(TOLEDO, Ohio - September 27, 2012) - In preparation for the championship finale at Kansas Speedway October 19, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will be in town two weeks in advance of raceday for an open test on the 1.5-mile track Tuesday, October 2.

The combination of the speedway's new pavement and the series concluding its season at Kansas for the first time in ARCA's 60-year history is creating quite a buzz in advance of the Kansas Lottery 98.9, going off under the lights on a Friday night.

Currently, 24 drivers have signed up for the open test, to include all the championship players and a combination of new faces as the tour prepares to put a wrap on its 60th Anniversary Season.

Championship points leader Chris Buescher (Roulo Brothers Racing), nine-time champion and two-time Kansas winner Frank Kimmel (ThorSport Racing), Brennan Poole (Venturini Motorsports), and defending Kansas winner Alex Bowman (Cunningham Motorsports) are all scheduled to test. Buescher, Kimmel, Poole and Bowman are currently first through fourth, respectively, in the championship points with just two races remaining in 2012. All four can still win the title.

In addition, Venturini Motorsports is fully loaded with an assortment of drivers including Ryan Reed, Tom Berte, John Wes Townley, Venezuelan Nelson Canache, and two-time Chili Bowl Midget Nationals champion Kevin Swindell. Swindell scored his career-first ARCA victory at Chicagoland Speedway in July, leading all 100 laps.

Second generation driver Chad Boat (son of Indy 500 veteran Billy Boat) is also entered for the test in a Ken Schrader Racing Chevrolet. Boat finished third in his ARCA debut at Iowa Speedway in mid-July.

Other entrants for the open test include rookie Mason Mitchell (W. Des Moines, Iowa) in an Eddie Sharp Racing (2009 ARCA championship team) entry, Milka Duno (Caracas, Venezuela), Mason Mingus (Brentwood, Tenn.), Jared Marks (Napoleon, Ohio), and series veteran Grant Enfinger (Fairhope, Ala.).

Series regulars Matt Lofton (Roxboro, N.C.) and Spencer Gallagher (Las Vegas, Nev.), currently sixth and seventh, respectively, in championship points, are also entered.

The ARCA national championship finale at Kansas falls just days after the series will race at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds mile dirt on October 14, an event rescheduled after being rained out in early September.

In addition to the national championship, additional prominent year-end titles still up for grabs in 2012 include the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge championship, the Team Messina Rookie Challenge, the Aaron's Lap Leader Award, the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award, Cometic Crew Chief of the Year honors, the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell, and more.

On-track activity for Tuesday's open test at Kansas is scheduled from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Central (local) time, with an hour break for lunch from noon to 1. The full list of testers, as of today, is available below.