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ARCA Menards Series East

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ARCA Menards Series East
CategoryStock car racing
CountryUnited States
ManufacturersChevrolet · Ford · Toyota
Tire suppliersGeneral Tire
Drivers' championWilliam Sawalich
Makes' championToyota
Teams' championJoe Gibbs Racing
Official websiteARCA Racing
Current season

The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly known by other names) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).

Races are held at oval tracks ranging from 1⁄3 to 1 mile (0.54–1.61 km) in length and on two road courses, 1.53 and 2.45 miles (2.46 and 3.94 km) in length. Most races are stand-alone events (i.e. not in conjunction with other NASCAR touring series), but there are three race weekends that are in combination with the NASCAR Cup Series.

Many of the ARCA Menards Series East drivers on the series are gaining experience with the hopes of moving up to one of the major NASCAR series, however some of the drivers are right at home in the series and have no plans of moving on. The series is not only developmental for drivers (including Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Craven, Mike McLaughlin, Austin Dillon, Trevor Bayne, Brian Ickler, Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Truex), but for crew members (such as Greg Zipadelli and Marc Puchalski) and officials, as well.

In 1994, it became the first NASCAR-sanctioned series to have a winless season champion when Dale Shaw won the then-Busch Grand National North Series championship without winning a single race all year. The series had the distinction of being the only NASCAR series in which this had happened until 2013, when Austin Dillon won the Nationwide Series championship the same way.[1] Matt Crafton would also do this in the Truck Series in 2019.

The other regional division at the Grand National level of ARCA is the Menards Series West.

History

The series' logo from 2007 on back.
The series' logo from 2007 on back.
The series' logo in 2008 and 2009.
The series' logo in 2008 and 2009.

Formed as the NASCAR Busch Grand National North Series in 1987, the series originally raced primarily in the Northeastern United States, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Drivers in the series could compete in "combination" races with then named Busch Grand National Series (now Xfinity Series) that were held at various tracks over the years, including but not limited to Daytona International Speedway, Nazareth Speedway, Watkins Glen International and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Combination races were on the schedule until 2001. In 2002, a big crash occurred at the Glen that saw many cars spinning through the esses on lap one, along with Troy Williams actually overturning over the guardrail. No one was hurt.

Over the next 18 years, the series extended its reach and added races in Delaware and Virginia. The series name was changed to Busch East for the 2006 season after a race was added in Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. Races were added in South Boston, Virginia, and Nashville, Tennessee for 2007 to continue the push South and West, as well as East-West combination races at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, IA and Elko Speedway in Elko, MN.. The 2008 schedule had the series running races in 8 states up and down the East coast. (Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia)

In 2012, NASCAR unified the rules of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series Invitational and North/East Series to a many rules package. A pre -season invitational race known as the Toyota All-Star Race was also added to pit the best drivers from both series head-to-head.

For 2013 NASCAR made several rule changes including giving team the option of using "special" engines and a composite body to reduce the cost of competing in the K&N Series. The "spec" engine has become fairly popular, but the old style steel bodies are still preferred over the composite bodies by most teams. Chase Elliott won the series at 2010, and 2011.

On December 16, 2019, NASCAR announced that Camping World would take over as title sponsor of both series in the Grand National Division.[2]

For 2015, the names of both the East and West series were both sponsored by K&N Engineering and the East Series was named the K&N Pro Series East. In 2011, NASCAR lowered the age maximum across each of its regional touring series to 30.

In 2020, the series became part of the ARCA Menards Series banner and was renamed to the ARCA Menards Series East.[3]

ARCA Menards Series cars

General

As part of NASCAR's unification of the two Camping World Series in 2003, the cars can be either a 105-inch (2,700 mm, which had been used in the former Busch Grand National East) or 110-inch (2,800 mm, which had been used in the former Winston West) wheelbase. Cambered/off-set rear ends are not allowed.

Currently, the series requires the use of a Five Star bodies composite body that started in the 2015 season, currently the 2013 Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusion, or Toyota Camry. Since the 2007 debut of the new chassis at the Cup and 2010 debut at the second-tier level, many ARCA East and West cars are former Cup or Xfinity cars.

Teams have an option of building their own engines or they may run a specification engine, similar to what is used at many short tracks. Both engines are V8, pushrod, 12:1 compression motors. "Built" motors are built to team specifications using any configuration of pieces as long as it still meets NASCAR specifications. The spec engine is built using NASCAR-approved pieces that may be purchased from an approved supplier. The engines may be purchased as a kit or pre-assembled. All of the spec pieces are individually encrypted with a barcode for verification and tracking purposes and can be checked during the inspection process with an encryption reader. NASCAR has a specification supplier for the series-specification engine.

