The ARTGO Challenge Series was a

late model Late Model stock car racing, also known as late model racing and late models, refers to a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other primarily on oval tracks. This type of racing was early-on ...

short track racing series that ran in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

from 1975 until 1998. Many race car drivers used the ARTGO series as a stepping stone to get into

ASA Asa may refer to: People and fictional characters * Asa (given name), a given name, including a list of people and fictional characters so named * Asa people, an ethnic group based in Tanzania * Aṣa, Nigerian-French singer, songwriter, and reco ...

, ARCA, and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

. Art Frigo created the series with the help of Bob Roper and John McKarns. He came up with the name by taking his first full name and the last two letters of his last name, coming up with the name ARTGO. The first race was held on September 7, 1975, at the Grundy County Speedway in

Morris, Illinois Morris is a city in and the county seat of Grundy County, Illinois, Grundy County, Illinois, United States and part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 14,163 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A team of ...

. The inaugural Wayne Carter Classic was won by Tom Reffner. Frigo sold the series to John & Sue McKarns in 1979. In 1998 the McKarns licensed the name to NASCAR and NASCAR took full control of the series. The series went through different name changes with different title sponsors, including the RE/MAX Challenge Series, International Truck & Engine Midwest Series, and finally the AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series. Under the NASCAR era, the series had identical rules to three other NASCAR regional series (Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest). In 2006, after dwindling car counts and lack of races on the schedule NASCAR finally shut down the AutoZone Elite Division. To replace the NASCAR Midwest Series, the ASA Midwest Tour was created in 2007 by Racing Speed Associates, LLC as a new touring series that was similar in format to the former ARTGO Challenge Series. The ARTGO series had drivers like

Paul Menard John Paul Christian Menard (born August 21, 1980) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver who currently competes full-time in the Trans-Am Series, driving the No. 3 Ford Mustang for 3GT Racing. Menard is the 2024 Trans-Am ...

Matt Kenseth Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and the current competition advisor for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series. Most recently, he raced part-time in the Superstar Racing Exper ...

(2003

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

Champion), Butch Miller, Dick Trickle, Joe Shear, Jim Sauter, Eddie Hoffman, Steve Carlson, Kevin Cywinski, Jim Weber, Justin Diercks, Tim Schendel, Jason Schuler and Jeff Frederickson.

Past ASA/ARCA Midwest Tour Champions

*2023 - Gabe Sommers *2022 - Casey Johnson *2021 - Ty Majeski *2020 - Casey Johnson *2019 - Casey Johnson *2018 - Dalton Zehr *2017 - Ty Majeski *2016 - Ty Majeski *2015 - Ty Majeski *2014 -

Ty Majeski Tyler Brad Majeski (born August 18, 1994) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 98 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing, as well as in late model racing. He ha ...

*2013 - Dan Fredrickson *2012 - Jonathan Eilen *2011 - Andrew Morrissey *2010 - Steve Carlson *2009 - Steve Carlson *2008 - Dan Fredrickson *2007 - Nathan Haseleu

Past NASCAR/Midwest Champions

*2006 - Tim Schendel *2005 - Justin Diercks *2004 - Justin Diercks *2003 - Steve Carlson *2002 - Steve Carlson *2001 - Steve Carlson *2000 - Steve Carlson *1999 - Brian Hoppe *1998 - Brian Hoppe*

Past ARTGO Champions

*1997 - Eddie Hoffman *1996 - Steve Carlson *1995 - Kevin Cywinski *1994 - Steve Carlson *1993 - Jim Weber *1992 - Jim Weber *1991 - Steve Carlson *1990 - Steve Carlson *1989 - Joe Shear *1988 - Butch Miller *1987 - Dick Trickle *1986 - Joe Shear *1985 - Dick Trickle *1984 - Dick Trickle *1983 - Dick Trickle *1982 - Jim Sauter *1981 - Jim Sauter *1980 - Dick Trickle *1979 - Dick Trickle *1978 - Tom Reffner *1977 - Dick Trickle *1976 - Dave Watson *1975 - Tom Reffner

External links

NASCAR Touring SeriesPhil Pash's World of WheelsARTGO Challenge Series (1975-1997) archive
at The Third Turn
NASCAR Midwest Series (1998–2006) archive
at The Third Turn
NASCAR Midwest Series (1998–2006) archive
at Racing-Reference Stock car racing series in the United States NASCAR series Sports in the Midwestern United States Recurring events established in 1975 Organizations disestablished in 2006 {{NASCAR-stub