2021 ARCA Menards Series

The 2021 ARCA Menards Series season will be the 69th season of the ARCA Menards Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season will begin at Daytona International Speedway with the Lucas Oil 200[1] on February 13 and end with the Speediatrics 150 at Kansas Speedway on either October 23 or 24.[2]

2021 ARCA Menards Series
Previous: 2020 Next: 2022
Bret Holmes, the reigning series champion

This season will also feature a historic first, as Fox pit reporter Jamie Little will become the first woman to serve as a TV play-by-play announcer in motorsports history as she takes over that role for the network's ARCA races.[3]

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule
Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief
Chevrolet Brad Smith Motorsports[4] 48 Brad Smith TBA
Rev Racing 2 Nick Sanchez (R)[5] Steve Plattenberger
Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Ty Gibbs[6] Mark McFarland[6]
Venturini Motorsports 15 Drew Dollar 11[7] Billy Venturini[7]
Gracie Trotter 5[8]
TBA 4
20 Corey Heim[9] Shannon Rursch[9]
25 Gracie Trotter 4[8] Kevin Reed[10]
Jesse Love 9[10]
TBA 7
Toyota 1
Ford TBA
TBA TBA		 Richmond Clubb Motorsports 27 Tim Richmond 13[11] Brad Frye 9[11]
Alex Clubb TBA[11]
Alex Clubb 7[11]

Limited schedule
Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief Rounds
Chevrolet AM Racing[12] 32 Howie DiSavino III[12] Jamie Jones[12] 1
Gus Dean[13] TBA
Ben Kennedy Racing 43 Daniel Dye Glenn Garrison 3[14]
Bret Holmes Racing[15] 23 Bret Holmes[15] Shane Huffman[15] TBA
Sam Mayer[15] 7
Charles Buchanan Racing 87 Chuck Buchanan Jr. Craig Wood 1
CR7 Motorsports 97 Jason Kitzmiller Todd Myers 1
Empire Racing[16] 8 Sean Corr TBA 1
45 Rich Bickle Mike Cheek[16] 1
GMS Racing 21 Jack Wood[17] Chad Bryant[18] 11[17]
Greg Van Alst Motorsports[19] 35 Greg Van Alst Jim Long 10
John Ferrier Racing 44 John Ferrier Jeff McClure 1
Max Force Racing 9 Thomas Praytor TBA 1[20]
Mullins Racing[21] 3 Willie Mullins[21] Tony Furr[22] 1
Reeves Racing 88 Scott Reeves Brian Finney 1[23]
Rev Racing[24] 6 Rajah Caruth Glenn Parker 3
RSS Racing[25] 28 Kyle Sieg[26] Jeff Green[27] 1
Spraker Racing Enterprises 63 Dave Mader III Jeff Spraker 1
Young's Motorsports[28] 02 Toni Breidinger[29] Ryan London 1[28]
Ford Andy Jankowiak Racing[30] 73 Andy Jankowiak[30] Mike Dayton 1
CCM Racing 7 Eric Caudell Jeremy Petty 1
David Gilliland Racing[31] 17 Tanner Gray Chad Johnston[32] 1
Taylor Gray 10[32]
46 Thad Moffitt Derek Smith[32] 11[32]
54 Joey Iest[33] 1[33]
High Point Racing[34] 51 Dean Thompson[34] TBA 1
Kimmel Racing 69 Scott Melton Bill Kimmel 1
Lira Motorsports[35] 60 Logan Misuraca[35] TBA TBA
Rette Jones Racing 30 Brittney Zamora Mark Rette 1
Justin Lofton[36] 1[36]
Max Gutiérrez 3[37]
Toyota Bill McAnally Racing 16 Jesse Love[38] TBA 1
20 Cole Moore[38] TBA 1
TBA TBD[N 1] TBA 3
Cram Racing Enterprises[39] 94 Benny Chastain Kevin Cram 1
Derrick Lancaster Racing[40] 29 Derrick Lancaster Don Akers 3
Jerry Pitts Racing 7 Takuma Koga[41] TBA 1
Venturini Motorsports 55 Derek Griffith[42] Dave Leiner Jr. 2[42]
Visconti Motorsports 74 Mason Diaz[43] Tommy Baldwin Jr.[43] 3[43]
Toyota 1
TBA TBA		 Fast Track Racing 01 Chuck Hiers David Ifft 1
Ford 1
TBA TBA		 10 Jason White Mike Sroufe 1
Ford 1
TBA TBA		 11 Richard Garvie Steven Barton 1
Toyota 1
TBA TBA		 12 D. L. Wilson Dick Doheny 1
Chevrolet 1
TBA TBA		 Wayne Peterson Racing 06 Con Nicolopoulos Michael Peterson 1
Wayne Peterson[11] TBA TBA
TBA Wayne Peterson[11] TBA
TBA BMI Racing[44] 88 Bridget Burgess[44] Sarah Burgess[44] 1
TBA Richmond Clubb Motorsports TBA Alex Clubb[11] TBA 1[11]

