ARCA’s Superspeedway Legends

Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR’s superspeedways, produce a spectacle unlike anything the world over.

Superspeedway races are NASCAR’s fastest and wildest product and have been the site of many of the sport’s closest and most exciting finishes. Mastering the art of superspeedway racing requires an eclectic mix of nerve, wit, and awareness.

Throughout the ARCA Menards Series’ illustrious history, a handful of drivers have stood out from the rest for their unmatched ability at these tracks. This list presents a few of those brave men who had a knack for taming this style of untamable racing.

There is one name that is synonymous with the early days of ARCA superspeedway racing for the way he dominated those events, and that is Grant Adcox.

Driving a Chevrolet sponsored by his father Herb’s dealership, Adcox Chevrolet, the Chattanooga, Tenn. native scored six of his nine career ARCA series victories at superspeedways with four triumphs at Talladega and a lone Daytona victory in 1986.

Adcox led more than 100 laps in each of his Talladega victories in ‘86 and ‘88 as he solidified his reign of terror over the ARCA field at superspeedways. There was no more feared entry in the ARCA garage than the orange-and-white colors of the No. 2 Adcox Chevy.

In an era exponentially more dangerous than today, Adcox made a name for himself with his fearless driving style at the most menacing tracks on the circuit, and that fearlessness paid off to the tune of six superspeedway victories and an everlasting legacy as perhaps the most dominant driver in ARCA’s most daring discipline. 

While Adcox dominated ARCA’s earlier days at superspeedways, it was Bobby Gerhart that held the title of being the preeminent superspeedway power during what many consider ARCA’s golden era.

Gerhart scored nine career victories, all of which came at superspeedways with 8 at Daytona and another at Talladega. Gerhart’s success at Daytona included two separate streaks of three straight wins, as he won three in a row from ‘05 to ’07 and again won three straight from ‘10 to ‘12. Although Gerhart’s operation was only a single-car effort with less funding than some of his contemporaries, Gerhart’s superspeedway program was always top-of-the-line.

Racing during a time mostly dominated by up-and-coming youngsters using the series as a stepping stone towards something bigger, Gerhart made a…