John and Mildred are the co-founders of ARCA. John is a favorite NASCAR official who worked closely alongside NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.
In 1953 the Marcums created the 'Midwest Association for Race Cars' (MARC) in their hometown of Toledo, Ohio. It was a regional stock car racing series, a northern counterpoint to NASCAR. The series raced slightly modified street cars.
The series was renamed "Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) in 1964 when it began to race on superspeedways. France had contacted Marcum wondering if ARCA would want to race at the Daytona Speedweeks. Marcum jumped at the chance for national exposure.
The ARCA/NASCAR relationship continues today. The series frequently schedules events at the same track on the same weekend. ARCA is normally the Saturday support race to the Sunday NASCAR Cup event. Present day ARCA has become a major springboard for drivers looking to move into NASCAR. They are one of the most versatile series in the country as they race on superspeedways, short ovals, road courses and dirt tracks.
Today ARCA's president is the late John Marcum's grandson Ron Drager. Mildred Marcum was an integral part of the organization and worked both in the ARCA office on a regular basis until her death at age 98 in 2012. |
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