Photo – ARS
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.
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.