With driver development being emphasized in the current era of motorsports, it has become increasingly rare for a driver to make 100 ARCA Menards Series starts.
Alex Clubb will reach that milestone Friday when he takes the green flag at Iowa Speedway for the JR&CO 150 (6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET on FS1). Known for his black, blue and pink No. 03 Ford, the 34-year-old Morris, Illinois native has worked rigorously to find success in the ARCA Menards Series ever since he made his debut in 2015 at Winchester Speedway.
Clubb is not afraid to admit that sustainability is difficult to come by given the budget with which he operates. Yet the fact he is on the precipice of his 100th ARCA Menards Series start after a decade on the platform is something Clubb feels highlights his commitment to fulfilling his racing dreams no matter the cost.
“I didn’t think I would ever get to this point,” Clubb said. “I didn’t think I would ever get a start. Now here we are 11 years later and I’m getting ready to make 100 starts. I own my own team and we have a couple cars that run full-time. It’s absolutely wild to be honest.”
As with countless other drivers who have competed in the ARCA Menards Series, Clubb’s passion for motorsports stems from his family’s background.
Nearly every member of Clubb’s family has been involved with racing at some point in their lives, a tradition that formally started with his grandfather John in the 1970s. Clubb’s father Brian embarked on his own career the following decade, which ultimately inspired Clubb to become a driver himself once he came of age.
The goal for Clubb was to reach the NASCAR Cup Series, but he soon realized he needed significantly more money and resources to make that dream a reality. Instead, Clubb chartered his own path in racing, a diligent process that eventually led to his winning the Street Stock title at his home track of Fairbury American Legion Speedway in 2012.
Later that same year, Clubb and a group of local racers traveled to the Springfield Mile for the Illinois Sportsman Nationals. As part of the experience, Clubb got access to the ARCA Menards Series garage, which he used as an opportunity to make connections and inquire about potential driving opportunities.
Three years later, Clubb found himself in an ARCA Menards Series car for the first time. Although a broken valve prevented him from racing at Winchester, Clubb did take the green flag for the two dirt events at Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, the former of which saw Clubb complete all but two laps to come home 17th.
Clubb did everything he could to make those starts happen from a financial perspective, a theme that has remained prevalent with his own program. Being an owner/driver has carried plenty of hard lessons for Clubb, but it also reinforced how important connections were to longevity in the ARCA Menards Series.
Those connections are why Clubb believes his team has not only been able to survive, but also expand.
“When we started, we were part-time with one car and one motor,” Clubb said. “We worked all the way up to where we now have five cars and four motors. I have a lot of friends and a lot of team owners where we all help each other out. We’d like to run better, but it all comes down to cubic dollars, but I’m very proud of where we’re at.
“Up to this point, it’s just been a growing process. Now that we have the cars and equipment we need, it’s about working on getting the right parts, getting everything together and trying to produce more speed with everything.”
Among the people who have assisted Clubb during his time in the ARCA Menards Series include the Kimmels along with MAN Motorsports owner Mark Noble. For 2026, Clubb has been receiving assistance with pull down from Greg Van Alst, who won the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
From Clubb’s perspective, it has taken him five years to do what other programs typically accomplish in one season, but the patience has paid off more times than not. With better parts going on the cars and more comprehension on how to maximize performance, Clubb is optimistic the best years are ahead for his team.
Yet a decade of racing in the ARCA Menards Series has yielded plenty of fond memories for Clubb, whose best finish is an eighth on three separate occasions. Of those eighth-place showings, the one Clubb obtained in 2024 at Daytona is a moment that will always stick with him.
“We kind of backed into it,” Clubb said. “It was a new car and we were riding around in the back trying to not wreck and stay out of all the issues. We were around at the end and I think we were 22nd when we had the last green-white-checkered. We drove into [turn] three, everybody wrecked, and we came out the other end in eighth.
“Me, my dad and a couple of buddies built a car in my dad’s three-car garage [and] busted butt on it all winter. We didn’t go to the Daytona test; we went straight into the Daytona race with it.”
Another moment Clubb cherishes is giving his dad Brian a chance to make an ARCA Menards Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2024. Bristol had long been one of Brian’s favorite tracks, so Clubb took a second car to the track as a start-and-park for Brian, who made 13 laps around the high-banked complex before pulling off.
Brian has made seven starts in one of his son’s cars during the past three years. For Clubb, it only makes sense to have Brian race occasionally, as he likely would not be where he is today without his father’s guidance and influence.
“Usually it’s the parents that give their kids opportunities, but I get to give my dad some opportunities,” Clubb said. “It’s kind of a cool, full-circle moment, because he did so much for my career growing up, and now I’m able to give back and get him in the car here and there when we have opportunities for it.”
While Clubb would love to have Brian make more starts, he is also thinking long-term with Clubb Racing Inc. All the improved equipment inside the team’s shop has Clubb optimistic about contending for top 10s consistently within the next year or two, maybe even a few top fives.
There is one goal Clubb is determined to achieve before his driving career ends: win one of the ARCA Menards Series dirt races at either Springfield or DuQuoin. Given his background with dirt racing, Clubb sees Springfield and DuQuoin as the two facilities where he can most likely win, though he also understands his equipment is not yet ready for such a pursuit.
Clubb is also open to having his team become a driver development program, but he is comfortable with his team being known as a hub for blue-collar racers looking to break into the sport. A decade ago, Clubb was in a similar position with his career, so he enjoys creating a pathway for drivers with limited funding to race in the ARCA Menards Series.
Whatever the future holds for Clubb and his team, he is more than ready to face it. Clubb’s time in the ARCA Menards Series has dealt him plenty of challenges, the most notable of which was a hauler crash after last year’s race at Iowa that severely damaged his No. 03 along with most of the equipment on the car.
A coordinated effort between Clubb and many of his friends in the industry led to both of their cars making it to Watkins Glen International the following week. If something as devastating as a roadside accident could not slow Clubb down, he is confident he and team can withstand any adversity.
“We have so much grit and determination, and we will not give up,” Clubb said. “We just do whatever it takes to make it to the next race. We’re in a lot better place now than we’ve ever been. We’ll work 20 hours a day, seven days a week if we have to just to make it to the race. It’s not the most ideal life, but we do it because we love it.”
Relentless hard work and sacrifice are big reasons as to why Clubb has made it to 100 starts in the ARCA Menards Series. It is also why Clubb is bringing three cars to the track for the first time, with the other two being driven by Jeff Maconi and Brayton Laster.
When Clubb first arrived at Winchester for his first ARCA Menards Series race 11 years ago, he never imagined how much he would enjoy the camaraderie prevalent in the garage area. That atmosphere has motivated Clubb to keep coming back through the highs and lows.
If everything goes the way he intends, Clubb plans to stick around the ARCA Menards Series for what he hopes is another 100 starts or more.
“It’s been really fun,” Clubb said. “[It’s been] stressful at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I knew going up to this level would be tough and we wouldn’t run as good as we were used to running, but I just love the atmosphere, I love the people in the garage and I love the officials. It’s basically one big traveling family you see every week.
“Everybody helps each other, everybody gets along good, and everybody is in it together to help make the series better.”
The long history of the ARCA Menards Series features plenty of stories like Clubb’s; drivers who are committed to finding success regardless of how many resources they possess. After Friday, Clubb will have 100 starts to his name, continuing a story of resilience that still has plenty of chapters to write.
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