2021 ARCA Menards Series East

The 2021 ARCA Menards Series East season is the 35th season of the ARCA Menards Series East, a regional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season will begin on February 8 at New Smyrna Speedway with the Jeep Beach ARCA Menards East 175 and end on September 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Bush's Beans 200.

2021 ARCA Menards Series East
Previous: 2020 Next: 2022
Champions | Seasons
Sam Mayer, the reigning series champion. He will not run full-time in the East Series and defend his title this season.

2019 and 2020 series champion Sam Mayer will not go for a three-peat, as he will be moving up to the Xfinity Series in 2021, driving for JR Motorsports after his 18th birthday on June 26.[1]

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule
Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief
Chevrolet Ben Kennedy Racing 43 Daniel Dye (R)[2] Glenn Garrison
GMS Racing 21 Jack Wood (R)[3] Chad Bryant[4]
Rev Racing[5] 6 Rajah Caruth (R) Glenn Parker
Ford David Gilliland Racing[6] 17 Taylor Gray Chad Johnston[7]
Rette Jones Racing 30 Max Gutiérrez (R)[8] Mark Rette
Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing 18 Sammy Smith 6[9] Mark McFarland[10]
Ty Gibbs 3[10]
Visconti Motorsports 74 Mason Diaz[11] Tommy Baldwin Jr.[11]

Limited schedule
Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief Rounds
Chevrolet Brad Smith Motorsports[12] 48 Brad Smith TBA 3
Bret Holmes Racing[13] 23 Sam Mayer[13] Shane Huffman[13] 2
Chuck Buchanan Racing 87 Chuck Buchanan Jr. Jimmy Seay 1
Cook-Finley Racing 41 Carson Kvapil Sean Samuels 1
Rev Racing 2 Nick Sanchez[14] TBA 3
Ford David Gilliland Racing[6] 54 Joey Iest[15] Derek Smith[7] 5[15]
Lira Motorsports[16] 60 Logan Misuraca[16] TBA TBA
Mullins Racing 3 Willie Mullins[17] Tony Furr[17] 2[17]
Toyota Brandon Oakley Racing 22 Brandon Oakley Mike Bursley 1
Cook-Finley Racing 42 Parker Retzlaff Amber Slagle 1
Jett Motorsports 09 Colt Hensley Chris Cater 1
Venturini Motorsports 15 Drew Dollar[18] Billy Venturini[18] 2[18]
TBA 1
Gracie Trotter[19] 1[19]
20 Corey Heim[20] Shannon Rursch[20] 3
25 Jesse Love[21] Kevin Reed[21] 4[21]
Ford 1
TBA TBA		 Fast Track Racing 10 Dick Doheny Dick Doheny 1
Toyota 1
TBA TBA		 11 Richard Garvie Mike Sroufe 1
TBA Richmond Clubb Motorsports[22] 27 Tim Richmond[22] Alex Clubb TBA[22]
Brad Frye 1[22]		 3[22]
TBA TBA Alex Clubb TBA 1[22]

Teams
  • On November 13, 2020, it was announced that Lira Motorsports would be fielding a part-time entry for late model and NASCAR Roots driver Logan Misuraca. Her East Series schedule will include the season-opener at New Smyrna. She and the team will also run part-time in the Truck Series and the big ARCA Menards Series in 2021.[16]

Drivers
  • On September 15, 2020, it was announced that two-time consecutive champion Sam Mayer, who drove the No. 21 car for GMS Racing, 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.[1] 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 Mayer's replacement in the No. 21 would be Jack Wood, who will drive for them full-time in the East Series as well as all of the ARCA Menards Series Showdown races. Wood previously drove part-time in the ARCA Menards Series West, fielding his own team, Velocity Racing.[3]
  • On December 18, 2020, DGR-Crosley announced that Joey Iest would join the team to drive in six or more races for the team in the East Series, in addition to continuing to drive for Naake-Klauer Motorsports in the West Series.[15]

Crew chiefs
  • On December 9, 2020, it was announced that defending championship-winning crew chief Mardy Lindley would be joining Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series to crew chief their No. 51.[23] Lindley was previously the crew chief of the GMS Racing No. 21 driven by Sam Mayer, and won back-to-back championships in the series with him in 2019 and 2020. He also won two other East Series championships in 2013 and 2017. This announcement comes after it had been announced that Lindley would return to GMS Racing to crew chief their new driver Jack Wood this season.[3]

