NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series

The ARTGO Challenge Series was a United States midwest late model short track racing series that ran from 1975 until 1998. Many race car drivers have used the ARTGO series as a stepping stone to get into ASA, ARCA, and NASCAR.

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. 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 ARCA Midwest Tour (ASA Midwest Tour 2007-2012) 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, Matt Kenseth (2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion), Eddie Hoffman, Steve Carlson, Kevin Cywinski, Jim Weber, and Jeff Frederickson.

...
Wikipedia