Notes
  1. The driver of this car will be a participant in Bill McAnally Racing's new Driver Academy who is the points leader at the time

Teams
  • On November 13, 2020, it was announced that Lira Motorsports would be returning to the series for the first time since 2017, fielding a part-time entry for late model and NASCAR Roots driver Logan Misuraca. She and the team will also run part-time in the Truck Series in 2021.[35]
  • On December 8, 2020, Ken Schrader confirmed that he would be closing down his longtime ARCA team, Ken Schrader Racing, which would only keep its dirt racing operations in 2021. This will be the first season since 1990 where KSR has not competed in the series. Schrader's iconic No. 52 car only competed part-time from 2018 to 2020 due to lack of sponsorship.[45]
  • On December 22, 2020, it was announced that Mullins Racing would be entering two cars in the season-opener at Daytona.[21] This is the first time the team has fielded a second car since 2018 at Elko, where Robert Bruce drove the No. 2 with Mullins leasing the owner points from Hixson Motorsports.
  • On December 23, 2020, it was announced that Greg Van Alst, who last competed in the series in 2002, would be starting his own team, the No. 35 Chevy, and running a part-time schedule after buying a car from Chad Bryant Racing.[19]
  • On January 14, 2021, it was announced that Win-Tron Racing would merge into AM Racing, a Truck Series team that they have had an alliance with for multiple years and that they have shared a race shop with beginning in 2020. Howie DiSavino III will continue to drive part-time in the team's No. 32 car.[12]
  • On January 14, 2021, Truck Series team Young's Motorsports announced that they would expand into the ARCA Menards Series, fielding the No. 02 car on a part-time basis beginning at Daytona. The team participated in the series' Daytona testing in January with Kris Wright (one of their full-time Truck Series drivers) and Toni Breidinger driving. Their first race will come at Daytona, although they have yet to determine the rest of their schedule and who their driver(s) will be in each race.[28]

Drivers
  • On September 15, 2020, it was announced that Sam Mayer, who drove the No. 21 car for GMS Racing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series along with the full season in the East Series (where he won the championship), would move up to the Xfinity Series in June 2021 after he turns 18 and is eligible to race in the series. He will drive the JR Motorsports No. 8 car in the second half of the season.[46] It has not been announced if Mayer will still continue to run ARCA races until and/or after that point in the season. On November 2, 2020, GMS announced that Jack Wood will drive for them in all of the Showdown races, replacing Mayer in the No. 21. Wood previously drove part-time in the ARCA Menards Series West, fielding his own team, Velocity Racing.[17]
  • On December 15, 2020, it was announced that Michael Self, the championship runner-up for the past two years, would be leaving ARCA in 2021 to take a non-driving position with Trans-Am team Silver Hare Racing, becoming the team's general manager. It has not yet been announced who will replace him in the Venturini Motorsports No. 25.[47]
  • On December 18, 2020, DGR-Crosley announced that Joey Iest would join the team to drive in six or more East Series races for the team. Because the 2021 East Series schedule features 8 races, and 3 of them being combination races with the big ARCA Menards Series, at least one of Iest's six races will be in a combination race.[33]

