[3] It also provides hobby drivers a chance to experience racing at large tracks used in the three national touring series in NASCAR.
The series was founded in Toledo, Ohio in 1953 as the Midwest Association for Race Cars (MARC), a local touring group in the Midwestern United States.
[5] The series races on a variety of tracks from small ovals to superspeedways such as Daytona International Speedway.
The series has spawned such drivers as Benny Parsons, Ken Schrader, and Kyle Petty, and helped more recent NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch, Justin Allgaier, Casey Mears, and Sam Hornish Jr. get acclimated to stock cars.
[14] Other drivers, such as 10-time champion Frank Kimmel and 9-time race winner Bobby Gerhart remain in the series as opposed to pursuing a full-time career in NASCAR.
This is one year younger than the minimum age of 16 in the Craftsman Truck Series (also for short tracks and road courses only).
[2][24][25][26] The Ilmor engine debuted during testing at Daytona International Speedway in December 2014, with Sean Corr's Ilmor-powered #48 Ford topping the speed charts at an average of 188.478 miles per hour (303.326 km/h) in a time of 47.743 seconds.
Non-Ilmor engines, meanwhile, are subject to intake and RPM restrictions to maintain performance limits relative to the new package.
[2][15][16][26] On November 4, 2014, at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NASCAR president Mike Helton unveiled a new body style for the K&N Pro Series East and West that would also be eligible for use in ARCA competition, based on the Sprint Cup Series Gen 6 models of the Holden VF Commodore, Ford Fusion, and Toyota Camry (no Dodge option was offered due to a lack of factory support).
[28][29] The composite body debuted at preseason testing at Daytona, with the intent of approving it for tracks over a mile in length.
[33] The Gen-4 style bodies were allowed to compete in one final race at the 2020 General Tire 100 at the Daytona Road Course.
[15][16] Below is the list of all-time ARCA Racing Series champions, along with the Rookie of the Year and Bill France Four Crown award winners.
Winners have included future NASCAR drivers Benny Parsons, Davey Allison, Jeremy Mayfield, Michael McDowell, and Parker Kligerman.
The award was known as the Bill France Triple Crown prior to 2009, when the road course component was added to the competition.