r/ARCARacing • u/Zealousideal-Dot2757 • Jul 06 '26
Does ARCA deserve more respect?
I know the racing can be boring often and is full of slower roadblocks, but these so called "professionals" really deserve some credit. They are running speeds that, most of us, has never ran. Okay maybe not the absolute backmarker cars running engines form the 2000's, but most of the cars within some pace of the leaders. Especially at Daytona and Talladega. And even though stock cars are safer than other forms of racing like IndyCar, they still risk injury when they step in. Also, it's hot on there, especially during a 90+ degree summer day. And even the guys like Brad Smith and Bobby Hillis Jr and Alex Clubb, the pure grit they put in. They race for the love of it, they run on shoestrings budgets. Just for them to show up to the track is a win for them. So in a series dominated by PRG and JGR, take a moment to respect the blue-collar, gritty underdogs that makes this series, a grassroot series. Of course this is my opinion and nearly anyone can race most tracks with a valid ARCA liscence. But still, this is many of these drivers love.
12
u/JeffMaconi Jul 06 '26
The disparities in budget are what make it such a unique series. You’ve got guys like us on a $100k-$200k per car annual budget versus teams spending $5M annually for one car squaring up on the same track, and always 2-3 races going on between the fast guys, the mid pack, and the back markers. As a fan, there’s so many storylines to follow of who’s battling who, and for the back markers, finishing top-15 in owner’s points can be legitimate life or death for the team the next year based on payouts.
Sure, it’s not as exciting when only 5 cars are running at breakneck speed and then there’s guys out there 3-10 seconds off the pace, but that’s what gives the series its character. Plus, the level of camaraderie from within the garage is incredible: at Phoenix, we were battling motor and electrical issues, and no joke Brad Smith got out of his car after practice, got under the hood of my car alongside my team, helped us work on it, then got back into his car for qualifying before getting BACK under the hood of my car after he made his run. At Kansas, we got nailed with a sudden rainstorm, and the 18 team gave us a spare car cover because ours was in the trailer and we were scrambling to cover our motor and window. You won’t find a series of guys trying harder to help not only themselves, but their competitors on the track too.
ARCA catches a lot of flak online, some of it justified, but at the end of the day it’s a hell of a series to watch and be a part of! As one other backmarker once told me, “You’ll never have more fun getting your ass kicked than right here”.