Crew chiefs
  • On December 9, 2020, it was announced that Mardy Lindley, who crew chiefed the No. 21 of Sam Mayer for GMS Racing in 2019 and 2020, would be joining Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series to crew chief their No. 51.[48] Lindley had originally been announced to return to GMS Racing in 2021 to crew chief Jack Wood, Mayer's replacement.[17]

Manufacturers
  • On December 22, 2020, Willie Mullins announced that his No. 3 car would be a Chevy at Daytona. He bought the car from the closed KBR Development team, which was the same one that David Gravel and Brandon McReynolds drove in the 2020 and 2019 Daytona races, respectively, and that Sheldon Creed drove at Daytona in 2018 for MDM Motorsports. The Ford that Mullins previously drove in this race will still be used at Daytona and become a new second car for the team with a yet-to-be determined driver.[21]

Schedule

Daytona,[1] Toledo,[49] Pocono,[50] and Talladega[51] revealed their race dates ahead of the release of the entire schedule, which ARCA announced on December 1, 2020.[2] Mid-Ohio, Elko, and DuQuoin received dates on the schedule after all three tracks lost their 2020 race dates after COVID-19.[52][53]

Notes:

  • The title sponsors for most races have yet to be determined, and until they are, the title sponsor of the same race the previous year is listed.
  • The race at Phoenix in March will be a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series West (highlighted in gold).
  • Races highlighted in silver are combination events with the ARCA Menards Series East.
  • The Sioux Chief Showdown races are listed in bold.[54]
No Race title Track Date
1 Lucas Oil 200 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida February 13
2 General Tire 150 Phoenix Raceway, Phoenix, Arizona March 12
3 General Tire 200 Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama April 24
4 Dawn Ultra 150 Kansas Speedway, Kansas City May 1
5 TBA Toledo Speedway, Toledo, Ohio May 22
6 General Tire 150 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina May 28 or 29[N 1]
7 Mid-Ohio 50 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio June 4
8 General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania June 25
9 Elko 250 Elko Speedway, Elko, Minnesota July 10
10 Stars & Stripes 150 Berlin Raceway, Marne, Michigan July 17
11 Shore Lunch 150 Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa July 24
12 Toyota 200 presented by Crosley Brands Winchester Speedway, Winchester, Indiana July 31
13 Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100 Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York August 14
14 VizCom 200 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan August 20
15 Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100 Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack, Springfield, Illinois August 22
16 TBA Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin August 29
17 Southern Illinois 100 DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack, Du Quoin, Illinois September 5
18 Bush's Beans 200 Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee September 16
19 Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 Salem Speedway, Salem, Indiana September 25
20 Speediatrics 150 Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas October 23 or 24[N 1]
  1. ARCA announced that the dates for the races at Charlotte and Kansas will be on one day or the other. The weekend schedules for these races have yet to be determined.

Broadcasting

The exact TV lineup has yet to be announced, although it is expected to look similar to in 2020, with Fox airing most or all of the races that occur at tracks that the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series go to and have races at on the same weekend as the ARCA Menards Series. The rest of the races would be aired on MAVTV.

