- Automobile Racing Club of America
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"Automobile Racing Club of America" redirects here. For the article about the forerunner of the SCCA founded by the Collier brothers in 1933, see Sports Car Club of America.
Automobile Racing Club of America
ARCA
Sport Stock car racing Area of jurisdiction United States Formation date 1953 Headquarters Toledo, Ohio President Ron Drager Official website www.arcaracing.com 
Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States, founded in 1953 by John Marcum. The current president of ARCA is Ron Drager. The ARCA RE/MAX Series races stock cars similar to those seen in past years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and indeed most cars used in the RE/MAX Series were previously used in NASCAR. ARCA's competitors contain a mix of both professional racers as well as hobby racers alike, in addition to younger competitors trying to make a name for themselves, sometimes driving as part of a driver development program for a NASCAR team. Most ARCA RE/MAX Series races are broadcast on either MavTV or SPEED TV. ARCA also sanctions a truck-racing series called the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series and owns both the Toledo Speedway and Flat Rock Speedway. ARCA formerly sanctioned the ARCA Midget Series from 1988 until 2002.
Contents
History
John Marcum founded the Midwest Association for Race Cars (MARC) in 1953 as a regional stock car racing series after working as an official for NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. In 1964, the name was changed to the "Automobile Racing Club of America" when the series became national by racing on superspeedways.[1] This ARCA is not to be confused with the organization founded in 1933 with the same name (now known as the Sports Car Club of America). ARCA started racing at Daytona International Speedway in 1964, during the Daytona Speedweeks, at the request of Bill France, Sr., who had raced against Marcum in the 1940s.
The ARCA/NASCAR relationship continues today. The series frequently schedule events at the same track on the same weekend. The ARCA event is frequently the Saturday support race to the Sunday NASCAR Cup event.[1] For several decades, ARCA used older NASCAR Cup race cars at their events, and with the advancement of the Car of Tomorrow, teams have been able to sell off older cars to ARCA teams; current Sprint Cup drivers Joey Logano and Scott Speed each drove in ARCA in 2008, driving veteran Sprint Cup cars after the move to the COT.[1]
Former NASCAR drivers, such as Benny Parsons, Kyle Petty (who won the 1979 Daytona ARCA 200; first race he ever competed in), Ken Schrader and others, have competed in and advanced through the ARCA series on the way to successful NASCAR careers.[1] ARCA is still often used as a stepping stone for hopeful NASCAR drivers.
Point System
ARCA uses a relatively simple point system to determine champions. There is only one scale for points awarded per finishing position. Every finishing position between 1st and 40th is separated by 5 points, with the winning driver receiving 200 points and the 40th place driver receiving 5 points. Any driver who finishes behind 40th will receive 5 points. Points are also awarded for qualifying, with: 15 points awarded to the pole position, 10 points for the second fastest qualifier, and 5 for the third fastest qualifier.
There are many ways to score bonus points. Any driver who leads an official lap will receive 5 bonus points. The driver who leads the most official laps will receive an additional 5 points. All drivers who pre-enter and compete in a race will receive an additional 25 points. Any driver who enters and competes in each pre-designated 5 race leg of the overall schedule will receive an additional 250 points.[2]
Series
Frank Kimmel has won the most ARCA Championships.
- ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards
- ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series
- ARCA West Series
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- ARCA West Mac's Series
- ARCA West Circle K Series
Gallery
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Frank Kimmel racing in ARCA in 2006
References
- ^ a b c d ARCA at 50; Stock Car Racing magazine, accessed 2008-02-26.
- ^ Arcaracing.com"ARCA RE/MAX Series Point System Explanation" Retrieved February 8, 2009
External links
Tracks of the ARCA RE/MAX Series Categories:- Automobile Racing Club of America
- Organizations established in 1953
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