ARCA, Ilmor Extend ‘Spec Engine’ Partnership Through 2023

The ARCA Ilmor 396 engine

Automobile Racing Club of America President Ron Drager and Ilmor Engineering President Paul Ray have confirmed that the ARCA Racing Series will continue to utilize the ARCA Ilmor 396 engine package through 2023.

"We are pleased to extend our relationship with Ilmor and further structure a long-term strategy to keep our series healthy, our on-track product strong and our team owners confident in their investment," said Drager. "The ARCA Ilmor 396 engine package has exceeded our expectations both in terms of competition and cost containment. We have great confidence in Ilmor Engineering to continue as a key partner in maintaining a stable platform for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards."

The ARCA Ilmor 396 has, over the course of 53 races since its debut at Daytona Int’l Speedway in February 2015, produced 34 different winners including 21 first-time winners. The consistency in quality across the inventory of over 100 engines currently in ARCA race shops is evidenced by the fact that 39 different engines have gone to victory lane.

"We’re still in business with a fulltime race team because of the Ilmor engines," said Ken Schrader, the current ARCA Racing Series car owner championship leader. "For Ken Schrader Racing, it’s been a tremendous savings and a quality program. We saw the help with the engine right off the bat."

The ARCA Ilmor 396 delivers over 700 horsepower, 500 foot-pounds of torque and is built to run 1500 miles between rebuilds. The engine package features a Holley EFI fueling system and is supported by a team of Ilmor technicians who attend each race event to provide technical assistance. Teams purchase and own the ARCA Ilmor 396 engine, which features a conditional 500-mile warranty. The same ARCA Ilmor 396 can be utilized at short tracks, superspeedways, road courses, intermediate and dirt tracks. ARCA Racing Series teams continue to have the option of utilizing the ARCA Ilmor 396 or the "Legacy" engine rules package.

"The team at Ilmor is proud to have helped contribute to the ARCA Series’ success and growth since the beginning of the program, especially in terms of cultivating team confidence in the ARCA Ilmor 396," said Paul Ray, President of Ilmor. "Our stable partnership with ARCA has allowed us to continuously improve engine quality and trackside support services, ensuring that teams can arrive to the track and focus on racing."