NASCAR announced on Friday that it has acquired the Automobile Racing Club of America, better known as ARCA. The move is expected to contribute to the growth of NASCAR as its top series prepare for major changes in the coming years.

ARCA and NASCAR have been intertwined in many ways for the better part of 60 years, with ARCA founder John Marcum racing against NASCAR co-founder Bill France Sr. many years ago. In addition to that, there have been ARCA drivers that have made the move to NASCAR including Truck and Xfinity Series drivers like Noah Gragson, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric and more.

"Our NASCAR family has long had a special connection with our friends at ARCA, and this is a logical step in demonstrating our commitment to the next generation of racers," said Jim France, NASCAR vice chairman in a release, executive vice president and member of the sport's founding family. "This continues the legacy our sport was built upon and will deliver the great racing our fans expect."

ARCA will remain under it's current structure through the 2019 season before joining the NASCAR family. This year's series includes 20 races, including nine at NASCAR national series tracks and three at NASCAR Whelen Series tracks.

While it was not made clear in the official announcement, this move could very well be a stepping stone in NASCAR acquiring more tracks for anticipated schedule changes down the road. Fans and popular drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. have been advocating for more short tracks to be added to the schedule. ARCA provides the perfect bridge for executives to enter that sort of negotiation.

"We are proud of the history and tradition of the ARCA Racing Series and the relationship we've built over six decades with NASCAR," said Ron Drager, ARCA president and grandson of John Marcum to NASCAR. "We look forward to the opportunity to be more fully integrated with NASCAR and help shape the future of our sport."