ARCA West 2021 At Irwindale: Race Preview

August 21, 2021 “NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Sunrise Ford at Irwindale Speedway” Irwindale, CA (150 laps/75 miles)

By Nascarvd Nascarvédé

 

Here we are at the mid-season of the ARCA Menards West Series. And what could be better than returning to the magnificent half mile of Irwindale, CA. We were there not too long ago since it was July 3rd. A race won by the 2020 champion Jesse Love.

 

Looking forward to more of these views Saturday 😍@Irwindale_Spdwy | @_TrackPass

📝: https://t.co/sQbvhacfw6 pic.twitter.com/kieSheCbP2

— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) August 17, 2021

 

I'm not going to redo the presentation of the oval, just to point out that Bill McAnally Racing is increasing his lead even further in terms of victory since this figure is now 15 out of 29 races. Very very far ahead of Bruncati Racing (4) and Performance P-1 Motorsports (1).

 

This will therefore be the 30th race of the West Series on this oval since 1999.

 

Beautiful entry list made up of 20 drivers including a newcomer in the person of the Colombian Sebastian Arias. A very "international" list but I suggest you see all this in detail now.

 

#08 John Wood

Discreet, but so appreciated, return to Colorado for our veteran who led his Chevrolet to 12th position.v

This will be his 5th race at Irwindale, the first since 2016. His best result being a 16th position in 2014 and 2016. It will be his 86th start in the West Series. Mike Holleran will be the crew chief. A largely century-old duo (almost 118 years old!) If we add their respective ages!

 

#4 Eric Nascimento, Jr.

Bubba had a great race in Colorado getting 5th position. With his family team, he should be a strong candidate for the top 5 because he has shown that he knows how to use the excellent Toyota from Don Wood's Velocity Racing team. His crew chief will again be a Nascimento with Henry at the helm and no longer his father Mike.

 

#5 Sebastian Arias

The Bogota, Colombia native, he will make his West Series debut. But he will immediately have an excellent car as he will drive the #5 entered by BMR. Aged 21, he started karting at the age of 11. And then ... Not much to say about his career. A career, so far funded by his father, which he will really start at a high level here at Irwindale. He will have the opportunity to show his skills in two more races in Las Vegas and Phoenix. He hopes to be full-time in 2022. He will be the 84th driver to compete in a West race for BMR but the first to use the #5. Gary Collins will be the crew chief.

 

#6 Trevor Huddleston

Trevor knows this oval perfectly, he won his first career victory in 2019 and last year he finished 2nd behind Jesse Love. But he was only 6th this year. Before another disappointment in Colorado with a modest 10th position. To his defense, there were problems with engine cut-offs causing him to lose a lap that he will not be able to resume. Truly a difficult season for the experienced Bruncati Racing driver.

 

#7 Takuma Koga

Another driver to experience terrible bad luck this season. On paper, Takuma had to explode his stats with Jerry Pitts' #7. But the reality is quite different. Mechanical problem or accident… In July in Irwindale, he was hooked by Amber Balcaen. This means that his 10th position obtained in 2020 still remains his one and only top10 here despite 11 starts.

 

Like John Wood, this Saturday will be his 86th career start.

 

#8 Johnny Borneman, III

It's his oval! 12 top10s in 22 races. The most experienced of all the drivers entered, since it will be his 122nd start this Saturday, hopes so much to obtain his first victory on this oval. He finished 8th in July crossing the finish line epically as he climbed Todd Souza's car at the same time. Will there be a scent of revenge in the air? It's up to Tony Caputo, his crew chief, to find the right words to calm Johnny's ardor!

 

#9 Jake Drew

4th here in July, he got a 3rd position in Colorado. The rookie is in good shape and improving race after race. It does honor to Bob Bruncati, talent scout since 2004! He will be a serious contender for victory.

 

#13 Todd Souza

Until this year, Irwindale had never really succeeded in Todd with a mere 10th position as the best result in 7 races. But 2021 is an incredible season for him and he was able to transcend himself and get a 7th position in July after having made "buddy-buddy" with Johnny Borneman. In Colorado he finished 7th again. He's no longer the championship leader, but he remains in the title race. For a full time driver, he has the best position average at the start of the races with 4.0 and still has the 2nd best average at the finish with 6.8. Just behind Cole Moore (6.3). This will be his 93rd race in the West Series.

