(MOBILE, Ala.) – Officials from Mobile International Speedway, in conjunction with the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, announced today that the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park will welcome aboard ARCA fans, drivers, and teams on Thursday, March 7, just days before the Mobile ARCA 200.
Fans of all ages will have the opportunity to see ARCA cars and haulers up close, along with live pit stop demonstrations and a driver autograph session. The autograph session will take place inside the Aircraft Pavilion, which fans can access at no charge.
“We are excited about having the horsepower of the ARCA teams and fans at Battleship Park,” said Bill Tunnel, executive director of USS Alabama Battleship Park. “Starting the Mobile ARCA 200 weekend here is another example of the Park’s ability to be a multi-faceted entertainment and tourist destination.”
Mobile drew ARCA fans and teams to Mobile for the series’ first race at the track in 2012, and found much more.
“At the inaugural Mobile ARCA 200 in 2012, our fans, teams, and officials were highly impressed with everything the Mobile area has to offer,” said Ron Drager, president and CEO of ARCA. “Bringing our race cars, transporters, and drivers to USS Alabama Battleship Park to kick off the second annual race weekend is a great opportunity to grow the stature of the event as well as pay tribute to the highly respected veterans of our U.S. Armed Forces.”
The ARCA haulers will cast off from the Battleship in a hauler parade to Mobile International Speedway to prepare for Friday’s on-track activity. The hauler parade will mark the beginning of the Causeway Seafood Jubilee as ARCA fans, teams, and drivers will enjoy the great seafood offered by restaurants on the Causeway.
For the late night crowd, the Home Mortgage of America Green Flag Party will be wide open from 8 p.m. until closing at Grand Central on Dauphin Street downtown, Mobile’s place to party.
“We wanted to bring out the big guns to kick off the Mobile ARCA 200 weekend and they don’t get any bigger than the Battleships,” said Tommy Praytor of Mobile International Speedway. “The Mobile ARCA 200 has become a race fan’s destination but we want to show off the Mobile area. The Battleship, our great restaurants on the Causeway, and Dauphin Street are a good primer for the race.”
The race is scheduled for Saturday, March 9, with the green flag flying at 2 p.m. CT. Mobile’s Cale Gale won the inaugural Mobile ARCA 200 in March with race fans occupying over 1800 hotel nights and generating a $1.4 million impact to the area’s economy. Tickets for the 2013 race are on sale at MobileSpeedway.net, by calling (251) 957-2063, or by visiting the Mobile ARCA 200 ticket office at 4742-C Airport Blvd. in Mobile.
Still remaining this year, the 2012 ARCA Racing Series Championship Awards Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, December 8, and will be held in conjunction with the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS), which will begin Thursday. The banquet will take place in a new location, the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. Testing for the 2013 ARCA Racing Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway will take place from December 14-16.
The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned 30 ARCA national champions in 60 seasons since 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 26 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.375 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season.
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 four professional touring series and local weekly events.