The ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) Menards Series will return to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington for the first time since 1965 when it competes at the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course on May 30, 2020. The race will be held in conjunction with the annual NASCAR XFINITY Series weekend, which in previous seasons had been scheduled in the month of August. The move to a new late spring date is to accommodate television coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
When the ARCA Menards Series last raced at Mid-Ohio in 1965, Springfield, Ohio native Jack Bowsher earned the victory. Since then the series has raced only sporadically on road courses, with a single event on a modified oval at the defunct St. Louis International Raceway in 1986, a pair of races at Heartland Park Topeka in 1991 and 1992, a street circuit event in Des Moines, Iowa in 1994, a single event at Palm Beach International Raceway in 2010, a pair of races at Road America in 2013 and 2017, and nine races at New Jersey Motorsports Park from 2008 through 2016.
The natural terrain road course in Lexington has been home to world class road racing since its inception, and since the 1980s has hosted series such as the NTT IndyCar Series, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the SCCA Trans Am, plus various amateur and professional motorcycle series sanctioned by the AMA. Stock car racing returned to Mid-Ohio in 2013 when A.J. Allmendinger defeated Michael McDowell in a shootout. Other NASCAR XFINITY Series winners include 2012 ARCA Menards Series national champion Chris Buescher, Regan Smith, former ARCA winner at Palm Beach Justin Marks, former Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish, 2008 ARCA Menards Series champion Justin Allgaier, and Austin Cindric, who won August’s most recent race.
“We have worked diligently with Craig Rust and his team at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for several seasons trying to get the ARCA Menards Series back on their schedule, and we’re really happy to make it happen for the 2020 season,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “We have a lot of excitement building for 2020 and additions to our schedule like Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course are a big part of it.”
“We are thrilled to add the ARCA Menards Series to our NASCAR XFINITY Series weekend,” said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “Each year, it’s our objective to showcase a very diverse schedule at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and bring the best of motorsports to our fans. ARCA fits that billing and is a great, returning addition to the 2020 schedule.”
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course offers an exceptional family value. At all events, children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult, plus free parking is available. The complete 2020 event schedule will be released later this fall. Visit midohio.com for more information.
ABOUT ARCA
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) was founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018. The ARCA Menards Series, now in its 67th season, will sanction the former NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West in 2020 with the series being rebranded as the ARCA Menards Series East and West. ARCA will continue to sanction weekly races at Toledo Speedway and Flat Rock Speedway as well as with two branded late model tours, the ARCA/CRA Super Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour.
Photo: Creative Commons License
