ARCA Extends Relationship With Ilmor Engines Through 2023

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards President Ron Drager and Ilmor Engineering President Paul Ray confirmed that the series will continue to run the ARCA Ilmor 396 engine package through the 2023 season. The engine debuted in the series at the Daytona International Speedway in February of 2015.

“We are pleased to extend our relationship with Ilmor and further structure a long-term strategy to keep our series healthy, our on-track product strong and our team owners confident in their investment,” said Drager in the ARCA Release. “The ARCA Ilmor 396 engine package has exceeded our expectations both in terms of competition and cost containment. We have great confidence in Ilmor Engineering to continue as a key partner in maintaining a stable platform for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.”

Since it’s debut in the series it has produced 34 different winners in 53 races. 21 drivers have earned their first career victories in the series utilizing the Ilmore 396 package. There are currently over 100 engines in ARCA race shops with 39 different engines having gone to victory lane since 2015. These engines have made things much more affordable for many teams including Ken Schrader Racing.

“We’re still in business with a full-time race team because of the Ilmor engines,” said Ken Schrader, owner of Ken Schrader Racing which fields the No. 52 for points leader Austin Theriault. “For Ken Schrader Racing, it’s been a tremendous savings and a quality program. We saw the help with the engine right off the bat.”

The ARCA Ilmor 396 is built to run more than 1500 miles between rebuilds which means a team can keep an engine in a car longer. It saves from rebuild expenses and helps a team put those dollars toward more important things like General Tires, Sunoco Fuel, or overall performance boosts. Teams purchase and own the engine, which features a 500-mile warranty. That engine can be used at short tracks, superspeedways, road courses, intermediate, and dirt tracks which again saves teams money by not having to purchase or build different engines for different tracks.

“The team at Ilmor is proud to have helped contribute to the ARCA Series’ success and growth since the beginning of the program, especially in terms of cultivating team confidence in the ARCA Ilmor 396,” said Paul Ray, President of Ilmor. “Our stable partnership with ARCA has allowed us to continuously improve engine quality and trackside support services, ensuring that teams can arrive to the track and focus on racing.”