When the series first started, the cars ran a V6 engine with a maximum 274 cu in (4,490 cm3) displacement and no compression limit. In the early/mid 1990s the V8 engine with a 9.5:1 compression and maximum 358 cu in (5,870 cm3) displacement was introduced to the series as an alternative to the V6 engines. Due to the decrease in popularity of the V6, it was phased out for the 1999 season. When the East and West series rules were combined, the compression ratio changed to 12:1.

Menards Series cars use Sunoco racing fuel, NASCAR's specification fuel. For races run with national series, the cars run an E15 blend since the national series uses such fuels. The cars use radial tires. Along with the rest of ARCA and NASCAR's international series, the Menards Series have General Tire as their exclusive tire supplier.[4]

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 based on the NASCAR Cup Series Gen 6 models. The new body, developed with Five Star Race Car Bodies, is constructed of a composite laminate blend and designed with easily replaceable body panels, expected to shrink the costs of fabrication dramatically. The body style is eligible for use in both Menards Series competition and ARCA Racing Series competition, replacing the old Gen 4-style steel bodies after 2015, and the then-current one-piece composite body after 2016.[5]

Specifications

[6]

  • Engine displacement: 358 cu in (5.8 L) Pushrod V8.
  • Transmission: 4 speed Manual.
  • Weight: 3,300 lb (1,497 kg) Minimum (without driver).
  • Power output: ~650 hp (485 kW) unrestricted.
  • Fuel: Sunoco Leaded or Unleaded gasoline.
  • Fuel capacity: 22 U.S. gallons (83.2 L).
  • Fuel delivery: Carburetion.
  • Compression ratio: 12:1.
  • Aspiration: Naturally aspirated.
  • Carburetor size: 390 cu ft/min (184 L/s) 4-barrel.
  • Wheelbase: 105 in (2667 mm)/ 110 in (2794 mm).
  • Steering: Power, recirculating ball.

List of champions

Year Champion Most Popular Driver Rookie of the Year
1987 Joey Kourafas Chuck Bown (N/A)
1988 Jamie Aube Dick McCabe
1989 Jamie Aube (2) Jamie Aube Ron Lamell
1990 Jamie Aube (3) Ricky Craven Ricky Craven
1991 Ricky Craven Ricky Craven (2) Tony Hirschman Jr.
1992 Dick McCabe Mike McLaughlin Curtis Markham
1993 Dick McCabe (2) Mike McLaughlin (2) Andy Santerre
1994 Dale Shaw Andy Santerre Jerry Marquis
1995 Kelly Moore Mike Stefanik Brandon Butler
1996 Dave Dion Brandon Butler Brad Leighton
1997 Mike Stefanik Mike Stefanik (2) Tracy Gordon
1998 Mike Stefanik (2) Mike Stefanik (3) Jeff Taylor
1999 Brad Leighton Dave Dion Mike Bruno
2000 Brad Leighton (2) Brad Leighton Mike Johnson
2001 Mike Olsen Mike Olsen Brian Hoar
2002 Andy Santerre Andy Santerre Robbie Harrison
2003 Andy Santerre (2) Andy Santerre (2) Ryan Moore
2004 Andy Santerre (3) Mike Stefanik (4) Ryan Seaman
2005 Andy Santerre (4) Andy Santerre (3) Sean Caisse
2006 Mike Olsen (2) Matt Kobyluck Rubén Pardo
2007 Joey Logano Jeffrey Earnhardt Joey Logano
2008 Matt Kobyluck Ricky Carmichael Austin Dillon
2009 Ryan Truex Steve Park Ryan Truex
2010 Ryan Truex (2) Ryan Truex Darrell Wallace Jr.
2011 Max Gresham Chase Elliott Alex Bowman
2012 Kyle Larson Chase Elliott (2) Kyle Larson
2013 Dylan Kwasniewski Ben Kennedy Jesse Little
2014 Ben Rhodes Ben Rhodes[7] Ben Rhodes
2015 William Byron Rico Abreu William Byron
2016 Justin Haley Austin Theriault Hunter Baize
2017 Harrison Burton Not awarded Chase Purdy
2018 Tyler Ankrum Tyler Ankrum
2019 Sam Mayer Sam Mayer
2020 Sam Mayer (2) Ty Gibbs
2021 Sammy Smith Sammy Smith
2022 Sammy Smith (2) Leland Honeyman
2023 William Sawalich William Sawalich
2024 William Sawalich (2) Connor Zilisch

