ARCA News: ARCA & Menards extend deal, to stay on FS1/FS2 TV

ARCA and Menards announced a multi-year extension as the entitlement partner for all three series within the ARCA Menards Series platform.

At the same time, the ARCA Menards Series announced a television broadcast agreement extension with FS1 and FS2 that features a full season of live television coverage in 2025. Additionally, as part of the new agreement, the 2025 ARCA Menards Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway will air live on FOX, marking the first time in series history that a race has aired on broadcast television

The agreement extends the relationship between two Midwestern-based family-owned companies that trace their roots back to the 1950s. ARCA was started in Toledo, Ohio by John and Mildred Marcum and is overseen by their grandson, Ron Drager. Now in its 72nd season, the ARCA Menards Series has contested over 1500 races at 180 different racetracks. The first Menards opened in 1958, and from humble beginnings the company has grown to 341 stores in 15 states across the Midwest.

“Menards has been the cornerstone of a strong foundation for ARCA and the ARCA Menards Series since 2009 when they became a presenting sponsor,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “That relationship has only become stronger over the years and reached its pinnacle in 2019 when Menards became the series’ entitlement partner. It’s great to be associated with a company that knows racing inside and out and actively participates in building and growing the series. We are proud to continue to carry this relationship into the future.”

“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the ARCA Menards Series,” said John Menard, President/CEO, Menards. “Our customers are hard-working people with strong Midwestern family values, and that aligns perfectly with the ARCA Menards Series, a series made up of hard-working racers who find a way to get things done on and off the racetrack.”

“Menards supports racing because the entire Menard family loves the sport,” said Mike Helton, Senior Advisor, NASCAR. “The continued partnership between Menards and ARCA is a tremendous benefit to the racers who compete in the ARCA Menards Series and the fans all across the country who love to see the stars of tomorrow racing at both grassroots-level short tracks and some of the biggest motorsports venues in the world.”

“We’re proud of the long-standing partnership between ARCA and FOX Sports in what will span across three decades during the course of this most recent extension” said Ben Baker, NASCAR’s VP of Broadcasting & Production Operations.  “FOX’s coverage of the ARCA Menards Series continues to expand to a larger audience and we’re looking forward to their coverage of great racing in the years to come.”

ARCA also has released the 2025 ARCA Menards Series schedule, comprised of 20 races at 19 different tracks, with the season opener slated at Daytona International Speedway and, for the fourth consecutive year, it will close at its home track, Toledo Speedway.

The highlights:

• The series will race at Daytona for the 62nd consecutive year dating to 1964; as it has for the last six years, the race will be the opener of a same-day doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series the day before the DAYTONA 500. FOX will broadcast the Daytona ARCA 200, the first time an ARCA Menards Series race will be broadcast live on an over-the-air network.
• Kansas Speedway continues to be the only track on the schedule twice, with races scheduled in conjunction with the NASCAR national series in May and September.
• Tandem races with the NASCAR Cup Series will also take place at Phoenix Raceway in March, Talladega Superspeedway in April, Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Michigan International Speedway in June, Dover Motor Speedway in July, Iowa Speedway and Watkins Glen International in August, and Bristol Motor Speedway in September.
• Stand-alone short track races will be held at Berlin Raceway and Elko Speedway in June, Madison International Speedway in August, the traditional fall classic date at Salem Speedway in September, and the championship finale at Toledo Speedway in October.
• The two dirt miles at the Illinois State Fair and DuQuoin State Fair both return on their traditional weekends.
• Lime Rock Park will join the schedule for the first time and the half-mile Madison International Speedway rejoins the schedule for the first time since 2019.

The race at Phoenix Raceway in March will be a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series West, while races at Dover Motor Speedway, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Iowa Speedway, and Bristol Motor Speedway will be combination races with the ARCA Menards Series East.

The complete 2025 ARCA Menards Series schedule (all times are Eastern):

All dates are tentative and subject to change.

Schedules for the ARCA Menards Series East and West will be released at a later date.

Acquired by NASCAR in 2018, the ARCA Menards Series platform has proven to be the premier training ground for drivers with aspirations of competing in one of the three NASCAR national series. In 2023, nearly 80% of the drivers racing across the three national NASCAR series – representing dozens of series championships and hundreds of race wins – started their journey in the ARCA platform.

The 2024 ARCA Menards Series championship will be determined on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the series’ home track, Toledo Speedway. The race will be televised live on FS2 starting at 4 pm ET; live timing and scoring data will be available at ARCARacing.com.