Toledo Speedway

New Era Continues Rich History of ARCA Menards Series, Adds in ARCA Menards Series East and West

The ARCA Menards Series entered 2020 on the precipice of a new era: The merger of three of the longest running stock car touring series in America.

The stock car sanctioning body, based in Toledo, Ohio, was founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum and was acquired by NASCAR in April of 2018. ARCA has been the launchpad to success for dozens of drivers over the years, including NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees Benny Parsons and Davey Allison to current Cup Series stars Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Newman to name a few.

The ARCA Menards Series sanctions races all across the country, from Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, to short tracks such as Indiana’s Salem Speedway and Ohio’s Toledo Speedway.

Beginning in 2020, the ARCA Menards Series also included the two regional tours formerly under the umbrella of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.

The K&N Pro Series West traces its history to the formation of the Pacific Coast Late Model Series in 1954, while the East dated back to its founding as the NASCAR Busch North Series in 1987.

That history stays in place, although under a new name: the ARCA Menards Series East and West.

The three tours now share a common platform. The unified rulebook allows for teams with chassis and engines previously eligible in their respective series to compete in any of the three. In addition, the series established fourth championship – the Sioux Chief Showdown – designed to bring the three series together.

The new competition framework is designed to preserve both series’ historic lineage and provide the opportunity for the next fleet of young drivers to go head-to-head with seasoned veterans.

The upcoming Royal Truck & Trailer 200 at Toledo Speedway will be the fifteenth race of the 2020 season and the series’ eightieth at the high-banked half-mile on the north side of Toledo. Two-time 2020 race winner Michael Self leads the series standings by just one point over Bret Holmes. Self won earlier in the season at Daytona and backed it up with another win at Daytona, this time on the road course, while Holmes earned his first career series win at Kansas in July. Sam Mayer, who leads the Sioux Chief Showdown standings and the ARCA Menards Series East standings, won the series’ last race at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and swept both ends of a weekend doubleheader at Toledo earlier in the season.

ARCA Menards Series 2020 at a Glance

• There have been seven winners in the first fourteen races of 2020; Ty Gibbs leads the way with four wins (Pocono, Kentucky, Iowa, WWT Raceway), followed by Sam Mayer with three (both at Toledo, I-44) Chandler Smith (Phoenix, Lucas Oil) and Michael Self (Daytona and Daytona Road Course) both with two, Drew Dollar (Talladega), Bret Holmes (Kansas), and Riley Herbst (Michigan).
• Self leads the series points by one over Holmes. Dollar, Hailie Deegan, and Thad Moffitt round out the top five.
• With a win in the last Sioux Chief Showdown race at I-44, Sam Mayer now leads the standings over Chandler Smith, Ty Gibbs, and Michael Self. Both Smith and Self have led the Showdown standings over the course of the ten-race series-within-a-series' last three races.
• Frank Kimmel is the most successful driver in ARCA history. The Clarksville, Indiana, driver has a record 10 ARCA championship and is the all-time series leader with 80 career wins.
• The ARCA Menards Series races on superspeedways (tracks longer than one mile), paved short tracks, dirt tracks, and road courses.
• ARCA rules allow drivers as young as 15 to compete at tracks one mile and under and designated road courses; 17 years old to race at Pocono Raceway and Kentucky Speedway; drivers 18 and older are eligible in all races.
• Christian Eckes was the 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion. Past champions also include NASCAR Hall of Famer Benny Parsons as well as current NASCAR national drivers Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, Grant Enfinger, Chase Briscoe and Sheldon Creed.
• Drivers who have won races in the ARCA Menards and East/West series and gone on to win NASCAR national series races include Dillon, Justin Haley, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Cole Custer.
• A limited number of tickets remain for the Royal Truck & Trailer 200. For ticket pricing, availability, and purchases, please go to https://www.toledospeedway.com/pages/tickets.