 

#16 Jesse Love

100% victory at Irwindale as in two races he has known nothing but the joys of Victory Lane. If the championship leader wins the race for the 3rd time in a row, he will join Brendan Gaughan, Jason Bowles and Todd Gilliland, the only other drivers to have achieved this performance at Irwindale.

 

#19 Amber Balcaen

The Canadian made her West Series debut here in July. A relatively disappointing race. If she had been able to keep a pace close to the top10, her accident on the 117th lap did not allow her to materialize. It's up to her to use her experience in the field to join the top10.

 

#27 Bobby Hillis, Jr.

It will be his 85th career start, 12th at Irwindale and surely his first top10 here! Finally, I hope I will bring him luck since the fluorescent yellow Chevrolet #27 will have nice VD stickers on its body! I invite you to read the interview with Bobby that I conducted and which is available on the website www.KickinTheTires.net by clicking on the following link: www.kickinthetires.net/nascar/arca/bobby-hillis-jr- the-ultimate-underdog /

 

#31 Paul Pedroncelli

He took a liking to it! It will be his 4th career race. After retiring due to a transmission problem in Colorado, he hopes to do as well as in July when he posted his career best result with an 11th place finish.

 

#33 Paul Pedroncelli, Jr.

The impressive start to the season came to a halt in July when P.J. retired due to engine failure. But in Colorado, he showed that his performances at Phoenix and Sonoma were no fluke as he got a new top10 with the 6th position. He hopes that his 4th attempt at Irwindale will finally be crowned with success.

 

#38 Hiroyuki Ueno

He learns and has fun at the same time. But Hiroyuki isn't ridiculous either. In addition, he shows us that he has the combative spirit of "never give up". Because despite an accident, he had returned to the track after long repairs in Colorado to cross the finish line.

 

#51 Dean Thompson

What happened in Colorado? Only 11th after a difficult end of the race. But it’s Dean’s time to return to the top of the rankings. In July, he took pole and finished 2nd behind Jesse Love. Still 4th in the championship, he's only 9 points behind the leader.

 

#54 Joey Iest

First victory in his pocket, obtained in Colorado, Joey finally seems to have rid himself of the bad luck that stuck to his skin in the West Series. A victory that will call others, I'm sure. And why not this Saturday? He had already performed very well in July by obtaining the 3rd position.

 

#77 Mariah Boudrieau

After a first race at home in Colorado, Mariah was able to find the budget to put her first experience in the West Series to good use and try to get her first top10. The PP1M team has already experienced victory here with Joe Bean on August 19th…. 2000. It's not yesterday, isn't it ? LOL. At the wheel of Toyota #77 Nick Joanides had obtained the 9th position in July. So we know what the car is worth.

 

#80 Brian Kaminsky

Brian has already done 3 races in the West Series between 2020 and this year. But all on road tracks. So seeing him registered for Irwindale is above all a surprise. It's impossible to know what the Californian will manage to do with a chassis that works well in the "road" configuration since it has already obtained two top10s ... But we do not know anything in the "short track" configuration.

 

#88 Bridget Burgess

The 9th position in Colorado made us forget her accident in July at Irwindale where her best result is still her 12th position obtained last year. But the Australian family aims to do much better this time around.

 

#99 Cole Moore

For his first race in West at Irwindale last July, Cole was able to finish 5th after a modest qualifying session (10th). He knows by heart this oval which he frequents in BMRDA races. Second in the championship just 2 points behind Jesse Love, the battle between the BMR drivers promises to be superb. Cole's ambition is nothing more and nothing less than getting his first victory this Saturday.

 

 

Now it's time for the show.

