Toledo, Ohio—January 27, 2012:  For many drivers, driving a race car at Daytona International Speedway is a dream.  For the 2012 ARCA Glass City Gold Cup Late Model Champion, that dream will come true.  For the second consecutive year, the champion of the 6-race Series will get a test in an ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards stock car, courtesy of Fast Track High Performance Driving School.  

Dennis Strickland, the defending Gold Cup champion, took to Daytona during the annual ARCA test in December, giving the Carleton, MI wheelman the ultimate thrill for a stock car driver—running around Daytona!  “It was an experience I will not forget,” noted Strickland, who clocked in a lap at 180.748 in his final session of the 2-day test.  Dennis ran 42 laps for the weekend.

As a tribute to the memory of Joy Fair, a special memorial decal is now available.  Fair, who passed away December 10, 2011, was one of the top racers in the country, accumulating over 800 career victories around the Midwest short tracks in his lifetime.  Joy was a 10-time Flat Rock Speedway champion and 7-time Toledo Speedway champ and is the all-time win leader at both tracks.

The decals are $4 each or 3 for $10, with all proceeds from the sale of the decals to go to the American Diabetes Association.  Please add $1 per order for shipping/mailing costs.

Long-time friend Rand Thompson is conducting the sale of the decals.  Please make all checks payable to the American Diabetes Association.  Checks may be sent to:  Rand Thompson, 10537 Loughrea Lane, Cement City, MI  49233.

TOLEDO, OH—January 18, 2012:  The annual Racer’s Reunions at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways now have dates for the 2012 season.  Both events will take place on the same weekend; Friday, May 11 at Toledo and Saturday, May 12 at Flat Rock.

The May 12 Flat Rock date will also serve as the 50^th Anniversary Celebration of Figure 8 racing at “The Rock”.  Plans are now in the works to invite back all former Figure 8 racers, along with all former Flat Rock racers for the Reunion.  More details about the Figure 8 Anniversary event, which will include a 50 lap feature for the “Motor City Madmen” of the current ARCA Figure 8 class, will be released in the coming weeks.

(FISHERS, Ind. - January 16, 2012) - The Champion Racing Association, which this season will begin a formal relationship with ARCA, celebrated its 2011 season and looked to the future with ARCA Friday and Saturday nights at the Fishers Banquet Center.

(TOLEDO, Ohio - January 9, 2012) - Mildred Marcum, the co-founder and matriarch of ARCA who passed away shortly after her 98th birthday over the weekend, leaves behind an enduring legacy.

A career in motorsports that began in the mid-1940s and spanned eight different decades was only extinguished by her passing. In fact, she worked in the home ARCA office on her birthday before celebrating with her family at home on Saturday.

(TOLEDO, Ohio - January 9, 2012) - Mildred Marcum, matriarch and co-founder of ARCA, passed away overnight at St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Mildred had just celebrated her 98th birthday on January 6, 2012.

(TOLEDO, Ohio - January 6, 2012) - The Automobile Racing Club of America announced earlier this week that Spartan Speedway in Mason, Mich. will join the ARCA Glass City Gold Cup Series schedule, hosting a 100-lap race for the ARCA late models.

Toledo, Ohio—January 4, 2011:  Spartan (Lansing, MI) Speedway has agreed to host a 100 lap contest for the ARCA Late Models, which will be a part of the ARCA Glass City Gold Cup Series.  The date is Sunday, May 27 at the immaculate ¼ mile paved oval.  The Spartan Stocks, Pony Stocks and a Pony Stock Figure 8 race will also be a part of the Memorial Day weekend race card, part of the popular Spartan “Slugfest” events. 

The Series will expand to six (6) races in 2012 with the addition of the Spartan date.  2 events are scheduled at Flat Rock, MI Speedway and 3 races at Toledo, OH Speedway.  The top 3 in the final points of the Series are guaranteed starting spots in the season-ending Glass City 200 at Toledo, which is set for Saturday, September 29 this year.

Toledo, Ohio—December 22, 2011:  As winter approaches, thoughts turn to the warm temperatures and, hopefully, sunny skies with the release of the 2012 Flat Rock and Toledo Speedway race schedules.

The schedules are now posted at www.flatrockspeedway.com or www.toledospeedway.com.  Click on the schedule button to download the 2012 schedules.

Each venue will maintain their weekly race cards, with special events featuring a variety of touring series added in to create a pair of diverse schedules for the upcoming season.  Toledo Speedway will feature Friday night racing events as its mainstay, while Flat Rock Speedway’s Saturday race cards are in place as they have been for over 50 years. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Joy Fair’s family.  Joy passed away December 10; services were held December 16.  The service concluded with Joy’s daughter waving the checkered flag and his son, Mark, serving as the announcer as the crowd rose to give a standing ovation; a fitting tribute to a true family man, hero, legend and friend to many. 

This is the second of our monthly off-season bulletins.  It will be posted here on the webpages and emailed to our members who have provided email addresses.  If you would like to be added to that list, email your address to Sherry at smiller@arcaracing.com.  These bulletins will not be mailed. 

Please direct any calls to the Toledo office during the winter months; the Flat Rock office is closed.  The Toledo phone number is 419-727-1100.

(TOLEDO, Ohio - December 12, 2011) - Visitation and service hours for ARCA legend Joy Fair, who passed away Saturday, have been scheduled.

(PONTIAC, Mich. - December 11, 2011) - Joy Fair, the winningest driver in ARCA-sanctioned history, died Saturday morning, December 10. With more news regarding the Michigan racing legend on the way in the coming days, we begin our coverage of the ARCA icon with the following very nice piece written by Jimmy Hehl for ARCA's 50th anniversary book.

Former Flat Rock and Toledo Speedway driver Craig Pace passed away October 16 in Toledo, OH at the age of 45.  Craig competed in the Figure 8, Late Model and Sportsman divisions.  His father, the late Denny Pace, was a 5-time Flat Rock Figure 8 champion and his brother, Mark, also is a former Figure 8 driver.

Craig is survived by his daughter, Sidnee, mother, Nancy Magyar and stepfather, Jim Magyar; step-mother Wanda Pace; his brothers, Mark and Danny Pace and Tony Magyar, aunts-Carol Burger and Martha Geiers and uncle, Joe Barham.

Services were held at the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home in Plymouth, MI October 21.