ARCA Menards Series / ARCA Menards Series East at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park: Circle City 200 Pre-race Notes

The Circle City 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park will be the tenth of 20 races for the ARCA Menards Series in 2024; it will also be the sixth race of eight on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series East calendar. The race will pay full points to both series; each driver will be credited with their finish and the respective points earned in both series.
The Circle City 200 will be the 600th race in ARCA Menards Series East history.
Andres Perez (No. 2 Max Siegel Inc Chevrolet) leads the ARCA Menards Series championship standings by 40 points over Greg Van Alst (No. 35 Zaki Ali Personal Injury Attorney Ford) headed into Indianapolis. Perez finished eighth in his only previous start at IRP in 2023; Van Alst finished one position ahead in seventh. Perez, a member of the NASCAR Drive 4 Diversity program, drives for Rev Racing, owned by Indianapolis-based businessman Max Siegel. Van Alst will also compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway driving for SS GreenLight Racing, owned by Bobby Dotter, son of three-time ARCA Menards Series champion Bob Dotter.
Connor Zilisch (No. 28 Chevrolet Performance / Silver Hare Development Chevrolet) leads the ARCA Menards Series East standings headed into the Circle City 200. Zilisch has won three of the series’ five races so far in 2024; he has victories at Dover Motor Speedway and the last two series races at Flat Rock Speedway and Iowa Speedway. His wins at Dover and Iowa were in combination races with the ARCA Menards Series.
Reigning ARCA Menards Series East champion William Sawalich (No. 18 Starkey / Sound Gear Toyota) comes to Indianapolis on a two-race winning streak. He won ARCA Menards Series races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Berlin Raceway; he also has won in the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix Raceway, a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series West, in the ARCA Menards Series East at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, and in the ARCA Menards Series West at Portland Raceway.
Marco Andretti (No. 17 Group 1001 Chevrolet) will become the second member of the famed Andretti family to race a stock car on the oval at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. His late uncle John Andretti competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at IRP in 2006, finishing 27th. His grandfather, Mario, won a USAC champ car race on the road course at IRP on July 25, 1965, and again on July 24, 1966. Mario finished second in a USAC stock car race, also on the road course, in May 1967. Marco scored his first career ARCA Menards Series top-five finish, fifth, in his most recent start at Mid-Ohio. Andretti’s sponsor, Group 1001, is headquartered in nearby Zionsville.
Speedway, Indiana native Zachary Tinkle (No. 11 Racing for Rescues Toyota) enters the Circle City 200 sitting fourth in the ARCA Menards Series East championship standings. He has a best finish of fifth at Flat Rock Speedway in 2024.
The Circle City 200 will be the 19th ARCA Menards Series race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park dating to the first in 1971. Previous ARCA Menards Series winners at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park include Ramo Stott (1971), Ralph Latham (1972), Bruce Gould (1974), Marvin Smith (1983), Bob Schacht 1984, 1985), Davey Allison (1985), Ty Dillon (2011), Frank Kimmel (2012), Brandon Jones (2014), Travis Braden (2015), Chase Briscoe (2016), Dalton Sargeant (2017), Christian Eckes (2018), Chandler Smith, 2019, 2020, 2022), and Jesse Love (2023).
Venturini Motorsports enters the Circle City 200 on a five-race win streak at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The team won in 2018 with Christian Eckes, in 2019, 2020, and 2022 with Chandler Smith, and in 2023 with Jesse Love. The team will field five entries in 2024: Kris Wright (No. 15 FNB Corporation Toyota), Gio Ruggiero (No. 20 JBL Toyota), Amber Balcaen (No. 22 Icon Direct Toyota), Toni Breidinger (No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Toyota), and Dean Thompson (No. 55 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota).
There will be one five-minute break for teams to perform service at or near lap 100. Teams can change tires and add fuel during the same stop, but not simultaneously. Teams can have a maximum of six tires in the pit stall.
Should the race need to be extended into overtime, there will be unlimited attempts at a two-lap “green-white-checkered” finish. If the caution is displayed after the white flag is displayed, there will be unlimited attempts at a one-lap “green and white together” finish.