After a few weekends off, the ARCA Menards Series hits the track again Saturday night, July 13, for the Menards 250 at Elko Speedway.
This weekend’s race at Elko puts the intense ARCA points battle on center stage without having Ty Majeski, who won the last ARCA race at Chicagoland Speedway, or others interfere. Michael Self left Chicagoland with a 30-point advantage over second place Bret Holmes. There is still an 80-point margin between first place and fourth-place Christian Eckes.
In five races at Elko, there have been five different winners. Gus Dean pulled through and earned his second career victory in the ARCA Menards Series last season after taking the lead from Joe Graf Jr. late. Brennan Poole won in the inaugural race at Elko in 2012, and since Frank Kimmel, Grant Enfinger and Austin Theriault have also won.
There are no former race winners entered in Saturday’s race, meaning we will have a first-time Elko winner.
One driver still chasing his first career victory is Holmes, who sits 30 points behind first-place Self and could use a victory at Elko to propel him right into the mix. Travis Braden, Eckes and Graf will all need a victory, and some help, to have any chance at battling more for the championship.
The No. 32 that Dean secured the victory in last season will be piloted by newcomer Howie DiSavino III. DiSavino will be making his ARCA Menards Series debut at Elko this weekend after spending much of his young career on the short tracks around his hometown in Virginia.
Wayne Peterson Motorsports adds Alex Clubb to its lineup this weekend. Clubb has been competing with his own team this season in two races this season, with a best finish of 12th in Toledo Speedway a few weeks ago.
Hailie Deegan returns to the series this weekend, making her fourth career start in the series. In her previous three starts, Deegan has earned a single top-10 finish at Pocono. She will be alongside her Venturini Motorsports teammates Self, Eckes and Chandler Smith.
Entry List for the Menards 250 at Elko Speedway
The Menards 250 goes live on MavTV on Saturday, July 13th, at 9 p.m. ET.
About the author
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.
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