20 Races at 20 Tracks on Tap for 2020
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 provide an opportunity for short-track veterans and rising young stars.
ARCA’s 68th season will take the green flag at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 8 as part of DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth at the “World Center of Racing.”
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 Phoenix, on Friday, March 6. The ARCA Showdown will culminate with the inaugural championship race at Memphis International 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 International 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 International 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 highly-anticipated short-track battle at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana, on Friday, July 3.
A pair of upper Midwest short tracks: Minnesota’s Elko Speedway, the shortest venue on the schedule at 0.375-miles, and Wisconsin’s half-mile Madison International 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 at Gateway (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.
| DATE | TRACK | CITY |
| Saturday, Feb. 8 | Daytona International Speedway | Daytona, Fla. |
| Friday, March 6 | ISM Raceway | Avondale, Ariz. |
| Sunday, April 19 | Salem Speedway | Salem, Ind. |
| Friday, April 24 | Talladega Superspeedway | Talladega, Ala. |
| Thursday, May 21 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Concord, N.C. |
| Friday, May 29 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
| Friday, June 5 | Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Mich. |
| Thursday, June 18 | Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, Ill. |
| Thursday, June 25 | Pocono Raceway | Long Pond, Pa. |
| Friday, July 3 | Lucas Oil Raceway | Brownsburg, Ind. |
| Saturday, July 11 | Elko Speedway | Elko, Minn. |
| Friday, July 17 | Iowa Speedway | Newton, Iowa |
| Saturday, Aug. 1 | WWT Raceway at Gateway | Madison, Ill. |
| Friday, Aug. 7 | Madison International Speedway | Madison, Wisc. |
| Friday, Aug. 14 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, N.Y. |
| Sunday, Aug. 23 | Springfield Mile at Illinois State Fairgrounds | Springfield, Ill. |
| Saturday, Sept. 5 | Magic Mile at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds | DuQuoin, Ill. |
| Thursday, Sept. 17 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Bristol, Tenn. |
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | Memphis International Raceway | Millington, Tenn. |
| Friday, Oct. 16 | Kansas Speedway | Kansas City, Kan. |
The following races will also count toward the ARCA Showdown championship:
2020 ARCA Showdown Schedule
| DATE | TRACK | CITY |
| Friday, March 6 | ISM Raceway | Avondale, Ariz. |
| Sunday, April 19 | Salem Speedway | Salem, Ind. |
| Friday, May 29 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
| Friday, July 3 | Lucas Oil Raceway | Brownsburg, Ind. |
| Saturday, July 11 | Elko Speedway | Elko, Minn. |
| Friday, July 17 | Iowa Speedway | Newton, Iowa |
| Saturday, Aug. 1 | WWT Raceway at Gateway | Madison, Ill. |
| Friday, Aug. 14 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, N.Y. |
| Thursday, Sept. 17 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Bristol, Tenn. |
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | Memphis International Raceway | Millington, Tenn. |