 

Have a good race!v

All results here: https://www.racing-reference.info/entrylist/2021-05/AW/

 

 

source: Nascarvd Nascarvédé

ARCA West 2021 At Colorado: Race Preview

July 31, 2021 “NAPA Auto Parts Colorado 150” (150 laps/50 miles)

By Nascarvd Nascarvédé

 

Almost a month's wait since the Irwindale race! But our patience is rewarded with a nice entry list of 18 drivers. Especially since this race has not seen so many entrants since 2018. With even a sad record of only 11 drivers last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

This .375-mile paved oval bullring still offers a lot of spectacles. This will be the 19th race of the West Series here since 1995. As often it's Bill McAnally Racing who holds the record for wins with eight, the last two with Hailie Deegan in 2019 and Jesse Love last year.

 

Eternal rival Bruncati Racing follow with three. Jesse Love had totally dominated this race in 2020 en route to his first championship. Note that Chris Eggleston with 3 successes is the most victorious driver in history at the Colorado National Speedway.

 

The key to success will be tire management because the race takes place in one segment and it's forbidden (except punctures) to change tires throughout the race.

 

With good reason, @cnsracing is a popular stop for the ARCA Menards Series West

📝: https://t.co/uyUqNMI9JO pic.twitter.com/t7j3GKTKuZ

— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) July 29, 2021

 

I've said everything about this track in previous years so I'm going to focus on the entry list.

 

#4 Eric Nascimento

The Nascimento family made a deal with Velocity Racing, the family team that raced Jack Wood in the West Series in previous seasons, to use one of their cars. A good car because Jack had shown it was fast. Let's just hope the reliability is there this time around. The team uses the #4, the owner's license of which belongs to Bill McAnally Racing. That's why Alex McAnally's name is on the entry list. But the Nascimento family will take care of everything. Father Mike being the crew chief. This will be Eric's first West Series oval race after a successful run in Sonoma in June.

 

#6 Trevor Huddleston

The CNS is a short track that is doing well for Trevor as he had 1 top5 and 3 top10 in 3 races. Best result, a 3rd position in 2018. He got the 6th position at Irwindale, his best result this season. Now is the time to prove he can still win races. His 6th position in the championship is not worthy of a driver whose in his 4th full season in a top team like Bruncati Racing and with Bill Sedgwick as crew chief

 

#7 Takuma Koga

Irwindale’s race ended violently in the wall for Takuma following contact with Amber Balcaen. It’s one of his worst start to a career. But if you look at the stats, in recent years it's always in the 4th race of the season that Takuma gets his first top10. Regarding Jerry Pitts’s team, 3 races without a top10, this had never happened. But the potential is there. In addition, the CNS is precisely the type of bullring that Takuma likes. In 4 races here, he got 2 top10s.

 

#08 John Wood

What a pleasure to see John behind the wheel, who had been absent last season due to the pandemic. He obtained two top10s in 8 races at the CNS, including a superb 6th position in 2019. The best career result in 84 starts. Eternal friend Mike Holleran will be the crew chief.

 

#9 Jake Drew

A pole at Sonoma, a nice 4th position at Irwindale. The rookie seems to be comfortable regardless of the type of circuit. He and his crew chief Jeff Schrader seem to have found a perfect alchemy and he will be a serious candidate for the 2021 title of champion.

 

#13 Todd Souza

The experienced driver from Watsonville, CA is having the season of his life this year. 3 top10 in 3 races and leadership in the championship tied with Dean Thompson. The CNS is an oval that Todd appreciates with 4 top10s in 5 races including a 3rd position in 2019 as the best result. Last year he only finished 8th following an accident. CCR held a private session with two cars in preparation for this race.

 

#16 Jesse Love

Last year he dominated the race and claimed his third victory of the season. Leading him straight to the title of champion. This year for Jesse, the results are like a roller coaster! One race is fine and the next one is not. 6th in Phoenix, 19th in Sonoma and 1st in Irwindale. I hope Jesse will make the stats lie and have two good results in a row this season! If he wins, Jesse would join the very select club of drivers who have won the Colorado race twice in a row. A club currently made up of two members, Mike Duncan and Chris Eggleston.

 

#19 Jolynn Wilkinson

JoJo  will be making his West Series debut. She who drives in SLM and participates in the BMR Drivers Academy this year will be at the wheel of the 3rd car from BMR, the #19. A car that has been successively driven by Derek Kraus, Eric Nascimento and Amber Balcaen this season. She will be the 7th driver to use the #19 since BMR was created in 1992. And let’s note that after Hailie Deegan and Amber Balcaen, she will be the 3rd girl to ride with the #19. John Camilleri will be her crew chief.

