Photo Credit: ARCA Menards Series
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb.9, 2019) – ARCA and Menards announced today a multi-year extension that elevates the home improvement chain from presenting sponsor to the series entitlement sponsor. Effective immediately, the series is titled the ARCA Menards Series.
“For the past decade Menards has played a tremendous role in growing our series and we couldn’t be happier to continue this journey during this historic time for ARCA,” said Ron Drager, President, ARCA. “Menard’s is a growing company and a committed supporter of motorsports, we are honored to have their brand along-side ours as title sponsor of the series.”
This newly signed agreement underscores the significance of family for ARCA, Menards and NASCAR, with all three companies being family-owned. Menard’s opened for business in 1958 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and now has more than 300 home improvement stores located throughout the Midwest, many of which are in markets on the ARCA Menards Series schedule.
“We are really glad we can help out!” said John Menard, Menards President/CEO. “We are a family-owned and family-run business and share similar Midwestern family-values with ARCA. Both of our organizations are focused on the overall Guest experience and doing things the right way. Many of the ARCA races are in locations where we have Menards stores which provides an opportunity to further connect with our customers. We appreciate that our customers recognized us with the 2018 JD Power Award for Customer Satisfaction and believe this translates well with the hard-working philosophy of the ARCA organization.”
The ARCA and Menards partnership dates to 2009 when Menards came aboard as a joint presenting partner. A year later, Menards became the sole presenting partner of the series. The ARCA Menards Series was founded in 1953 and is a regional touring series concentrated in the Midwest. It’s the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and is considered an important ladder series for the NASCAR national series platforms.
“This multi-year agreement is a great victory for racing fans,” said Mike Helton, vice chairman, NASCAR. “Our sport thrives on great partnerships and Menards stands out as one of the best in motorsports. We appreciate their commitment to growing this series for years to come.”
NASCAR announced the acquisition of ARCA in April 2018 and closed on December 31 in a move designed to strengthen a relationship that dates back more than 60 years. ARCA founder John Marcum raced against Bill France Sr. and worked as a NASCAR official. In the past few years, the ARCA Menards Series has provided a regional touring series for short-track veterans and a platform for talented drivers with aspirations to compete in one of NASCAR’s three national series.
ARCA Menards Series will kick off its 2019 season at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 9 for the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire. Members can access live timing and scoring, live chat and live track updates exclusively at ARCARacing.com.
