ARCA Menards Series returns to Mid-Ohio for second consecutive year in Friday's Dawn 150
LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 7, 2022) - The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) will make its first appearance at the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course starting tomorrow (July 8) during practice and qualifying, with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio race set to take the green flag on Saturday early afternoon, July 9. The ARCA Menards Series joins NCWTS at the track, returning for the second annual running of the Dawn 150 on Friday late afternoon, July 8.
To kick activities off for the weekend, fans are invited to the Menards Fan Fest this afternoon at the Menards store located at 1999 Walker Lake Road in Ontario, Ohio. Fans can get up close and personal with ARCA Menards Series haulers, race cars and drivers. Haulers will be on display starting at 3:00 p.m. ET in the parking lot of the Menards store. Drivers will be available for autographs and photos beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Then, at 7:00 p.m. ET, team haulers will parade in unison from Menards to the track. Parade route is found HERE.
On Saturday, the rising stars of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will battle fender-to-fender for 67 laps during NASCAR’s only national series stop in Ohio. The race will be the third and final road course on the NCWTS season schedule and also the third and final leg of the NASCAR Triple Truck Challenge. The Triple Truck Challenge gives drivers the chance to win $50,000 in bonus prize money at three separate tracks on the schedule: World Wide Technology Raceway (June 4), Nashville Superspeedway (June 24) and Mid-Ohio (July 9).
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio also marks the penultimate regular season race for the Camping World Truck Series before the playoff portion of the schedule begins in late July. With only two races left before deciding a regular season champion, points leader Zane Smith looks to hold his advantage on the field.
“This regular season championship battle is far from over,” said Smith, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford. "We have a 21-point lead on second place, but we’ve also seen how drastically the points can swing if you have a bad day. Winning this weekend at Mid-Ohio would be great, but realistically we need to focus on a great finish and holding the points lead so we have a chance at the 15 playoff points that come with a regular season championship.”
ThorSport Racing, based in nearby Sandusky, Ohio, is the local NASCAR team to watch at Mid-Ohio this weekend. The Ohio team brings four drivers in the top-10 of the points standings to the track: Ben Rhodes (3rd), Ty Majeski (6th), Christian Eckes (7th) and Matt Crafton (10th).
On Friday night, the Toledo, Ohio-based ARCA Menards Series continues its 70th season running with the second annual Dawn 150 at Mid-Ohio. Ty Gibbs won the 2021 Dawn 150 in a 17-car field. This year Rajah Caruth leads the series in the points standings heading to Mid-Ohio, the ninth of 20 races this season. The 42-lap, 94.84-mile race starts at 5:00 p.m. ET tomorrow night.
Additional race weekend highlights include a tripleheader for the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires in its inaugural season. The new series serves as a pre-step to the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires driver development ladder system. Five races in total will take the green flag across the two-day event.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course offers an exceptional family value. Children 12 and under are admitted free to Mid-Ohio when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Parking is also free. General admission is $60 for the weekend, and grandstand seating is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $10 additional each when purchased at the gate. Tent and motorhome camping is available on site. To order tickets in advance, visit midohio.com or call 419-884-4000, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.
