As the ARCA Menards Series heads into an off-weekend, the series has a unique scheduling feature on the horizon. Next weekend, the series will contest two races and two different tracks in the same weekend.
The series first heads to Brooklyn, Michigan to run at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway for the Henry Ford Health 200 on Aug. 10. Just two days later, the series heads to the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois for the Springfield ARCA 100 on Aug. 12.
The scheduling quirk is nothing new to ARCA, being a concept that was introduced in the wildness of the 2020 COVID-19 impacted season. That year, the series tackled the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Sept. 17 and then headed northwest to Winchester Speedway in Indiana on Sept. 19. The two short tracks sit 401 miles away from each other — roughly seven hours of driving. Those races were won by Sam Mayer and Ty Gibbs, respectively.
The doubleheader returned in 2021, featuring a different set of tracks, which just so happen to be the same tracks the 2024 edition will feature: Michigan and Springfield. On Aug. 20 that year, Gibbs proved victorious at Michigan, and teams headed south to Springfield, where Corey Heim found victory lane two days later. That drive proved to be another nearly 400-mile drive between tracks, totaling six and half hours of driving.
In 2022, Springfield once again appeared as a part of the doubleheader, but Watkins Glen International replaced Michigan from the year prior. Brandon Jones proved victorious at the New York road course on Aug. 19 that year, and Jesse Love found victory lane at the mile-long dirt track on Aug. 21. This particular version of the ARCA doubleheader featured the longest drive yet, an 805-mile, 12-hour expedition between tracks, all to be covered in one day.
In 2023, the schedule stayed the same, with teams contesting Watkins Glen on Aug. 18, with Love again finding victory lane, and Springfield on Aug. 20, with Brent Crews finding victory lane for the first time in his career.
The biggest takeaway from the doubleheader, beyond its inaugural running at two short tracks, is the large difference in track type for the two races held so closely together. Each season since 2020, it’s been either a large two-mile oval or a dirt track, or a road course and a dirt track. Each on the same weekend, hundreds of miles apart, with minimal time to cover the gap. A pair of tracks that use similar car types and setups would be fantastic for a doubleheader, optically, especially if two tracks could be found in close proximity to one another. For example, Berlin Raceway and Flat Rock Speedway, both in Michigan, are only three hours apart from one another.
However, the logistics of the Illinois State Fair are also important to consider. The race at the mile-long dirt track has always been held in conjunction with the fair dates, which often collide with NASCAR dates at other ARCA-run tracks. The story is similar to the other dirt track on the ARCA schedule, at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, which always runs in conjunction with the DuQuoin State Fair each season.
Also factored in with a Sunday afternoon ARCA race is competition with the NASCAR Cup Series. This year, the Cup Series remains at Michigan, while ARCA runs at Springfield. The green flag for the ARCA race flies at 2 p.m. ET, and the green flag for the Cup race at Michigan flies shortly after 2:30 p.m. ET.
Not all is bad in an ARCA doubleheader weekend, however. Not including the pandemic season, ARCA has seen car counts of above 15 at every single race in its time doing a doubleheader. Also to be considered, it’s great for fans, as there’s never too much racing going on for true motorsports enthusiasts, and it allows the Illinois State Fair audience to be able to view their annual ARCA race year in and year out.
That weekend, ARCA’s annual race at Michigan will see its green flag wave at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 16. That’s followed by the 2 p.m. race at Springfield on Sunday, Aug. 18. Both races will have television coverage carried by FOX Sports 1.
Josh joined Frontstretch in 2023 and currently covers the ARCA Menards Series. Born and raised in Missouri, Josh has been watching motorsports since 2005. He currently is studying for a Mass Communication degree at Lindenwood University