TOLEDO, Ohio – The ARCA Menards Series will race 20 times at 20 different venues in 15 states in 2020, providing an all-encompassing slate of races across the country.
ARCA’s 68th season will take the green flag at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 8 as part of Daytona Speedweeks. The ARCA Menards Series champion will be crowned at Kansas Speedway on Friday, Oct. 16.
The road to the 2020 ARCA Menards Series crown is highlighted in the inaugural ARCA Showdown, a 10-race series set to attract the top teams in the ARCA Menards Series as well as the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West.
The overall schedule features a mix of superspeedways and historic short tracks, as well as a pair of dirt tracks and a pair of road-course events, that will provide exciting racing for the fans and an exceptional test of teams and drivers.
“We are very proud of the quality of our 2020 schedule. There are many traditional ARCA Menards Series races blended with races that have been very strong components of what is now the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “We are also working on the schedules for the East and West divisions, and we think our drivers, teams, and fans all over the country will be pleased with the way everything has come together.”
The first race of the ARCA Showdown will be the second event in the overall schedule and marks an historic first trip to ISM Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Friday, March 6. The ARCA Showdown will culminate with the inaugural championship race at Memphis Int’l Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Other schedule highlights include:
– Salem Speedway on Sunday, April 19, will mark the ARCA Menards Series’ 107th trip to the .555 mile oval in Indiana. The event will be the series’ annual throwback race.
– The ARCA Menards Series will visit Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Friday, May 29, the first visit there since Ohio’s Jack Bowsher scored the victory in 1965. The series will also make another road-course visit, to Watkins Glen Int’l in upstate New York on Friday, Aug. 14, as part of the ARCA Showdown.
– In addition to Daytona and Phoenix, the ARCA Menards Series will be part of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekends at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday, April 24; Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 21; Michigan Int’l Speedway on Friday, June 5; Chicagoland Speedway on Thursday, June 18; Pocono Raceway on Thursday, June 25; and Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday, Sept. 17.
– The ARCA Menards Series will once again open NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, just a few miles up the road, with a short-track battle at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Ind., on Friday, July 3.
– A pair of upper Midwest short tracks: Minnesota’s Elko Speedway, the shortest venue on the schedule at .375-miles, and Wisconsin’s half-mile Madison Int’l Raceway, will be on Saturday, July 11 and Friday, Aug. 7, respectively. They will book-end ARCA Showdown events at Iowa Speedway (Friday, July 17) and World Wide Technology Raceway (Saturday, Aug. 1).
– The traditional Illinois state fair dirt miles will provide a different test for drivers. Springfield Mile at Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday, Aug. 23, is followed by another Saturday night race at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Sept. 5.
– The 10 races that make up the ARCA Showdown will be held: Phoenix, Salem, Mid-Ohio, Lucas Oil, Elko, Iowa, Gateway, Watkins Glen, Bristol and Memphis.
All 20 races are scheduled for live television coverage; eight races will be televised by FOX Sports on FS1 and FS2, and 12 races will be televised on MAVTV. The complete television schedule, including broadcast times, will be released at a later date.
2020 ARCA Menards Series Schedule
Feb. 8 – Daytona Int’l Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.
March 6 – ISM Raceway – Avondale, Ariz.*
April 19 – Salem Speedway – Salem, Ind.*
April 24 – Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, Ala.
May 21 – Charlotte Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.
May 29 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio*
June 5 – Michigan Int’l Speedway – Brooklyn, Mich.
June 18 – Chicagoland Speedway – Joliet, Ill.
June 25 – Pocono Raceway – Long Pond, Pa.
July 3 – Lucas Oil Raceway – Clermont, Ind.*
July 11 – Elko Speedway – Elko, Minn.*
July 17 – Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa*
Aug. 1 – World Wide Technology Raceway – Madison, Ill.*
Aug. 7 – Madison Int’l Speedway – Oregon, Wis.
Aug. 14 – Watkins Glen Int’l – Watkins Glen, N.Y.*
Aug. 23 – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Springfield, Ill.
Sept. 5 – DuQuoin State Fairgrounds – DuQuoin, Ill.
Sept. 17 – Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, Tenn.*
Sept. 26 – Memphis Int’l Raceway – Millington, Tenn.*
Oct. 16 – Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, Kan.
* – ARCA Showdown Championship Event