The 2024 Summer Olympics have begun in Paris, but for those of us who love NASCAR enough to miss it already, you might be wondering what’s in store as motorsports enters its silent hiatus. But wait. Why is there a hiatus in the first place?
NBC, NASCAR’s primary broadcaster, and its cable partners are focusing entirely on the global sporting event, pausing all NASCAR series, including the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Trucks Series. However, not all races are taking a break.
The Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix will be broadcast tomorrow – the final race before all 20 drivers and 10 teams begin their summer break and a chance for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to win his second race of the 2024 season. But there is 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 host its own series of races during NASCAR’s intermission. Notably, the Salem ARCA 200 at historic Salem Speedway in southern Indiana should keep us from stopping overnight. Set to start at 8 p.m. EDT on a Saturday night, the race will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) and available to stream via the Fox Sports app.
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For those unaware, ARCA has been a staple of American motorsport since 1953, traditionally serving as a springboard for drivers hoping to break into NASCAR. Regularly hosting events at top NASCAR tracks like Daytona, Watkins Glen, Charlotte, and Bristol, ARCA kicks off its season in tandem with the NASCAR Daytona 500 week, mixing new talent with seasoned competitors, but at a much lower level. In fact, it is known that ARCA costs only about 10% of the price of the massive NASCAR series.
The current season sees drivers William Sawalich and Connor Zilisch emerge as standouts, each taking three wins: Sawalich in six starts and Zilisch in his first three. However, the points race leader is Mexico City’s Andres Perez, who has four top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes in ten starts, demonstrating a consistent performance throughout the season.
While ARCA will certainly allow us to continue racing for the foreseeable future, NASCAR is gearing up for a comeback. The Truck Series will be the first to hit the track on the weekend of August 10-11, followed by the Cup Series. The Xfinity Series is set to resume the following weekend in Michigan, which gives us plenty to look forward to.
Uncommon knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
