Coming Up in the ARCA Racing Series: Toledo
For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 10, 2012 (TOLEDO, Ohio) - Born in Toledo in 1953, the Automobile Racing Club of America and its premier national tour will celebrate a historical 60th season with one home race this year, as Toledo Speedway will host the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care next Sunday, May 20. |
The series last raced at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway six days ago, and the contrast between major, national superspeedway and local short track truly showcases the wide range of ARCA's reach over the past six decades. SPEED will air the race for a national television audience, placing Toledo motorsports in the spotlight on a weekend afternoon. The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards - ARCA's flagship series for developmental drivers and veterans alike - will hold practice and qualifying on Saturday, May 19, with the race set for Sunday afternoon. The basic facts and figures surrounding the race are as follows: What: Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care, the fifth race of 20 on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series schedule When: 2 p.m., Sunday, May 20 Where: Toledo Speedway Distance: 200 laps, or 100 miles Last year's winner: Ty Dillon in May, Chris Buescher in October. Dillon's spring win was a catalyst for his series championship run, one of seven victories in 2011. Buescher's win in the season finale - and the 70th ARCA Racing Series event at Toledo - was his third of 2011 and his third in the last four ARCA Racing Series events at the track; he drove to victory when Dillon spun race leader Brennan Poole. Though Dillon has moved on to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Buescher and Poole will enter as top contenders for the May 20 race. Last year's pole winner: Tom Hessert, 16.08 seconds (111.94 mph). ARCA qualifying record at track: Justin Lofton, 15.86 seconds (113.493 mph) - 2008. Teams to test: Several race teams plan to test at Toledo Speedway before the Menards 200. Win-Tron Racing and Bobby Gerhart Racing are scheduled to test Saturday, and Roulo Brothers Racing and Andy Belmont Racing are scheduled to test Monday. Over 25 drivers and cars are currently entered and more are expected. Alex Bowman, a short track winner this season at Salem (Ind.) Speedway is entered, as is nine-time Toledo winner and ARCA champion Frank Kimmel. Fifteen-year-old Erik Jones, a Michigan driver, will make his final ARCA start before turning 16. Ohio drivers expected to compete include Jared Marks (Napoleon), Chad Hackenbracht (New Philadelphia), Tim Cowen (Perrysville), Tommy O'Leary (Cygnet), and Levi Youster (Toledo). The entry list, as it stands today, is available on ARCARacing.com and is being updated as necessary until the event. Schedule of accompanying on-track events: Practice: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1-1:45 p.m., Saturday, May 19; Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 19. The ARCA Truck Series will also race, with practice opening at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and a race at 5. ARCA will honor numerous champions, race winners, and key figures from 60 years of competition in a special ceremony before Sunday's race. The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series visited Alabama's Mobile International Speedway for the first time. In June, the first event at Minnesota's Elko Speedway will give ARCA a race in a 29th state. Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events. CONTACT: Griffin Hickman, ARCA Don Radebaugh, ARCA |
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