2016-10-26

ARCA releases 2017 General Tire Superspeedway Challenge schedule

TOLEDO, Ohio (Oct. 26, 2016) - ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards officials have released the 2017 General Tire Superspeedway Challenge schedule featuring eight race dates across seven states at seven superspeedways.

"These tracks provided exciting race action in our inaugural season and just as we hoped, the General Tire Superspeedway Challenge came down to the end," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for General Tire. "We can't wait to get back to these tracks to see what the 2017 season will bring. We know it will be worth watching." 

A tradition that began in 1964, ARCA's General Tire Superspeedway schedule kicks off at Daytona Int'l Speedway with the 54th running of the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire Saturday afternoon, February 18. ARCA's season opener precedes NASCAR's Unlimited, which follows under the lights.

Talladega Superspeedway will host the tour next with the 55th annual General Tire 200 on the 2.66-mile superspeedway May 5. ARCA's first race at Talladega was in 1969.

Michigan Int'l Speedway is back on board for its annual Corrigan Oil 200 on Father's Day weekend Friday, June 16, the 36th ARCA race at Michigan since 1980.Kentucky Speedway race action 2016

Pocono Raceway, an ARCA tradition since 1983, returns with two races, the General Tire #Anywhere Is Possible 200 on June 9, followed by the ARCA Series 150 on July 28. The ARCA races at Pocono will be the tour's 64th and 65th on the 2.5-mile triangular superspeedway.

The 2017 season wraps with three consecutive superspeedway races at Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 14), Kentucky Speedway on General Tire Super Weekend (Sept. 22) and the season finale at Kansas Speedway October 20. The events at Chicagoland and Kansas mark the 17th consecutive ARCA races at each track. The event at Kentucky is the 24th ARCA race on the Sparta, Kentucky mile-and-a-half track since 2000.

"High speed racing events at tracks over one mile in length have been a vital component of the ARCA Racing Series schedule since 1964, and the ARCA General Tire Superspeedway Challenge recognizes top performance across these venues," said ARCA President Ron Drager. "We value the opportunity to race at some of the greatest tracks in the world, and with every race car running General Tires it's fitting that the General Tire brand entitles the Superspeedway Challenge."

ARCA will share the announced race venues with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

"General Tire has truly stepped up to support ARCA's superspeedway events," said ARCA's Vice President of Business Development & Corporate Partnerships Mark Gundrum. "In addition to the naming rights and financial support for the superspeedway challenge, General Tire has engaged in several of the race events via title sponsorship, presenting sponsorship and weekend sponsorship." 

ARCA has crowned a General Tire Superspeedway Challenge champion every year since 1984, the late Davey Allison the inaugural superspeedway champion. Other superspeedway champions include Bill Venturini, Bob Keselowski, Mike Wallace, Tim Steele, Frank Kimmel, Erin Crocker, Chris Buescher and Brennan Poole. Dalton Sargeant, driving for Venturini Motorsports, is ARCA's most recent speedway champ (2016).

The General Tire Superspeedway Challenge champion team receives a $10,000 cash award at the year-end championship awards banquet each December.

ARCA officials expect to release the remainder of the 2017 ARCA Racing Series schedule in the near future.

Don Radebaugh


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NASCAR Updates Driver Participation Guidelines for 2017

NASCAR Updates Driver Participation Guidelines for 2017

New Guidelines Further Elevate Next Generation of Stars; Strengthen Series Identity

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 26, 2016) – In an announcement that will put an even brighter spotlight on the next generation of stars and bolster the identity of all three of its national series, NASCAR announced on Wednesday driver participation guidelines for the 2017 season. The new guidelines limit the number of events a premier series driver can race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

Starting next season, premier series drivers with more than five years of full-time experience will be eligible to compete in a maximum of 10 races in the XFINITY Series and seven races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

 

Additionally, drivers with more than five years of full-time premier series experience will be ineligible to compete in the final eight races in each series, as well as the Dash 4 Cash races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The final eight races are comprised of the regular season finale and the entirety of the Chase in each series.

 

Drivers earning premier series points in 2017 also are not eligible to compete in the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

"The updated guidelines will elevate the stature of our future stars, while also providing them the opportunity to compete against the best in professional motorsports," said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. "These updated guidelines are the result of a collaborative effort involving the entire industry, and will ultimately better showcase the emerging stars of NASCAR."

 

Drivers with more than five years of full-time experience in the premier series still can run for an XFINITY Series or Camping World Truck Series championship, provided they have declared for championship points in the respective series.

 

Wednesday's announcement signals the next step in NASCAR's driver participation guideline evolution. Prior to the 2016 season, NASCAR announced that members of the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field would be ineligible to compete in the 2016 Championship Race in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2011, NASCAR implemented a rule requiring drivers to select one of the three national series in which to collect championship points.

 

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat ('NASCAR'). For race tickets, visit www.NASCAR.com/tickets.


Contact:                                 
Tom Bryant
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications 


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