ARCA competes on a wide-ranging array of tracks including superspeedways, road courses and dirt tracksGETTY IMAGES
NASCAR has acquired the ARCA racing series in a move that further solidifies its hold on motorsports and could provide the sanctioning body greater flexibility in the future. Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal, which will see ARCA continue to operate under its current structure for the rest of ’18 and all of ’19 before it falls under NASCAR’s full control in ’20. ARCA is a Michigan-based stock-car racing series that holds events mostly in the Midwest. NASCAR and ARCA have had a close connection for more than 60 years, but the move to buy the series represents a new level to the partnership. NASCAR is increasingly facing calls from fans, drivers and media to diversify some of its series’ schedules and get away from having the Camping World Truck Series run mostly companion events with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series at sprawling venues with capacity often at or above 50,000. Buying ARCA could allow NASCAR to help get the Truck Series racing at smaller short tracks where ARCA often holds its events, such as Nashville’s Fairgrounds Speedway, Salem Speedway and Toledo Speedway (Adam Stern, Staff Writer). MOTORSPORT.com's Jim Utter noted ARCA "competes on a more wide-ranging array of tracks than NASCAR, including superspeedways, road courses, dirt tracks, short tracks and intermediate tracks on a regular basis." ARCA’s age limitations are also "not as restrictive as NASCAR." Some of the staple tracks of the ARCA series "would remain part of the series moving forward." There is also the "chance some of the tracks could become incorporated into some NASCAR series down the road" (MOTORSPORT.com, 4/27).
NEW OPPORTUNITIES: In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis wrote the "best way to operate, going forward, is to let ARCA be ARCA, as independent as feasible from NASCAR." But NASCAR should also "take advantage of ARCA’s existence to test certain ideas that otherwise wouldn’t survive the next board-room gathering." Ideas could include "heat races followed by a main event, a nod to today’s shorter attention spans," and dirt races. ARCA as a “proving ground” for NASCAR "wouldn’t be a bad thing as long as ARCA’s longtime fans and competitors don’t feel like lab mice" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 4/29).
