On Saturday evening, the ARCA Menards Series will tackle one of its most historic venues, the high-banked, half-mile oval of Salem Speedway.
BY BRANDON WHITE http://WWW.ARCARACING.COM
A staple on the calendar since the first ARCA Menards Series event at the facility in 1955, Salem’s Victory Lane has seen plenty of notable visitors. Among those names include series legends like Jack Bowsher, Ramo Stott, Iggy Katona and Frank Kimmel, along with other talented drivers such as Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, Ken Schrader, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell.
Salem has long served as a proving ground for competitors due to its unique layout that features 33 degrees of banking in the turns. The steep corners, combined with a surface that is gradually aging, will test the current generation of ARCA Menards Series competitors as they look to add their own history into the Salem record books.
With the season now at its halfway point, Salem is a perfect opportunity for drivers, particularly those competing for the championship, to build some crucial momentum ahead of a diverse schedule that features more short tracks, speedways and two dirt tracks.
Tickets to the Mid Summer Classic 200 can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the 11th race on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule.
Six drivers have claimed a checkered flag in the ARCA Menards Series halfway through the 2024 season. None of them have been full-time competitors.
William Sawalich enters Saturday’s race tied with Connor Zilisch for the most ARCA Menards Series wins this season at three. Showcasing plenty of versatility with triumphs at two short tracks and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Sawalich seeks to add a Salem Speedway trophy to his resume after finishing a disappointing sixth last year.
Among organizations, Pinnacle Racing Group and Joe Gibbs Racing are tied at four wins each through the opening 10 races of the 2024 campaign. Pinnacle’s wins have been split between Connor Mosack and Zilisch, but neither will be in the team’s No. 28 Chevrolet this weekend.
Instead the team will have Corey Day, a dirt racing standout with five victories in the High Limit Sprint Car Series and one World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win this year, aboard the No. 28 Chevrolet in his series debut.
Although PRG and Joe Gibbs Racing have dominated the calendar, they have faced plenty of opposition from Venturini Motorsports, who have scored wins at Daytona International Speedway with Gus Dean and Talladega Superspeedway with Jake Finch. They’re both back with Venturini for the Salem ARCA 200 alongside the program’s full-time competitors Kris Wright, Toni Breidinger and Amber Balcaen.
Current ARCA Menards Series points leader Andres Perez will look to break through for his first series win for Rev Racing. Perez has come close to Victory Lane on several occasions, including a runner-up finish to Jesse Love during last year’s visit to Salem.
Other notable names set to compete on Saturday include Lavar Scott, Greg Van Alst, Isaac Johnson, Andrew Patterson, Ed Pompa and Ryan Roulette, among others.
The full entry list for the Salem Mid Summer Classic 200 will be released later this week.
In addition to ARCA, the Diesel Boys GAS Series Street Stocks will be on track, competing in a feature event at 6:00 PM. Pits open at 11:00 AM on Saturday with grandstands at 3:30, practice at 3:45, qualifying at 4:35, GAS Feature at 6:00, and the Mid Summer Classic ARCA 200 at 8:00 PM.
Advance sale discount tickets are available at Jeffersonville, Louisville, Columbus, and Bloomington Menards stores, providing $10 off the race day price. Tickets are also available online at https://bit.ly/SalemARCATix and will be available at the gate on race day.
For more information, visit http://www.salemspeedway.com or http://www.arcaracing.com.
Featured Photo: Rich Corbett