Schedule

New Smyrna, Five Flags, and Dover revealed their race dates ahead of the release of the entire schedule,[24][25] which ARCA announced on December 18, 2020.[26]

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.
  • Races highlighted in gold are combination events with the ARCA Menards Series.
No Race title Track Date
1 Jeep Beach ARCA Menards East 175 New Smyrna Speedway, New Smyrna Beach, Florida February 8
2 Pensacola 200 Five Flags Speedway, Pensacola, Florida February 27
3 Music City 200 Fairgrounds Speedway, Nashville, Tennessee May 8
4 General Tire 125 Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware May 14
5 TBA Southern National Motorsports Park, Kenly, North Carolina June 12
6 Shore Lunch 150 Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa July 24
7 TBA Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin August 29
8 Bush's Beans 200 Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee September 16

See also

References
  1. "Sam Mayer reunites with JR Motorsports for Xfinity Series debut". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 15, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  2. Srigley, Joseph (December 21, 2020). "Daniel Dye Chasing ARCA Menards Series East Championship with Ben Kennedy Racing in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  3. Glover, Luken (November 2, 2020). "Jack Wood Running ARCA Showdown, East With GMS Racing in 2021". Frontstretch. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  4. "GMS Racing announces 2021 crew chief lineup". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 8, 2020.
  5. "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.
  6. "David Gilliland and Johnny Gray form David Gilliland Racing". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 5, 2020.
  7. Carey, Michael (January 21, 2021). "David Gilliland Racing Reveals Driver and Crew Chief Pairings for Upcoming Season". TobyChristie.com.
  8. Srigley, Joseph (February 5, 2021). "Max Gutiérrez Joins Rette Jones Racing for Full ARCA East Schedule in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  9. Srigley, Joseph (February 3, 2021). "Sammy Smith Joins Joe Gibbs Racing's ARCA East Program for Six Races in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  10. "Ty Gibbs Will Make Xfinity Debut at Daytona Road Course". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 26, 2021.
  11. "Visconti Motorsports Adds Mason Diaz To Driver Lineup For 2021". ARCARacing.com. January 19, 2021.
  12. "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.
  13. "Bret Holmes Racing Expands Program For 2021 Season". ARCARacing.com. Venturini Motorsports. January 14, 2021.
  14. "Nick Sanchez to run full ARCA schedule for Rev Racing". ThePitLane. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020. 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.
  15. "Joey Iest Joins DGR-Crosley ARCA East Effort". Speed Sport. December 18, 2020.
  16. Srigley, Joseph (November 18, 2020). "Lira Motorsports Making ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Truck Series Return in 2021 with Logan Misuraca". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  17. Srigley, Joseph (January 18, 2021). "Willie Mullins, Mullins Racing Entering Daytona with A Chance to Make Noise". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  18. "Drew Dollar Inks New Deal With Venturini Motorsports, Announces Limited 2021 ARCA Schedule". ARCARacing.com. Venturini Motorsports. January 12, 2021.
  19. Srigley, Joseph (January 4, 2020). "Gracie Trotter Moving to Venturini Motorsports for Limited ARCA Menards Series Schedule". TobyChristie.com.
  20. Srigley, Joseph (January 11, 2021). "Corey Heim Running for ARCA Menards Series Championship with Venturini Motorsports". TobyChristie.com.
  21. Srigley, Joseph (January 29, 2021). "Jesse Love Joining Venturini Motorsports for 10-Race ARCA Schedule in 2021". TobyChristie.com.
  22. Srigley, Joseph (January 22, 2021). "Alex Clubb and Tim Richmond Form Richmond Clubb Motorsports". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  23. "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.
  24. Haislop, Tadd (November 18, 2020). "ARCA Menards To Take 2021 Green Flag In Sunshine State". ARCARacing.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  25. "ARCA Menards Series East To Open NASCAR's Tripleheader Weekend At Dover". ARCARacing.com. December 1, 2020.
  26. "ARCA Menards Series East 2021 Schedule Announced". ARCARacing.com. December 18, 2020.
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