Career victories

In 517 races there have been 126 different winners, 73 of which have won multiple races. Does not include Combination races with Busch Series that were won by Busch Series drivers since these victories are already counted in the Busch Series. Updated after: Sprecher 150 (August 28, 2022)

Wins Driver First Win Last Win
27 Kelly Moore Jun 12, 1987 Sep 16, 2006
24 Brad Leighton Jul 12, 1989 Aug 14, 2004
23 Andy Santerre Jul 12, 1996 Sep 23, 2005
19 Dale Shaw Jul 18, 1997 Jul 25, 2002
16 Matt Kobyluck Aug 26, 2001 Aug 16, 2008
14 Bobby Dragon Jun 11, 1987 Jun 29, 1997
13 Ricky Craven Aug 19, 1990 Jul 8, 1995
13 Dave Dion Jun 28, 1992 Aug 27, 2005
12 Tracy Gordon Sep 5, 1998 Sep 19, 2002
12 Mike Stefanik Jun 28, 1991 Jul 15, 2005
10 Ted Christopher Sep 8, 1996 Sep 16, 2005
10 Brett Moffitt May 30, 2009 Aug 3, 2018
9 Jamie Aube Jul 12, 1987 Aug 28, 1993
9 Sam Mayer Apr 6, 2019 Oct 11, 2020
8 Mike Rowe May 22, 1988 May 19, 1991
8 Dick McCabe Jul 10, 1988 Jun 12, 1993
8 Robbie Crouch Aug 20, 1988 Sep 3, 1995
8 Joe Bessey Aug 26, 1989 Sep 24, 1995
7 Mike McLaughlin Sep 2, 1990 Jul 10, 1993
7 Jerry Marquis May 15, 1994 Jul 12, 1997
7 Tom Carey Jr. May 22, 1998 Jul 12, 2003
7 Mike Johnson Jul 22, 2000 Jul 17, 2004
7 Sean Caisse Jun 10, 2006 Sep 21, 2007
7 Eddie MacDonald Sep 7, 2002 Mar 15, 2015
7 Todd Gilliland Feb 14, 2016 Apr 14, 2018
7 Sammy Smith Feb 27, 2021 Aug 28, 2022
6 Dale Quarterley Sep 9, 2001 Sep 24, 2004
6 Mike Olsen Jun 10, 2001 Jul 14, 2006
6 Darrell Wallace Jr. Mar 27, 2010 Mar 31, 2012
6 Dylan Kwasniewski Mar 16, 2013 Oct 18, 2013
6 Corey LaJoie Jun 2, 2012 Jul 16, 2016
6 Ty Gibbs Sep 21, 2019 Sep 16, 2021
5 Bryan Wall Jun 5, 1999 Aug 10, 2002
5 Martin Truex Jr. Jul 8, 2000 Jul 19, 2003
5 Joey Logano Apr 28, 2007 Sep 14, 2007
5 Ryan Truex Apr 6, 2009 Sep 17, 2010
5 Ben Rhodes Mar 22, 2014 Jun 21, 2014
5 Sergio Pena Apr 17, 2011 Aug 29, 2015
5 Austin Hill Sep 27, 2013 Sep 10, 2015
5 Kyle Benjamin Apr 18, 2015 Apr 8, 2017
5 Harrison Burton Apr 22, 2017 Sep 29, 2017
4 Stub Fadden May 17, 1992 Sep 4, 1994
4 Butch Leitzinger Jun 5, 1994 Oct 12, 1996
4 Brian Ickler May 18, 2008 Apr 11, 2009
4 Max Gresham Apr 3, 2010 Jul 15, 2011
4 William Byron Apr 4, 2015 Jul 17, 2015
4 Scott Heckert Aug 8, 2014 Aug 7, 2015
4 Tyler Ankrum May 12, 2018 July 27, 2018
3 Joey Kourafas Sep 13, 1987 Aug 13, 1990
3 Steve Park Jun 2, 1996 Aug 1, 2009
3 Matt DiBenedetto Apr 25, 2009 Jun 4, 2011
3 Daniel Suárez Jul 13, 2013 Feb 18, 2015
