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Federated Auto Racing Championships
2021-FARC.png
Year Founded 1973
Founder(s) Henry Walker
Executive(s) Jeff Falkner
Jen Walker
Current Divisions FARC Lowe Dollar Series
FARC Lacko Brakes Super Series
FARC Tornado Alley Tour
FARC MPire Challenge
Current Champion Hunter Blaize (Lowe Dollar Series)
Isaac Lightenet (Super Series)
Eddie Vero (Truck Series)
Racing Series

The Federated Auto Racing Championships, abbreviated FARC and formerly the American Racing League of America (abbreviated ARLA), is an American stock car sanctioning body founded by Henry Walker in 1973. The current CEO of FARC is Jeff Falkner, and the race director for the Lowe Dollar Series is his wife and former ARLA CEO Jen Walker, granddaughter of Henry Walker. FARC is currently headquartered in Flat Rock, Michigan next door to the Flat Rock Speedway, after a 2014 relocation from the office that shared space with Walker Automotive in Dallas, Texas.

FARC is popular among young drivers looking to make a name for themselves, short track racing veterans, as well as hobbyists of diverse backgrounds and skill levels who enjoy competing in a national tour with stable, relatively low costs.

Founding[edit | edit source]

For a listing of FARC champions, please see List of FARC champions.

As the 1960s gave way to the 70s, the major stock car sanctioning bodies at the time, the TM Master Cup Series and the American Stock Car Championship, started outgrowing America's short tracks in favor of the larger superspeedways that were establishing themselves. However, a swathe of drivers, teams, and fans still desired to see the national tours visit these short tracks with the late model stock cars that headlined these shows. One such figure was Henry Walker, a native of Texas who operated Walker Automotive, a mid-sized chain of car dealerships and service shops that peppered the lower Tornado Alley region. Walker was a lifelong fan of stock car racing, traveling up and down the Midwest to attend races, where he would do business and enjoy himself as a fan. Walker Automotive could be seen on a number of Master Cup and ASCC cars when those tours held races in the region, and the business also rented billboards on several short tracks that Walker had personally attended and invested in over the years.

Despite all of his business and personal interests revolving around cars and motorsports, Henry Walker suffered from a crippling fear of driving himself, and lived his entire life without ever obtaining a driving license, relying on family, friends, mass transit, and assistants to travel.

Walker was in attendance for the 1972 track championship weekend at the historic Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, Illinois, but during the festivities, he was meeting with drivers, car owners, and officials to pitch his vision for a national low-cost touring series that would not only highlight the bullrings left behind by the major series, but also support events at the bigger speedways that were starting to gain popularity in the sport, preparing up and coming drivers for the big leagues and giving the amatuer hobbyists a better chance to reach the national stage.

Walker convinced Rockford's promoters to organize a post-season exhibition event on short notice that would become the unofficial first race for his new tour, taking place on November 25, 1972. Walker would be responsible for promoting the 200 lap event, using his business connections to advertise the race to the public, confidently declaring the race to be the start of a new era for stock car racing.

The race saw only 13 competitors show up, but plenty of spectators were attracted thanks in part to the presence of the popular brothers-in-law Alan Monroe and Chuck Johaanes from Chicago, who had made the most of their secondhand Master Cup cars and dominated at Rockford and the surrounding short tracks that year, with Monroe taking the Rockford track championship just a few weeks prior. Other competitors included:

Jeb Klinger , a Missouri native with success at Grand Detour Raceway, in his distinctive blue and gold No. 5, a 1970 winged Saar Eagle.

Arnold Pine from southern Illinois, the youngest driver in the field at 17, wheeling a bright yellow No. 20 car crewed by his high school cohorts Kenny Brillon and Carol Taylor.

Chuck Johaanes won the race in a thrilling duel with Jeb Klinger that electrified the crowd. Henry Walker was emboldened by the show, but had little time to organize the promised season opener for the series that he would christen the American Racing League of America, ARLA. The redundancy in the tour's name apparently went unnoticed by Walker and his partners.

