(WINCHESTER, Ind.) – Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and Champion Racing Association (CRA) announced today an extension of the formal working relationship between the two motorsports sanctioning bodies.
ARCA, currently concluding its 60th Anniversary Season, will sanction the racing activities for the ARCA CRA Super Series once again in 2013. The super late model stock car racing series, founded in 1997, is based in Salem, Ind. Today, Johnny VanDoorn will complete his first championship season under the ARCA and CRA partnership and his third in overall Super Series competition.
ARCA president and CEO Ron Drager noted the opportunity for continued growth and development as part of the extended partnership with CRA.
“This affiliation has been, right from the beginning, about two strong, stable racing companies joining forces to become even stronger and more stable,” Drager said. “As a sport, we need to continue to provide opportunities for drivers, owners, and crew members within auto racing, and support the developmental channels from grassroots to the top tier of the sport.”
Drager lauded the roles of CRA’s managing partners, Glenn Luckett and R.J. Scott, in making the enhanced relationship a reality for another season.
“We’ve worked with Glenn and R.J. for nearly 20 years in various capacities, and connecting with them even more closely in 2012 has proven that they are forward-thinking people who wish to contribute to racing in the right way,” Drager said. “CRA is an organization that is respected in racing, and we know that this will continue to be a comfortable fit for developmental racers. The relationship carries significant potential going forward.”
The sanctioning agreement extension between ARCA and CRA reflects ARCA’s interests in supporting and strengthening the sport of stock car racing. The ARCA sanction will continue to provide participants in the ARCA CRA Super Series with ARCA member benefits, including Participant Accident Insurance. ARCA will also continue to provide public relations, race operations, and marketing support to its formal partner, while building on an already strong developmental racing base.
Toledo Speedway, one of ARCA’s two short track properties, has hosted 13 ARCA CRA Super Series events since 2000, including the season opening 7Up 100 in April. In 2012, Flat Rock Speedway, the ARCA-sanctioned quarter-mile oval in Michigan, hosted the ARCA CRA Super Series for the first time, bringing template-bodied super late model racing back to the suburban Detroit track for the first time in over 15 years.
“We look forward to continuing our work with everyone at ARCA,” said Luckett. “The ARCA name is well-established in the racing world and well-respected throughout the racing community. We see this relationship as a way to further strengthen CRA and short track racing.”
The agreement will give the ARCA CRA Super Series champion the opportunity to test an ARCA Racing Series car in the open test at Daytona International Speedway in December 2013. Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Driving School, the Official Driving School of ARCA and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, will provide the test car and support team. The commitment allows drivers to develop skills within the unified framework of CRA and ARCA.
More details surrounding the relationship and the new ARCA CRA Super Series will be provided as they develop.
Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.
Champion Racing Association, founded in 1997 in Salem, Ind., is widely recognized for sanctioning many of the top late model events in the country, including legendary events such as the “Winchester 400” at Winchester Speedway and the “RedBud 300” at Anderson Speedway.