3 Cole Custer Aug 2, 2013 Apr 26, 2015
3 Will Rodgers Aug 4, 2017 Jun 16, 2018
3 Derek Kraus Aug 24, 2018 May 5, 2019
2 Chuck Bown May 3, 1987 Oct 12, 1987
2 Pete Silva May 5, 1988 Jul 2, 1988
2 Billy Clark Apr 26, 1987 Jun 10, 1989
2 Larry Caron Jun 25, 1988 Jul 1, 1989
2 Tom Bolles Sep 8, 1995 May 4, 1997
2 Jimmy Spencer Aug 1, 1987 Jul 18, 1998
2 Ryan Moore Jul 9, 2005 Aug 10, 2005
2 Kyle Larson Jun 9, 2012 Sep 22, 2012
2 Ben Kennedy Apr 13, 2013 Jun 1, 2013
2 Jesse Little Jul 11, 2014 Apr 18, 2015
2 Justin Haley Mar 26, 2016 Jul 2, 2016
2 Austin Cindric Apr 30, 2016 Aug 5, 2016
2 Noah Gragson Jun 17, 2016 Sep 17, 2016
2 Tyler Dippel Mar 12, 2016 Apr 28, 2018
2 Rubén García Jr. Jun 2, 2018 Oct 6, 2018
2 Chase Cabre Jun 1, 2019 Jul 20, 2019
2 Spencer Davis May 30, 2016 Aug 24, 2019
2 Brandon Jones Aug 1, 2014 Jun 11, 2022
2 Matthew Reid Aug 27, 1990 Jun 16, 1991
1 Mike Weeden Jul 1, 1987 N/A
1 Tommy Houston Jul 14, 1987 N/A
1 Ralph Nason Aug 28, 1987 N/A
1 Richard Martin Sep 26, 1987 N/A
1 Ken Bouchard Sep 8, 1990 N/A
1 Bruce Haley May 25, 1987 N/A
1 Tony Hirschman Sep 5, 1992 N/A
1 Brian Ross May 29, 1993 N/A
1 Ken Schrader Oct 16, 1993 N/A
1 John Preston May 28, 1994 N/A
1 Martin Truex Sr. Jul 9, 1994 N/A
1 Glenn Sullivan Jul 24, 1994 N/A
1 Keith Lamell Jul 29, 1994 N/A
1 Tom Rosati Aug 20, 1994 N/A
1 Jeff Fuller Sep 22, 1996 N/A
1 Kip Stockwell Aug 1, 1997 N/A
1 Rick Fuller Jul 3, 1998 N/A
1 Kim Baker Aug 8, 1998 N/A
1 Dennis Demers Jul 23, 1999 N/A
1 Denny Doyle Oct 26, 2002 N/A
1 Joey McCarthy Jun 28, 2003 N/A
1 Brian Hoar Aug 30, 2003 N/A
1 Bryon Chew Jun 24, 2006 N/A
1 Tim Andrews Sep 22, 2006 N/A
1 Rubén Pardo Sep 30, 2006 N/A
1 Rogelio López Jul 22, 2007 N/A
1 Austin Dillon Apr 19, 2008 N/A
1 Trevor Bayne Jul 12, 2008 N/A
1 Aric Almirola Sep 19, 2008 N/A
1 Peyton Sellers Oct 12, 2008 N/A
1 Kyle Busch May 17, 2009 N/A
1 Andrew Ranger Jul 3, 2010 N/A
1 Ty Dillon Aug 28, 2010 N/A
1 Nelson Piquet Jr. Mar 17, 2012 N/A
1 Chase Elliott May 19, 2012 N/A
1 Cale Conley Jul 21, 2012 N/A
1 Tyler Reddick Nov 3, 2012 N/A
1 Brandon Gdovic Apr 6, 2013 N/A
1 Ryan Gifford Apr 25, 2013 N/A
1 Rico Abreu Jul 4, 2015 N/A
1 Dillon Bassett Aug 15, 2015 N/A
1 Collin Cabre Oct 3, 2015 N/A
1 Chad Finchum Apr 16, 2016 N/A
1 Ronnie Bassett Jr. Feb 19, 2017 N/A
1 Travis Miller May 6, 2017 N/A
1 Anthony Alfredo May 12, 2018 N/A
1 Brandon McReynolds Sep 22, 2018 N/A
1 Tanner Gray May 4, 2019 N/A
1 Max McLaughlin Aug 2, 2019 N/A
1 Max Gutiérrez Feb 8, 2021 N/A
1 Taylor Gray Apr 29, 2022 N/A