Fox made a change to their broadcasting lineup for their ARCA Menards Series coverage for the 2021 season, as play-by-play announcer Dave Rieff was replaced by longtime NASCAR pit reporter Jamie Little, who becomes the first woman to ever serve in the play-by-play role on TV in any motorsports series.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Daytona's 2021 ARCA Menards Series Race Part Of Saturday Doubleheader". ARCARacing.com. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  2. "ARCA Menards Series 2021 Schedule Features 20 Races At 19 Tracks". ARCARacing.com. December 1, 2020.
  3. "Fox Sports Names Jamie Little Play-By-Play Announcer For 2021 ARCA Menards Series". ARCARacing.com. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  4. "Brad Smith planning on returning for full season". ThePitLane. January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021. Veteran owner/driver Brad Smith plans on returning to the ARCA Menards Series full time this season. (...) Although Smith is planning to compete full time, the team needs sponsorship.
  5. "Nick Sanchez to run full ARCA schedule for Rev Racing". ThePitLane. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021. 19 year-old Nick Sanchez, who competed in the ARCA Menards East Series last year, will run the full ARCA Menards Series national schedule this season for Rev Racing.
  6. "Ty Gibbs Will Make Xfinity Debut at Daytona Road Course". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 26, 2021.
  7. "Drew Dollar Inks New Deal With Venturini Motorsports, Announces Limited 2021 ARCA Schedule". ARCARacing.com. Venturini Motorsports. January 12, 2021.
  8. Srigley, Joseph (January 4, 2021). "Gracie Trotter Moving to Venturini Motorsports for Limited ARCA Menards Series Schedule". TobyChristie.com.
  9. Srigley, Joseph (January 11, 2021). "Corey Heim Running for ARCA Menards Series Championship with Venturini Motorsports". TobyChristie.com.
  10. Srigley, Joseph (January 29, 2021). "Jesse Love Joining Venturini Motorsports for 10-Race ARCA Schedule in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  11. Srigley, Joseph (January 22, 2021). "Alex Clubb and Tim Richmond Form Richmond Clubb Motorsports". TobyChristie.com.
  12. Knight, Chris (January 14, 2021). "Howie DiSavino III set to embrace ARCA superspeedway debut". AM Racing. ChrisOwens62. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  13. "Gus Dean – Win-Tron Racing". Win-Tron Racing. Retrieved January 14, 2020. This year, Dean, will compete in a variety of racing series including the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, the ARCA Menards Series and Late Model events throughout the country.
  14. Srigley, Joseph (December 21, 2020). "Daniel Dye Chasing ARCA Menards Series East Championship with Ben Kennedy Racing in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  15. "Bret Holmes Racing Expands Program For 2021 Season". ARCARacing.com. Venturini Motorsports. January 14, 2021.
  16. Packman, Tim (January 6, 2021). "Rich Bickle To Run Daytona ARCA Race With Empire Racing Group". Pub Table Racers. Pub Table Racers.
  17. Glover, Luken (November 2, 2020). "Jack Wood Running ARCA Showdown, East With GMS Racing in 2021". Frontstretch. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  18. "GMS Racing announces 2021 crew chief lineup". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 8, 2020.
  19. "Greg Van Alst Returns To ARCA Menards Series In 2021 With Limited Schedule". ARCARacing.com. December 23, 2020.
  20. "Max Force Racing; Thomas Praytor returning at Talladega in 2021". ThePitLane. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020. Max Force Racing and Thomas Praytor will return to ARCA Menards Series competition next year at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24th.
  21. "Mullins Racing Welcomes CorvetteParts.net As Sponsor For Daytona ARCA Race". ARCARacing.com. December 22, 2020.
  22. Srigley, Joseph (January 18, 2021). "Willie Mullins, Mullins Racing Entering Daytona with A Chance to Make Noise". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  23. "(Twitter posts)". Twitter. ARCA/NASCAR S&P Cars and Scott Reeves. January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021. ARCA/NASCAR S&P Cars: @scott2155 are you returning for Daytona ARCA next month? Scott Reeves: Yes, all ready.....
  24. "Nick Sanchez to run full ARCA schedule for Rev Racing". ThePitLane. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020. Sanchez will also have a teammate in the three national/Showdown races, as Rev Racing will field a car full time in the ARCA East Series for a driver that will be announced at a later date.
  25. "RSS Racing Switches to Ford for 2021 Season". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 11, 2020.
