Mike Basham (racing Driver)

Mike Basham (born June 20, 1968) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes part-time in both the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 10/12 Ford/ Toyota for Fast Track Racing. He is the son of long time ARCA Menards Series driver Darrell Basham.

Racing career

In 2001, Basham would make his debut in the ARCA Re/Max Series at Gateway, driving the No. 34 Chevrolet for father Darrell's family owned team, finishing 28th due to overheating issues. He would make four more starts during the year with a best finish of 22nd at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds dirt track. Basham would run three more races over the next two years spitting between driving for his family owned team and Brad Smith's team.

After spending twelve years on the sidelines, Basham would return to the series in 2015, driving in three races for Darrell Basham Racing in the No. 34 with a best finish of fifteenth at the Illinois State Fairgrounds dirt track. It was also during this year that he would run select races in the Indiana Late Model Series, where he would finish tenth in points with a best finish of sixth at Movieland Speedpark. He would return in 2016, running a majority of the schedule with the same family owned team, this time in collaboration with Mullins Racing, where he would finish tenth in the points standings with a best finish of tenth at Springfield. He would remain with the team for 2017, finishing thirteenth in the final points standings with a best finish of thirteenth at Winchester Speedway and Salem Speedway. For 2018, in addition to running with the same teams before, Basham also ran for Kimmel Racing for the first Pocono Raceway race that year, finishing 28th due to overheating issues. He would once again place thirteenth in the standings with a best finish of eleventhth at Elko Speedway.

Prior to the 2019 season, Basham stated that he had no plans to compete in the series. He would eventually split time between Fast Track Racing, Kimmel Racing, and Darrell Basham Racing, where he would finish the season seventeenth in the standings having run only ten races in the schedule, with a best finish of thirteenth at Lucas Oil Raceway and Salem.

In 2020, Basham would return to Fast Track Racing driving for a majority of the races that season, including a collaboration with Fast Track and Chad Bryant Racing at the Kansas Speedway finale in the No. 77 Ford, where he would finish twelfth, albeit nine laps down. Throughout that year, Basham would achieve three top-ten finishes, including a career best sixth-place finish at Springfield, and finished a career best eighth in the standings. In addition, Basham would also run in three ARCA Menards Series East starts in combination races with the main ARCA Menards Series with a best finish of twelfth at Toledo Speedway. Basham would return to Fast Track for one race in 2021, running in Berlin Raceway, where he would finish sixteenth due to handling issues.

In 2023, it was revealed that Basham would return to the series at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, driving for Kimmel Racing in the No. 69 Ford. After placing thirteenth in the sole practice session, he would go on to qualify in seventeenth, but would finish 24th after running eleven laps due to brake issues. It was also revealed a month later that Basham would run for the team at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he would start 28th and finish 32nd after running nine laps due to mechanical issues. He ran the season finale at Toledo, where he would only complete eleven laps before retiring from the event, finishing seventeenth.

In 2024, it was revealed that Basham would drive the No. 10 Ford for Fast Track Racing at the season opening race for the ARCA Menards Series East at Five Flags Speedway. After placing twelfth in the lone practice session, he qualified in tenth and finished in sixth place, albeit five laps down to race winner Gio Ruggiero.

Personal life

Basham is the older brother of Jason Basham, who has previously competed in ARCA from 2003 to 2013.

Motorsports career results

ARCA Menards Series

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series East

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Basham, Mike
1968 births
Living people
Racing drivers from Indiana
ARCA Menards Series drivers
People from Henryville, Indiana
NASCAR drivers
Sportspeople from the Louisville metropolitan area