(TOLEDO, Ohio) – Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America have announced several important procedural changes for the 2013 ARCA Racing Series season.
Beginning in 2013, drivers aged 17 years old may be considered for eligibility to drive in race events at Pocono Raceway and Kentucky Speedway. Drivers seeking approval will be subject to meeting specific and strict guidelines, including but not limited to a thorough driving experience review, successful participation in a minimum of five approved ARCA Racing Series events, and an ARCA-sanctioned open test at the intended track.
The change will give 17-year-old drivers three more races to enter in 2013, bringing the potential season total for a 17-year-old to 16 races.
“In recognizing the growing youth movement in stock car racing, we are proud to have reached agreements with two partner tracks that will allow qualified, up-and-coming drivers to begin their speedway careers at a younger age,” said ARCA president and CEO Ron Drager. “We appreciate the commitment from those tracks to assist in our drivers’ development.”
ARCA also announced that in 2013, the starting field for the February 16 race at Daytona International Speedway will be 40 positions. The first 30 positions will be set by time trials, and the remaining 10 will be set by the provisional procedure listed on the entry blank.
Starting fields for other tracks 0.75 mile or larger will hold a maximum of 36 positions. The first 30 positions will be set by time trials, and the remaining six will be set by the provisional procedure listed on the entry blank. ARCA notified teams of the changes in a bulletin yesterday.
Testing for the 2013 season will begin Friday and last through Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. The 2013 season will begin with ARCA’s 50th consecutive annual appearance at Daytona on Saturday, February 16, televised live on SPEED.
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. Having completed its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in four professional touring series – the ARCA Racing Series, the ARCA CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series, and new in 2013, the ARCA Midwest Tour – in addition to local weekly events at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway and Michigan’s Flat Rock Speedway.
