Bobby Dale Earnhardt Running Full ARCA Season With Rise

Bobby Dale Earnhardt plans to compete full time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2026 with Rise Motorsports, both parties announced Nov. 19.

Though Earnhardt’s car number for the season was not announced, Rise has fielded the No. 31 in past years.

It’ll be Earnhardt’s first full-time season in ARCA. He has five starts in the series, two in 2025 and three in 2017.

In 2025, while driving for Rise, he earned a best finish of 26th at Kansas Speedway. His best lifetime result of 19th came at Elko Speedway in 2017.

2025 ARCA Menards Series Awards

“We’re thrilled to have Bobby join our program for the 2026 season,” Rise owner Tim Goulet said in a release. “He’s hungry, he’s focused and he connects with fans in a way that perfectly fits with the vision of our team. This is a big move for Rise Motorsports, and we’re ready to take the next step together.”

“I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity with Rise Motorsports,” Earnhardt added. “This team believes in what we can accomplish, and that fires me up. We’re building something strong for 2026, and I can’t wait to hit the track and show what this group is capable of.”

Rise’s best result in 2025 in the national ARCA series came at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds via a seventh-place finish by Chase Howard.

Executive Editor at Frontstretch

Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.

At his day job, he’s a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio — you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.