The 2024 Summer Olympics have begun in Paris, but for those of us who love NASCAR enough to be missing it already, you might wonder what’s left for you as motorsport falls into its silent break. But hold on. Why is there a break in the first place?
NASCAR’s primary broadcaster, NBC, along with its cable partners, is focusing entirely on the global sporting event, pausing all NASCAR series including the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Trucks Series. Yet, not all racing takes a break.
Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix is airing tomorrow – the final race before its 20 drivers and 10 teams start their summer holidays and a chance for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to win his second race of the 2024 season. But there’s one sport that continues to quench our thirst for speed and power: the Automobile Racing Club of America, or ARCA as it is more commonly known.
Acquired by NASCAR in 2018, it will run its own lineup of races during NASCAR’s intermission. Notably, the Salem ARCA 200 at the historic Salem Speedway in southern Indiana is set to keep us from going cold turkey. Scheduled for an 8pm EDT start on a Saturday night, the race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) and available for streaming via the Fox Sports app.
For those unfamiliar, ARCA has been a fixture in American motorsports since 1953, traditionally serving as a stepping-stone for drivers aiming to make a mark in NASCAR. Regularly featuring events at prominent NASCAR venues like Daytona, Watkins Glen, Charlotte, and Bristol, ARCA starts its season alongside the NASCAR Daytona 500 week, blending new talent with seasoned competitors, but at a much cheaper level. In fact, it’s known to only cost about 10% of the behemothic NASCAR series.
The current season sees drivers William Sawalich and Connor Zilisch emerge as standout racers, each clinching three victories—Sawalich in six starts and Zilisch in his first three. However, leading the points race is Andres Perez from Mexico City, who boasts four top-five finishes and nine top-tens in ten starts, demonstrating consistent performance across the season.
While ARCA will definitely keep us going for the foreseeable future, NASCAR is preparing up for a strong return. The Trucks Series will be the first to hit the tracks on the weekend of August 10-11, followed by the Cup Series. The Xfinity Series is slated to resume the subsequent weekend at Michigan, giving us plenty to look forward to.
Uncommon Knowledge
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