PIT BOX: High banks of Salem Speedway up next for ARCA Menards Series competitors

On Saturday evening, the ARCA Menards Series will tackle one of its most historic venues, the high-banked, half-mile oval of Salem Speedway.

A staple on the calendar since the first ARCA Menards Series event at the facility in 1955, Salem’s Victory Lane has seen plenty of notable visitors. Among those names include series legends like Jack Bowsher, Ramo Stott, Iggy Katona and Frank Kimmel, along with other talented drivers such as Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, Ken Schrader, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell.

Salem has long served as proving ground for competitors due to its unique layout that features 33 degrees of banking in the turns. The steep corners, combined with a surface that is gradually aging, will test the current generation of ARCA Menards Series competitors as they look to add their own history into the Salem record books.

With the season now at its halfway point, Salem is a perfect opportunity for drivers, particularly those competing for the championship, to build some crucial momentum ahead of a diverse schedule that features more short tracks, speedways and two dirt tracks.

Tickets to the Salem 200 can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the 11^th race on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule.

Salem ARCA 200 at Salem Speedway

Six drivers have claimed a checkered flag in the ARCA Menards Series halfway through the 2024 season. None of them have been full-time competitors.

William Sawalich enters Saturday’s race tied with Connor Zilisch for the most ARCA Menards Series wins this season at three. Showcasing plenty of versatility with triumphs at two short tracks and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Sawalich seeks to add a Salem Speedway trophy to his resume after finishing a disappointing sixth last year.

Among organizations, Pinnacle Racing Group and Joe Gibbs Racing are tied at four wins each through the opening 10 races of the 2024 campaign. Pinnacle’s wins have been split between Connor Mosack and Zilisch, but neither will be in the team’s No. 28 Chevrolet this weekend.

Instead the team will have Corey Day, a dirt racing standout with five victories in the High Limit Sprint Car Series and one World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win this year, aboard the No. 28 Chevrolet in his series debut.

Although PRG and Joe Gibbs Racing have dominated the calendar, they have faced plenty of opposition from Venturini Motorsports, who have scored wins at Daytona International Speedway with Gus Dean and Talladega Superspeedway with Jake Finch. They’re both back with Venturini for the Salem ARCA 200 alongside the program’s full-time competitors Kris Wright, Toni Breidinger and Amber Balcaen.

Current ARCA Menards Series points leader Andres Perez will look to break through for his first series win for Rev Racing. Perez has come close to Victory Lane on several occasions, including a runner-up finish to Jesse Love during last year’s visit to Salem.

Other notable names set to compete on Saturday include Lavar Scott, Greg Van Alst, Isaac Johnson, Andrew Patterson, Ed Pompa and Ryan Roulette, among others.

The full entry list for the Salem ARCA 200 can be found here.

RACE FACTS

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Salem ARCA 200 is limited to 28 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2024 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive laps of qualifying. No adjustments or repairs may be made on car after entering pit road to qualify. All cars must make a qualifying attempt and all drivers must practice before they can qualify.

RACE PIT STOP: Break pit stop procedure. Breaks at or near the conclusion of laps 75 and 125. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire use at track (total, ‘from home’ plus purchased at track) for the event is 14. Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is six.