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Joe Gibbs Racing started the month of October off with the announcement that they would be shutting down their ARCA Menards Series program following the now-concluded 2026 season. The reason is so that they want to be able to devote more resources to their O’Reilly Auto Part Series program.
Only two Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas made the Chase in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026. Taylor Gray is currently 7th, 90 points behind leader Sheldon Creed. Brandon Jones is 11th, 137 points back.
Admittedly, some question the reason behind the continued existence of the ARCA Series and it’s not like the series is doing the defenders any favours. If you watch the races, they are about as competitive as a Cup Series race on a road course. Within a few laps, approximately half the field is a lap down. You can argue that the same dozen cars are always in the Top 10 in Cup, it’s whittled down to one or two in ARCA. I’ve seen races where there is literally not a single lead change.
The eventual ARCA Series champion is often lucky to get one win on the season. Why? Because Joe Gibbs Racing kept rotating their drivers so that Joe Gibbs could put another ARCA Owner’s Championship trophy in his display.
One might argue that with JGR ditching the ARCA Series is taking the only competitive ride out of the series. I would argue that JGR leaving ARCA levels the playing field. I think there will be more competitive racing and you will see more drivers at the front.
While ARCA may not have the flash of the Cup Series, there is a lot of talent and a lot of great stories.
- Andy “J” Jankowiak is the part-time race who helps fund his racing career by delivering pizza.
- Isabella Robusto is one of several women who compete in the ARCA Series and quite frankly she might have the most passion for the sport of any woman (and a hell of a lot of the guys).
- Garrett Mitchell, aka Cleetus McFarland, a social media influencer who always seems to be living his best life and having fun racing whether it’s Super Stadium Trucks, ARCA cars, or Ford Crown Victorias.
- Bobby Dale Earnhardt, the grandson of the 7-time Cup Series champion and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt.
You don’t have to look far through the current Cup lineup to find ARCA alumni. Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Carson Hocevar, and Zane Smith all came up through the ARCA Series. Gio Ruggiero, William Sawalich, Harrison Burton, and Jesse Love are all working their way through the ranks after ARCA experience.
I stated earlier that often times the racing in ARCA isn’t overly exciting, but that’s because of the presence of teams that are obviously running with massively more resources than the rest of the field. However, at places like Daytona and Talladega, like any other NASCAR series, the racing is at its most exciting. One simply needs to watch this spring’s ARCA race at Talladega to get a sense of what the series could produce. (Admittedly, ‘Dega brings out the best in every series.)
Obviously, the absence of Joe Gibbs Racing isn’t going to immediately turn every race into a flag-to-flag nailbiter where all two dozen or so cars are in contention for the win. JGR is also not the only major team in the series. Nitro Motorsports, like the now-closed Venturini Motorsports, will be a powerhouse to contend with but one focused on the ARCA Series rather than the Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series or Craftsman Truck Series.
I believe that ARCA can be a great source of grassroots racing while also providing NASCAR with a tremendous free agent pool. Giving everyone a level playing field, or at least as close to one as possible, would mean that every driver in the field would have a chance to race for the progression of their career. Success would be based on the skill of the drivers and crew, not just because one team can outspend the other. Every driver in the field could be seen as a future signee for one of the teams in the higher level series. Their fate wouldn’t have been decided before they took their first green flag.
ARCA could help shape the future of NASCAR. Every driver and ever crew member would be inspired to put in their best effort, knowing that their efforts might be seen by a team further up the NASCAR ladder. Take Carson Brown for example. He got a win at Phoenix this past season and has been signed as a developmental driver by Richard Childress Racing. He will move up to the O’Reilly series in 2027.
I’m not suggesting that JGR leaving ARCA will instantly transform the series into must-watch TV every week. However, it will go a long way to providing a better developmental system and one that will benefit NASCAR in the long run.