  26. Srigley, Joseph (January 5, 2021). "Kyle Sieg Running Partial ARCA Menards Series Schedule in 2021". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  27. "(Twitter posts)". Twitter. Zach Cross and Jeff Green. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021. No driving for me and I’m CC for Kyle Sieg in the Arca Campaign
  28. Srigley, Joseph (January 14, 2021). "Young's Motorsports Expands Operations into ARCA Menards Series; Limited National Series Schedule in 2021". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  29. "Toni Breidinger to make Truck debut with Young's Motorsports". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. February 4, 2021.
  30. Evans, Zach (April 25, 2020). "New York Modified Racer Chasing Daytona Dream". Speed51. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  31. "David Gilliland and Johnny Gray form David Gilliland Racing". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 5, 2021.
  32. Carey, Michael (January 21, 2021). "David Gilliland Racing Reveals Driver and Crew Chief Pairings for Upcoming Season". TobyChristie.com.
  33. Srigley, Joseph (December 18, 2020). "Joey Iest Running At Least Six ARCA Menards Series East Events for DGR-Crosley in 2021". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  34. Srigley, Joseph (February 2, 2021). "Dean Thompson and High Point Racing Competing for ARCA West Championship in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  35. Srigley, Joseph (November 18, 2020). "Lira Motorsports Making ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Truck Series Return in 2021 with Logan Misuraca". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  36. Fenwick, Adam (December 15, 2020). "Lofton Still Racing, Hopes To Race More In ARCA". Speed Sport. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  37. Srigley, Joseph (February 5, 2021). "Max Gutiérrez Joins Rette Jones Racing for Full ARCA East Schedule in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  38. Srigley, Joseph (January 4, 2021). "Jesse Love, Cole Moore Set to Chase Eleventh ARCA West Championship for Bill McAnally Racing". TobyChristie.com.
  39. Srigley, Joseph (January 7, 2020). "Cram Racing Enterprises Returning to NASCAR Truck Series Full-Time; Possible ARCA Entry in 2021?". TobyChristie.com.
  40. "Derrick Lancaster to run partial ARCA schedule after recovering from injuries". ThePitLane. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020. Virginia's Derrick Lancaster will return to ARCA Menards Series competition at Daytona in February after recovering from serious injuries that he sustained at Kingsport Speedway last summer.
  41. "Takuma Koga To Team With Jerry Pitts Racing For 2021 West Series Season". ARCARacing.com. January 20, 2021.
  42. Srigley, Joseph (January 14, 2020). "Derek Griffith Secures Two-Race Deal with Venturini Motorsports at Daytona and Kansas". TobyChristie.com.
  43. "Visconti Motorsports Adds Mason Diaz To Driver Lineup For 2021". ARCARacing.com. January 19, 2021.
  44. Haislop, Tadd (December 16, 2020). "Sarah And Bridget Burgess: The Mother-Daughter Duo Stepping On The Gas Pedal In ARCA". ARCARacing.com.
  45. Fenwick, Adam (December 8, 2020). "Ken Schrader Sells N.C. Shop, Relocating to Midwest". Speed Sport. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  46. "Sam Mayer reunites with JR Motorsports for Xfinity Series debut". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 15, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  47. "Kicera, Self added to expanding Silver Hare TA2 effort". RACER. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  48. "Kyle Busch Motorsports announces crew chief lineup for 2021". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  49. "ARCA Menards Series 2021 Schedule To Include Race At Toledo". ARCARacing.com. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  50. "ARCA Menards Series To Join NASCAR For Pocono's Doubleheader Week". ARCARacing.com. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  51. "ARCA Menards Series To Return To Talladega For Historic 59th Time". ARCARacing.com. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  52. "ARCA Menards Series Revises Schedule Through End of August". ARCARacing.com. July 14, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. Races at Mid-Ohio and Elko have officially been removed from the 2020 schedule with plans to return in 2021.
  53. "DuQuoin Race Relocated to Winchester Speedway". ARCARacing.com. September 6, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020. ARCA president Ron Drager: "We look forward to (...) returning to DuQuoin in 2021.
  54. "Sioux Chief Showdown 2021 Schedule Set". ARCARacing.com. January 11, 2021.
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