Walker was able to secure 8 ARLA race dates spanning between the Midwest and the East Coast for the 1973 season, with the first official points race taking place in February at Daytona International Speedway the Friday before the ASCC season opener. Daytona was the only oval over one mile in length during the inaugural championship. Once again, the entry list was meager with just 21 cars showing up at Daytona, but 10 of the 13 starters at Rockford were among the entries, showing strong belief in Walker's vision for the new series despite never having competed on such a massive track before.

Jeb Klinger avenged his previous loss to Chuck Johaanes in the 100-mile event, making the most of his first learning experience with drafting to slingshot past Johaanes exiting the final corner to take the victory, a finish that the ASCC race on Sunday could not live up to. The first ARLA race was by all accounts a great success, and the entry lists slowly grew larger leading up to the 1973 finale, another 200-lap feature at Rockford in late November that was won by Bjorn Green, who also took the inaugural championship that night in his pearl-colored No. 90 car.

Current divisions[edit | edit source]

FARC currently sanctions three different classes of national touring racing.

Lowe Dollar Series[edit | edit source]

The FARC Lowe Dollar Series is the marquee FARC division that grew from the initial 1973 ARLA championship. The Lowe Dollar Series tours around the nation, splitting the schedule between support events for TM Master Cup, ASCC, and other touring series, as well as standalone races primarily at short tracks, dirt tracks, and club circuits. Some international events are sprinkled into the calendar, with regular trips to Canada influenced by current tire supplier Duckroll Tires, which is headquartered near the Mosport Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario. The Lowe Dollar Series is also the only FARC series to have the majority of races televised.

FARC continues to emphasize affordable racing in the Lowe Dollar Series, with the average cost of a competitive car not being much more than a late model. The current technical regulations for the Lowe Dollar Series car, introduced in 2017, feature muscle-car style composite bodies provided by Cromwell Race Works and a spec engine by Matteson Engineering. Very few teams build brand new cars, given that secondhand TM Master Cup and ASCC chassis are approved and can easily be made competitive. The ASCC East and West Series features cars with near-identical regulations, allowing for occasional cross-competition between drivers and teams, and a few combined points events starting in 2021.

Late Models[edit | edit source]

FARC sanctions two regional late model tours.

The Lacko Brakes Super Series primarily holds events between the upper Midwest and the East Coast, very much like the Lowe Dollar Series. Several drivers who previously succeeded in the Lowe Dollar Series now call the Super Series their home, such as 4-time Lowe Dollar champion Andy Pearson (2016 Super Series champion) and the Porteau brothers (Bobby Porteau captured two straight championships in 2017 and 2018).

The Bummin' Beaver Brewery Tornado Alley Tour races up and down the Midwest, regularly venturing west of the Mississippi. The legendary Rockford 200 now concludes the Tornado Alley Tour season on its traditional date in November.

FARC Truck Series[edit | edit source]

The FARC Truck Series tours the upper Midwest with short track trucks. The series an attractive home for drivers and lower budget teams that race as a hobby.

The Truck Series runs primarily in the Lower Midwest, with races in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

FARC MPire Challenge[edit | edit source]

Introduced in 2021, the FARC MPire Challenge is officiated by longtime FARC partner MPire Rent-A-Car as a 5-race series using production cars driven by sweepstakes contestants who have never driven a race car before. Races are held in support of Lowe Dollar Series events, where the contestants compete for the chance to start the Lowe Dollar race in a car prepared by the MPire team. The MPire Challenge is the current incarnation of similar promotions held by MPire in the past, with varying degrees of success.

International involvement[edit | edit source]

FARC has enjoyed recent growth in the international market. The league has regularly held races in Canada since 1974, with occasional races in Mexico as well. The series now known as the Lowe Dollar Series raced in Japan in 2008, 2012 and 2013. A Russian race bankrolled by the breakout RUS Autosport team was held in 2013, and the series has held follow-up races in Russia occasionally. The series formerly raced in Europe in 2008 as a four-race exhibition, and in 2009 as part of the official schedule. The series no longer races overseas due to high travel and shipping costs, with the exception of the aforementioned Russian events because the Russian race organizers have outright paid participating teams to travel.

