ARLINGTON — Rand McNally and USA Today are conducting their annual “Best of the Road” contest, and M.J. Drush thinks Arlington has a shot at putting itself on the map.

Drush, the president of the Downtown Arlington Business Association, explained that one of the categories in the “Best of the Road” contest is “Friendliest Small Town,” for towns and cities with populations of 150,000 or less.

“Walla Walla was the top vote-getter in the ‘Friendliest’ category last year, and it did it with only 387 votes,” Drush said. “We can win this thing.”

Drush came to Arlington as a Navy wife who had never visited the town before, but she’s fallen so much in love with it that she wants her hometown to receive the national exposure that would come with winning the title.

“Rand McNally and USA Today would come with film crews and ready to write articles about us,” Drush said.

Although the number of online votes cast at bestoftheroad.com is a criterion for the contest, Drush added that the “Best of the Road” contest organizers are also looking for enthusiasm and anecdotes about each of the towns for whom people vote in the various categories.

“Everyone loves something different about Arlington,” Drush said. “For me, it’s the small-town atmosphere. I love Olympic Avenue and the downtown businesses. When I go to the Rocket Alley Bar and Grill or the Local Scoop Restaurant, I feel like I know all the people there. I just want everyone to go online and cast their votes and say what they love about Arlington, because I’ve never been disappointed by it.”

The contest deadline is Tuesday, May 15.