ARCA is becoming part of the NASCAR family.
Officials from NASCAR and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) announced Friday (April 27) at Talladega Superspeedway that NASCAR has acquired ARCA, effective immediately.
The relationship between NASCAR and ARCA dates back more than 60 years.
“Our NASCAR family has long had a special connection with our friends at ARCA, and this is a logical step in demonstrating our commitment to the next generation of racers,” said Jim France, NASCAR vice chairman, executive vice president and member of the sport’s founding family. “This continues the legacy our sport was built upon and will deliver the great racing our fans expect.”
The last time a merger of this proportion happened came when GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series in 2012. That merger created the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) in 2014. That merger was led by France.
Though it’s previously remained separate from NASCAR, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has nonetheless been a stepping stone for many of today’s NASCAR stars such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Briscoe, Grant Enfinger, Chris Buescher, Ty Dillon and Justin Allgaier.
The current structure of the ARCA Racing Series will continue through the 2019 season. The schedule features 20 races, with nine of those at venues currently on the NASCAR schedule and three others that are NASCAR Whelen All-Ameican Series tracks.
“We are proud of the history and tradition of the ARCA Racing Series and the relationship we’ve built over six decades with NASCAR,” said Ron Drager, ARCA president. “We look forward to the opportunity to be more fully integrated with NASCAR and help shape the future of our sport.”
His favorite tracks on the circuit include Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, and Bristol Motor Speedway.
During the season, Christian also spends time as a photographer with multiple other outlets shooting Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Minor League & Major League Baseball, and NCAA Football.