See also: List of FARC champions.


2021 ASCC All-American Series Team Chart[edit | edit source]

Saar Division[edit | edit source]

Chartered[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
2 Team Saar USA GA.png Donnie King, Jr. Donnie's Great Big Deals
Whiz
Lucas Oil
Covfefe
King moves up to the All American Series full time after replacing Jason Richardson before the 2019 Playoffs.
5 Stahlman Racing MI.png Ryan Long Hoek, Lyne & Seinker
Paragon Mutual Leasing
Waffle House
Moo.la
Stahlman and Long return with few changes.
18 Delbert Haggins Racing GA.png Delbert Haggins (R) Bivouac Motel & Suites Delbert Haggins joins the ASCC, sharing seat time with Scroggins.
Buck Scroggins (R)
23 Camelot Racing IN.png Lance Thomas (R) King Arthur's Royal Oil
ASH Fire Extinguishers
Magic Auto Body
Dryv Rideshare
Arthur Thomas's team returns to full-time ASCC competition, with his grandson taking the wheel.
25 Team Saar USA KY.png Aaron Law eCola
Hooters
Tax Zappers
KLTV America
Law returns after defending his Texas 500 crown in 2019.
49 Team Saar USA AR.png Karl Hampton Karl's Superstores
Casargo Turbo
Hampton returns for his sophomore effort with TSUSA, still looking to break through with his first ASCC win.
76 Christian American Motorsports MS.png Bobby Miller III Christline Radio
WWJS?/Stand Or Else
ASCC fans' favorite evangelical returns as CAM switches from Inglesby to Saar.
82 RUS Autosport America RUS.png Lev Azarov (R) Azarov and RUS Autosport expand into the ASCC, becoming the first Russian operation and driver in the sport's history.

Open[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
3 Team Saar USA MA.png Ethan Everett Hanmore Industries Everett overcomes health issues to make a much-anticipated return to the driver's seat for the Texas 500.

Lenard Division[edit | edit source]

Chartered[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
9 Flare Motorsports WY.png Joshua Pacer inCell Batteries
Samson Spark
Lenard
Pacer returns to Flare Motorsports after a highly successful rookie season.
16 What's Your Beef Racing
21 Palmer Stiles Racing IL.png Palmer Stiles Moon Shine Car Polish
MHL
Bank of Liberty
The Inglesby standard bearer finds a new home in the Lenard division for what will likely be his farewell tour.
24 What's Your Beef Racing
28 Daniel Voyles Racing OK.png Daniel Voyles Voyles switches to Lenard and changes his number from 82 to 28.
37 Ocean Motorsports IN.png Stefan Wodarczyk Ocean Point Charters
Shark Card
Patriot University
Wodarczyk and Ocean continue their partnership for 2021.
97 Dick Wilkinson Racing OH.png Brett Finley Tecumseh
Kitchen Gun
Monster Energy
Dick Wilkinson Racing will field multiple drivers in 2021, with Lance Stone now sharing the seat with Finley and 2019 Texas 500 polesitter McLaughlin.
KY.png Lance Stone
SC.png Kyle McLaughlin (R)
99 Flare Motorsports IN.png Alex Carson inCell Batteries
ProLaps Racing Systems
Lenard
Tinkle
Carson looks to continue his 2019 success as one of Lenard's "Big Three".

Open[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
?? Cotnam Racing Development Mitchell Carter (R) Cotnam Cotnam's ASCC West Series superteam fields an All-American Series entry in select races for the defending West Series champion.

