the season finale Oktoberfest 200 at LaCrosse Speedway in New Salem, Wisconsin. While Ty Majeski wrapped up his record fourth AMT title in 2017, Johnny Sauter won the season finale Oktoberfest 200 at LaCrosse.
“ARCA’s commitment to the short track auto racing industry makes this an easy choice for us,” said AMT Promoter Gregg McKarns. “They provide us with years of experience to lean on while offering great experiences for our drivers, such as the Road to Daytona.
“It’s been fun for the Midwest fans to see some of our Touring Stars get the opportunity to showcase their talents on the big stage that is ARCA. We hope that more of our up can coming drivers are able to continue this trend in the years to come.”
The sanctioning agreement extensions between ARCA and CRA and AMT will continue to offer ARCA member benefits to participants in both touring series, including $500,000 in Participant Accident medical insurance. ARCA will also continue to provide public relations, race operations, and marketing support, while building on the already-strong CRA and AMT developmental racing bases. Both of ARCA’s short track properties, Toledo Speedway and Flat Rock Speedway, will continue to host ARCA/CRA Super Series events annually.
Road to Daytona opportunities for ARCA/CRA and AMT
In addition to providing support for race operations, the agreement annually provides one ARCA/CRA Super Series driver and one ARCA Midwest Tour driver the opportunity to test an ARCA Racing Series car in the open test at Daytona International Speedway. The “Road To Daytona” program will see ARCA CRA Super Series champion Logan Runyon and ARCA Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year Michael Ostdiek on-track at Daytona Friday, Jan. 12, 2018.The test car and support team are fielded by Andy Hillenburg, the 1995 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards driving champion, current ARCA Racing Series team owner and one of the few drivers to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Driving School is the Official Driving School of ARCA. Other sponsors of the Road To Daytona program include Ilmor, General Tire, Sunoco, Eibach Springs and JRI Shocks. The Daytona open test is in preparation for the ARCA Racing Series season opening Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire at Daytona Saturday February 10, televised live on FS1.
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading and most versatile auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