Bolding indicates driver has won at least 1 NASCAR Cup Series Championship

Most wins at each track

All-time wins under Menards Series East banner. Does not include the combination races with Busch Series because the drivers who won those races are computed as Busch Series winners. Also does not include the combination races with Menards Series West that were won by Menards Series West drivers because the drivers who won those races are computed as Menards Series West winners.

Current tracks

Track Driver Wins Race Name
Bristol Motor Speedway Sam Mayer 2 Spring: Zombie Auto 150
Fall: Bush's Beans 150
Dover International Speedway Brett Moffitt & Austin Hill 2 General Tire 125
Iowa Speedway Multiple Drivers 1 Casey's General Stores 150
Memphis International Raceway Multiple Drivers 1 Memphis 150
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Brad Leighton 8 Summer: United Site Services 70
Fall: Apple Barrel 125
New Smyrna Speedway Todd Gilliland 2 New Smyrna 175
South Boston Speedway Multiple Drivers 1 Who's Your Driver Twin 100s
Watkins Glen International Andy Santerre, Bryan Wall, Ted Christopher & Scott Heckert 2 Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway Multiple Drivers 1 Monaco Cocktails Gateway Classic 125

Bold indicates a combined race with the ARCA Menards Series West

Former tracks

Track Driver Wins Race Names
Adirondack International Speedway Matt Kobyluck 3 Edge Hotel 150 Pres. by Casella Waste Systems
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Dale Shaw 4 Summer: Beech Ridge 150 Pres. by Forest City Chevy
Beech_Ridge_Motor_Speedbowl Fall: Irving Oil 150
Berlin Raceway Todd Gilliland 1 Stars & Stripes 150
Columbus Motor Speedway Multiple Drivers 1 NAPA 150
Darlington Raceway Harry Gant 2 Spring 1987-1988: Country Squire Homes 200*
Fall 1987-1988: Gatorade 200*
Daytona International Speedway Daniel Suárez 1 UNOH Battle at the Beach
Dominion Raceway Spencer Davis 1 ComServe Wireless 150
Greenville-Pickens Speedway Darrell Wallace Jr. & Kyle Benjamin 2 Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150
Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex Dave Dion 3 Fuccillo Auto Park HUGE 150
Jennerstown Speedway Kelly Moore 3 Burnham Boilers/Carquest Auto Parts 150
Lake Erie Speedway Andy Santerre 2 Local Dodge Dealers 150 by Hamot & Highmark
Langley Speedway Multiple Drivers 1 Visit Hampton VA 150
Lee USA Speedway Brad Leighton 4 NASCAR K&N Pro Series 125
Lime Rock Park Butch Leitzinger & Matt Kobyluck 3 K&N 100
Mobile International Speedway Tyler Dippel 1 Mobile 150
Nazareth Speedway Multiple Drivers 1 1988-2000 Goulds Pumps/ITT Industries 200
2001-2002 Burnham Boilers 100
New Jersey Motorsports Park Will Rodgers 2 JustDrive.com 125
New London-Waterford Speedbowl Kelly Moore, Mike Johnson & Matt Kobyluck 2 Big Y World Class Market 150
Oxford Plains Speedway Mike Rowe 7 Fisher Snow Plows 150
Richmond International Raceway Multiple Drivers 1 1988-1992 Hardee's 200
2011-2015 UNOH 100
Riverside Park Speedway Bobby Dragon & Tom Carey Jr. 2 New England Ford Dealers 150
Seekonk Speedway Kelly Moore 2 Budweiser 150
Stafford Motor Speedway Kelly Moore & Mike Johnson 3 Stafford 150
Star Speedway Robbie Crouch & Kelly Moore 3 Star 150
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Ricky Craven & Mike Stefanik 3 King Cadillac GMC Throwback 100

Races in Bold were combination events with the then NASCAR Busch Grand National Series

References

  1. ^ Jeff Olson, Special for USA TODAY Sports (November 16, 2013). "Austin Dillon wins Nationwide title in celebrated No. 3". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  2. ^ "NASCAR : NASCAR Drivers, Race Standings & News — NASCAR.com". nascar.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  3. ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (October 2, 2019). "NASCAR, ARCA announce new format for 2020; ARCA to take over K&N Series". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  4. ^ "General Tire to Serve as Exclusive Tire Supplier For NASCAR's K&N Pro Series, Pinty's Series and PEAK Mexico Series". NASCAR Home Tracks. February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Media Release (November 4, 2014). "NASCAR unveils new K&N Pro Series car at 2014 SEMA show". Fox Sports. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  6. ^ "NASCAR K&N Pro Series & Whelen Modified Tour Rulebook" (PDF). speedbowlct.com. NASCAR. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2016.
  7. ^ Cunningham, Jason (November 19, 2014). "Touring Series Most Popular Drivers Revealed: Champions Rhodes, Seuss Lead 2014 Honorees". hometracks.nascar.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: NASCAR. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  • 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series Rule Book
  • The Official NASCAR 2008 Preview and Press Guide
  • 1996 NASCAR Busch North Series Rule Book
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