Lycoia Division[edit | edit source]

Chartered[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
08 Deschutes Racing Graham McMillan (R) Nucleon
Bushnell Farms
Gallon Oil
Wallbert
This established ASCC West Series team hits the big time with new investors and their lead driver McMillan.
13 Jim Brennan Motorsports TN.png Colton Spencer Humble. Brennan and Spencer return for a second ASCC season with a new sponsor and a switch to Lycoia.
20 Patriot Racing OH.png Hunter Blaize (R) Woodard Transport & Freight The FARC front-runner moves up to the ASCC, on loan to Lycoia from Gravity Racing Inc.
40 Patriot Racing OH.png Calvin Hobbes Woodard Transport & Freight Hobbes sold his team to Patriot Racing after 2019, but he will continue as one of the two drivers for the new Lycoia flagship team.
51 SA Racing OH.png Seth Anderson After a Cinderella run to the 2019 Championship race, Anderson brings his team back for a second season after switching to Lycoia.
69 McDermott Motorsports OH.png Johnson Clapp Slixty 9
Hugger Oranges
The Clapp looks to return to victory lane in McDermott Motorsports' first season with Lycoia.
78 Kenn Groves Racing SC.png Greg Gray Grease Burger
Furniture Art
Groves Racing returns with Gray, moving to the Lycoia division.
90 BIG American Racing PA.png Neil Miller (R) Big N's Bros N Brahs BIG signs Neil Miller in his return to full-time racing and switches from the #31 Lenard to the #90 Lycoia.

Open[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
79 Kenn Groves Racing OH.png Ralph West (R) KGR will enter a car in select races with a mix of drivers.
RUS.png Vitaly Tsolikov (R) Screaming Texas Eagle Vodka
FL.png Billy Ray Smith-Thompson (R) The Home House

Tonare Division[edit | edit source]

Chartered[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
0 Farley Enterprises KS.png Elmer Farley Kar Klutz
WKTT Talk Radio
Retirement Living TV
The ageless wonder Farley returns for another season, bringing a few new sponsors and acquiring a Tonare charter.
7 Team Thunder AL.png Dan Richards Luce Industrial Lighting The 2019 Saar regular season champion returns with Tonare's flagship team.
11 Lou Singer Racing NV.png Aaron Singer Lou Singer Hotels & Casinos The Singer family returns after signing a multi-year partnership with Tonare, looking to build on Aaron's playoff run during the 2019 season.
30 Expansion Motorsports TX.png Richie Pinto Extenze Pinto returns for a second season as Expansion Motorsports deflates back down to two charters.
44 Expansion Motorsports NC.png Peter Johnson Extenze
Women's Extenze
Expansion's veteran returns in the 44 car.
61 The Little Guys CA.png Noah Dalitz (R) RaceSim
Zing Energy
Lung Candy
Littleguys Gas 'n Go
Dalitz teams up with the Little Family to seek "redemption" following his suspension and exile from FARC.
70 Team Thunder OH.png Anthony Griffith Team Thunder acquires a third charter for the new #70 team, which will be driven primarily by Tonare's factory drivers, along with Jim Hayes' son Zane and road course ringer Gary Miles.
VA.png Richard Scott
FL.png Bob Stephans
OH.png Kenny Myatt (R)
VA.png Zane Hayes (R)
NS.png Gary Miles (R)
77 Team Thunder VA.png Jim Hayes Cotnam Farms Hayes looks to improve on his 2019 season, after winning two races but being eliminated after the first round of the playoffs.

Open[edit | edit source]

No. Team Driver(s) Sponsor(s) Notes
07 Team Thunder VA.png Zane Hayes (R)
50 Expansion Motorsports WY.png Leslie Riggs (R) Maxim ABQ Speedbowl promoter and former FARC standout Leslie Riggs returns to the driver's seat for the Texas 500.
72 Farley Enterprises MN.png Bobby Dwyer (R) Dwyer's Speedway Laundromat Farley Enterprises will enter a second car in as many races as possible, with a mix of drivers.
IA.png Austin Howard
Joey Milligan (R)
VA.png Jack Bohart
MO.png Shane Hunt (R) Ammu-Nation
HUN.png Andros Baumgartner (R) Pandit Kapil Sharma