(TOLEDO, Ohio) – To the victors go the spoils.
The ARCA Midwest Tour will crown its 2013 series champion during the annual Oktoberfest event at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway this weekend, and along with the trophy and recognition of earning the title, comes something special: the chance to drive at Daytona International Speedway.
Aspiring young race car drivers have many things in common: the need for speed, a certain skill set, and a fearlessness that allows them to accomplish things the ordinary person would not even attempt.
And, at the back of their mind, a chance to race professionally, at the highest levels of the sport, at places made famous by the likes of Foyt, Andretti, Petty and Earnhardt.
The Automobile Racing Club of America, 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, along with the help of several supporters, continues that tradition this weekend as the “Road to Daytona” makes a stop in La Crosse, WI.
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. Two of them will conclude their seasons in the coming weeks – the ARCA Midwest Tour at Oktoberfest, and the ARCA CRA Super Series at Winchester Speedway in the Winchester 400 on October 13. Each of the tours champions will get the chance to drive an ARCA National Tour car at Daytona during the ARCA Racing Series open test this December.
Three drivers have a mathematical chance to earn the ARCA Midwest Tour title, and the Daytona experience. Dan Fredrickson holds a 38 point lead over Chris Wimmer, with Nathan Haseleu 74 points behind Fredrickson.
On the ARCA CRA side, Travis Braden has clinched the championship, and already punched his ticket to Daytona.
“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,” commented Mark Gundrum, ARCA’s VP for business development. “Along with some of our corporate supporters, we have developed a way to provide that experience to some very deserving drivers.”
Roush Yates Engines, the North Carolina high performance manufacturer which supplies the powerplants for many of today top NASCAR stars, will supply an ARCA legal restrictor plate engine lease for the weekend, to be run by the drivers earning this year’s Road to Daytona opportunity.
In addition to Roush Yates, other supporters of the ARCA Road to Daytona include Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco, and Andy Hillenberg’s Fast Track Driving School.
