What Are 5 Racetracks No Longer Hosting ARCA Races?

The ARCA Menards Series West is returning to Tucson Speedway for the first time since 2019, one of a few new venues on the 2025 ARCA circuit.

Lime Rock Park joins the ARCA Menards Series schedule as well as a return to Madison International Speedway. Out West, Tucson, Colorado National Speedway and The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway rejoin the ’25 schedule. And although the ARCA Menards Series East only has one date change, it’s a big one – a return to Rockingham Speedway.

New venues mean some left. In that spirit, what are five racetracks that used to host an ARCA series race but are no longer on the schedule?

Pocono Raceway

The Tricky Triangle hosted ARCA 71 times, including consecutively from 1987-2023. Pocono ranks third in all-time visits by ARCA, trailing only Salem Speedway and Toledo Speedway.

The list of winners at Pocono is impressive, including several NASCAR Cup Series drivers such as Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano.

Also, it was hard to win an ARCA race at Pocono. Casey Mears – he returned to Cup competition at Martinsville Speedway – was the last to repeat, winning both 2003 events.

Jesse Love – he’s making his Cup debut this year too – won the last ARCA race at Pocono in 2023 en route to claiming the series championship.

So, if the ARCA races at Pocono produced so many talented winners and was such a staple on the schedule, why did ARCA leave?

For one, the racetrack could not secure a race entitlement sponsor. Furthermore, Pocono lacks lights, so the series had a narrow window of on-track time. Nestled in the Pocono Mountains, Pocono is also notorious for inclement weather.

Add in all three NASCAR national series competing there that weekend and series officials opted to move that ARCA race to Dover Motor Speedway.

This year will mark the second time Dover has hosted the ARCA national division. Its race is also a combination race with the East series. Dating back to when it was known as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, this year will mark the 35th time that series has been there.

The 2024 edition was also an eventful one. Amber Balcaen and Christian Rose wrecked, William Sawalich crashed while battling for the lead and Connor Zilisch went to victory lane.

Was the Dover race an improvement over the last few Pocono ones? Because the racing was tighter, I’d argue yes, but I’m not the one paying for the torn-up racecars.

Stafford Motor Speedway

Stafford became nationally known for hosting the inaugural Superstar Racing Experience event, one of its three SRX dates.

The 0.5-mile short track in Stafford Springs, Conn., is most known for its annual Spring Sizzler, once serving as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race.

Stafford has also hosted 30 ARCA East races, most recently in 2016 won by Noah Gragson.

As the East has changed such as joining the ARCA platform, having race venue changes, etc., is it time Stafford rejoins ARCA? The racetrack could easily host the series again.

It’s complicated. As with Pocono, there needs to be a race entitlement sponsor. Then there must be a date set that works for all involved – TV, the racetrack, the series and NASCAR – to come together.

Nevertheless, it ought to be considered. Fellow East racetrack Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is again facing another challenge.

Is it high time ARCA move its East date from Nashville to Stafford, a popular Northeast short track that already has its Spring Sizzler on FloRacing? The East’s identity has changed too. Should ARCA return that series to one of its traditional racetracks?

Kil-Kare Raceway

Toledo is the home racetrack for ARCA, but the series has also visited other Ohio racetracks, including 23 times at 0.375-mile Kil-Kare.

The short track in Xenia, in the Dayton area, was mostly dominated by Bob Strait, Bobby Bowsher, Dave Weltmeyer and Frank Kimmel as the only drivers with multiple wins.

Kil-Kare is a uniquely shaped track, self-described by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip as an “eleven left hand turn road course instead of a racing oval.”

Fast Track Racing team owner Andy Hillenburg humorously regaled his time racing at Kil-Kare.

Hillenburg competed at Kil-Kare twice, both in his championship-winning season of 1995. He finished third and fifth, respectively. Feel free to watch only a few minutes of the first ’95 race there, the event Hillenburg talked about, or step back into ARCA history and watch it fully.

Kil Kare last hosted ARCA in 2000. Per Hillenburg, one of the reasons ARCA left Kil-Kare was due to a lack of pit stalls.

The facility is still operational today, hosting five events on its oval and far more on its dragstrip.

While Kil-Kare ties Elko Speedway on the ARCA schedule for the current shortest track length, under the current ARCA pit stop procedures, a return would be possible. Or, a race could be held similarly to the East race at Flat Rock Speedway, with no need for pitting.

Mobile International Speedway

Self-proclaimed as Alabama’s fastest half-mile oval, the most memorable ARCA highlight from Mobile was not a photo finish or an upset. No, it was when Will Kimmel’s throttle stuck on his No. 69, sending him off the track in turn 1 all the way into a fan’s pickup truck in the parking lot.

The wreck obliterated Kimmel’s racecar.

Glad my buddy Will Kimmel is ok after that wild ride. Congrats to @GrantEnfinger on the win at Mobile! pic.twitter.com/VgZ6SlktBU

— Andy Hillenburg (@Andy_Team364) March 14, 2015

Kimmel was OK after the wreck.

“One of the things we do on a regular basis is understand the characteristics of a particular race track because you can’t apply what works at the Illinois State dirt Fairgrounds and apply it to Daytona or even Mobile,” ARCA President Ron Drager told Short Track Scene owner Weaver. “So understanding the nature of a facility with no concrete walls and understanding where the barriers are, we are certainly going to do a review of that.

“What we’re pleased about is that the driver safety compartment and Will himself avoided injury and that is our highest priority. We certainly want to look at what happened, how it happened, and how we can make a more positive outcome out of it moving forward.

“The nature of our business means race cars are going to impact retaining walls to keep them in the areas we want to keep them in. So there will be a review of the entire set of circumstances to see where that leads us.”

The review led to an increase in the series insurance, the event became a K&N one and K&N only went there once in 2016.

Mobile still hosts racing, just not ARCA. Interestingly, the series visits Berlin Raceway, which does not have a backstretch wall.

Irwindale Speedway

Irwindale most recently hosted ARCA West last year, but it’s sadly closed and demolished now.

Sean Hingorani swept the doubleheader in ’24 en route to claiming his second straight title.

Irwindale hosted the West 36 times, which would place it third most among the ’25 tracks.

The racetrack went out with a bang to end its storied history, hosting a final race weekend swan song. Among its events was an open event featuring ARCA racecars. Trevor Huddleston, son of track promoter Tim Huddleston, won that one.

Among the West winners at Irwindale are Love, Brendan Gaughan and Todd Gilliland.

Irwindale is gone, but Tim Huddleston is the owner of fellow California short track Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. As the track name reveals, Harvick also is involved in that racetrack. NASCAR is no longer racing at the LA Coliseum and its future at Auto Club Speedway is very much uncertain. Hopefully one day we’re talking about NASCAR racing at Kern.

The ARCA West race at Tucson will take place on Saturday, April 5 at 10 p.m. ET with live coverage provided by FloRacing.