USAC AND ARCA TO JOINTLY COMPETE DURING THURSDAY NIGHT OF 2011 KROGER SPEEDFEST


INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 2, 2010) O’Reilly Raceway Park officials in conjunction with key personnel from the United States Auto Club (USAC) and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards announced today that both series will be featured during Thursday night of the 2011 Kroger SpeedFest on July 28th.  The evening will be called the ‘Thursday Night Triple Header’ and will feature the, USAC Mopar National Midget Series, the USAC Silver Crown Series and the ARCA National Stock Car Series.  This will be the first time in history that all three series have raced at one venue on the same night.


 


“We feel the Thursday Night Triple Header will be an incredible night of racing and will be a tremendous addition to the storied history of Kroger SpeedFest,” said Wes Collier, acting general manager at O’Reilly Raceway Park.  “All three of these series will add to what is already some of the best racing in the country during the course of three evenings.”


 


USAC has a rich and storied tradition at O’Reilly Raceway Park with 292 races run at the facility with a list of winners including A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon.  USAC and ARCA have raced together in the past with the Silver Crown Series in 1998 at Memphis and the Mopar National Midget Series at South Boston in 2003.


 


“Our long relationship with our friends at ARCA has produced some memorable racing weekends,” adds USAC President/CEO Kevin Miller. “We are pleased that we can offer this tremendous tripleheader event to the race fans at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, one of the nation’s premier racing facilities. It’s been seven years since the Midgets and ARCA shared billing and a dozen years since ARCA and the Silver Crown cars were on the same bill. We are extremely excited about this program and look forward to what we expect to be one of our season’s signature events.”


 


This also marks the first time that ARCA has returned to O’Reilly Raceway Park since the 1985 season when Bob Schacht won at the facility.  Schacht has the most ARCA wins at the track with two victories.


 


“USAC and O’Reilly Raceway Park have provided us with a tremendous opportunity to join what is already a great night of racing during the Kroger SpeedFest,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “We hope to add to the energy and excitement of all the racing taking place in Indianapolis that week.”


 


The 2011 Kroger SpeedFest triumphantly returns to O’Reilly Raceway Park on July 28 – 30 and will once again feature the NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA National Stock Car Series, USAC Midget and Silver Crown series during the course of three thrilling nights of racing.


 


More information on ticket prices, schedule of events and event information will be available at www.oreillyracewaypark.com, www.usacracing.com and www.arcaracing.com in the coming months.


 


One of five drag racing facilities owned and operated by the National Hot Rod Association, O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis was built in 1960 and has presented organized racing events since 1961.  From March through October, the facility hosts more than 120 dates of racing on three tracks, a quarter-mile drag strip, a .686-mile paved oval and a 2.5-mile road course.  Home to drag racing’s biggest event, the NHRA U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend, the drag strip runs more than 50 days of point-to-point action, from national events to street legal community programs.  The oval track draws racing’s biggest events, including annual visits from the NASCAR Nationwide, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and annual USAC races.  The road course provides a home for several racing sanctions, while providing an ideal resource for driving schools, corporate outings and open-road tests for professional drivers.