 

#21 Josh Fanopoulos

What a pleasure to see that Josh has found a good sponsor who should allow him to participate in all races this season. Change of number for the occasion. But it’s still John Wood’s team. Joe Daley will be the crew chief.

 

#27 Bobby Hillis, Jr.

It's not just Todd Souza having his best career start to the season, Bobby is also. With 2 top10s in 3 races. To avoid damaging his new car, the old Kamree will be released at the CNS. A car known for its slowness but which is a favorite with spectators. Oddly enough, despite a career that started in 2001, this will only be Bobby's 4th race on the CNS (2004, 2019-2020).

 

#31 Paul Pedroncelli

The father seems to have taken a liking to the West Series. What was to be a one shot in Sonoma has been going on ever since. And that's good ! But like in Irwindale, in the event of a problem with P.J.'s car, Chevrolet #31 will be renumbered as #33 because it's first and foremost the son's backup car. But to prove the seriousness of the Pedroncellis' approach, Rodd Kneeland will once again be the crew chief. Especially since the father is getting closer to the top10. 13th in Sonoma and 11th in Irwindale.

 

#33 Paul Pedroncelli, Jr.

Did P.J. and his crew chief Ty Joiner dream of such a start to the season? I honestly don't think so. Because without this engine failure at Irwindale, P.J. would not be “only” 7th in the championship. But he's only 11 points behind the leader. The dream can still go on. It will be his first race at the CNS.

 

#38 Hiroyuki Ueno

Our Japanese friend is playing overtime with an extra race. And that's good. Because he was not unworthy at Irwindale. On the contrary, his race was serious and the goal of learning perfectly fulfilled. The Ford #38 is not the fastest car, that's for sure, but this chassis has a great merit, that of having allowed so many drivers to cut their teeth in the West Series in the last few years. Mike Holleran having the gift of splitting himself, he will also be the crew chief of #38, just as he is also of #08. But since the two cars are from the same team, that makes things easier!

 

#51 Dean Thompson

15th in Phoenix, 6th in Sonoma and 2nd in Irwindale (with pole). The rookie impresses everyone. Oh yes, I forgot to say that he's also the leader of the championship! The association between Bruncati Racing and High Point Racing is a perfect success. As does the relationship between Dean and his crew chief Travis Thirkettle. This is definitely THE SURPRISE of the year. I have no doubts that #51 will be on Victory Lane before the end of the season.

 

#54 Joey Iest

FINALLY !!! It took 7 races to finally see Joey get his first career top10 (3rd at Irwindale). Yet in each race, he was among the fastest. But incredible bad luck followed him like its shadow. Mike Naake can catch his breath. Joey is talented and with high spirits, he will be formidable this weekend!

 

#77 Mariah Boudrieau

The Colorado driver will make her debut on a track she knows all about. An advantage especially with the limited practice time provided by ARCA at the CNS. Another advantage for Mariah is to start with a team renowned for the quality of its equipment. The #77 of PP1M being regularly in the top10. Joe Nava and his team have been participating in the West Series since 1998 and have 5 wins, 27 top5, 76 top10 and 2 poles in 181 races. Mariah will be the 23rd driver of the team and the 2nd woman after Michelle Theriault in 2005. Dave McKenzie will be the crew chief.

 

#88 Bridget Burgess

After a great race in Sonoma, Irwindale’s one will not leave good memories for the Burgess family. Not fast enough and ultimately the collateral victim of an accident. 10th last year at the CNS, she has the potential to do better.

 

#99 Cole Moore

Ultra domineering in BMRDA races, Cole has a little more trouble in the West Series. Yet the results are good. 4th in Sonoma and 5th in Irwindale. But despite everything, Cole seems a tone lower and is not yet contending for the win. But it's only a matter of time and his crew chief Mario Isola is a great asset. The level this year in the West Series is incredible with many contenders for victory in every race. He finished 14th in 2016 for his only race at the CNS.

 

Now it's time for the show.

 

Have a good race!

 

All results here

 

 

source:  Nascarvd Nascarvédé