The series was known for using veteran steel-bodied Generation 4 cars from the
NASCAR Cup Series, running cars until they are several years old and even after a model's discontinuation in the Cup Series. For example,
Bobby Gerhart's winning
Daytona car in 1999 used a chassis built by
Hendrick Motorsports in 1989 and said car would be used until 2004 at
Talladega by
Boston Reid. Following the transition of the Cup and
Xfinity Series to the
Car of Tomorrow in 2007 and 2010 respectively, the ARCA Series continued to use the 2007-style models of the
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (re-branded as the
Impala),
Ford Fusion,
Toyota Camry, and
Dodge Charger. The
carbureted V8 engines used by the series are also built under similar specifications to their NASCAR counterparts, and occasionally purchased from NASCAR teams. In spite of the similarities, ARCA racing is much more affordable than its more popular counterpart, with car owner Larry Clement estimating the required budget to run an ARCA car as "10 percent of what a NASCAR Cup Series budget is." The Ilmor engine debuted during testing at
Daytona International Speedway in December 2014, with Sean Corr's Ilmor-powered #48
Ford topping the speed charts at an average of in a time of 47.743 seconds. The new engine has generated controversy, with some teams that use the former engine package believing that their motors will become obsolete and converting to the new package will be too costly. Teams and outside engine builders also cannot perform maintenance on the engines, and minimal tuning is allowed (including a specification lubricant, currently supplied by
Valvoline). The spec engine also reduces manufacturer identity for teams, with construction based on the
Chevrolet engine package and branded as an Ilmor. Non-Ilmor engines, meanwhile, are subject to intake and
RPM restrictions to maintain performance limits relative to the new package. The composite body debuted at preseason testing at
Daytona, with the intent of approving it for tracks over a mile in length. The body style was made eligible in the 2015 ARCA season only on tracks one mile or shorter in length, with the traditional steel bodies running alongside. The composite bodies made their superspeedway debut at
Pocono Raceway on June 3, 2016. In 2018, ARCA began to phase out the Steel bodies, mandating all composite bodies at Daytona and Talladega. They were then mandated for all tracks over in 2019, and all tracks in 2020. The Gen-4 style bodies were allowed to compete in one final race at the
2020 General Tire 100 at the Daytona Road Course. In 2022, the Ford Fusion was replaced by the
Ford Mustang, but was not widely adopted by Ford teams until 2023. The Ford Fusion body is still legal under ARCA rules as of 2024, however only smaller teams compete with them.
Specifications in 2013. •
Rear spoiler: Minimum angle 65 degrees (steel); 70 degrees (composite) •
Steering:
Power,
recirculating ball ==Championship results==