By Vincent Delforge, Special to kickinthetires.net
This Friday, November 4 will be the ARCA Menards West Series 2022 Finals at Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, AZ, the 11th race of an exciting and competitive season, the 1004th in history.
From the start of the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 Jake Drew will be made official champion 2022. Drew who will have had a remarkable season punctuated by four victories, nine top-fives and 10 top-10s so far. Stats that he could improve since at the start of the season, here, he finished fifth. What remains this year his second worst result after the eighth position on the Las Vegas Bullring.
As you will have seen, there is no danger for Drew unlike last year when he finished tied on points with Jesse Love but lost the title in the number of victories, two to zero.
This 50th race in history in Phoenix already promises us a great show because in addition to the regular drivers of the West Series, many are those evolving in the East or in the ARCA national series who have decided to make the trip. Among them we find Taylor Gray, winner here in March. But also Sammy Smith the recent double champion of the East or Jesse Love, former double champion of the West Series (2020 – 2021) to name but a few.
We will also have two beginners with Zach Herrin or Jalen Mack.
The race will consist of 100 laps for 100 miles. The start will be given at 11:30 am (MT). The race will be preceded by a practice and a qualifying session the day before on November 3.
Race procedures
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 is limited to 30 plus provisional positions. This event will run under the 2022 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.
QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap in the practice / qualifying session.
RACE PIT STOP: Break pitting procedure. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started. Break at or near the conclusion of Lap 50.
The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: The maximum tire use at track for the event is 10. Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is four (4): two for break, two for emergency use.
ARCA West at Las Vegas Bullring
This will be the 50th race on this tri-oval one-mile located in the middle of the desert since 1977 and Cale Yarbourough’s victory.
As far as statistics are concerned, of the 49 races already contested in Phoenix Raceway we can highlight:
-Ken Schrader is the mos successful pilot with four wins. Richard Petty, Greg Pursley and Ty Gibbs follows with three. In all, 37 different drivers have won at least one race.
-Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet leads the dance with 16 wins ahead of Ford (13), Toyota (9), Pontiac (6), Dodge (3) and Buick (2).
-Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet leads with 21 poles ahead of Ford (12), Toyota (6), Dodge (4), Pontiac (3) and Buick (3).
-The most successful team is Bill McAnally Racing with five wins. Petty Enterprises, Gene Price Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing follows with three wins each.
-Concerning the poles, Gene Price Motorsports and Duncan Racing are the most successful teams with four.
-The track record is owned by Ty Gibbs for Joe Gibbs Racing at 135.064 mph achieved in 2021.
-The poleman has won the race 13 times.
-Ricky Rudd won the race in 1995 from 29th position on the starting grid, which is a record.
-As far as yellow flags are concerned, the record is 11 in 2010. The 2006 April race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 59.
-Note that from 1988 to 1996 the Phoenix race was combined with the NASCAR Cup Series.
It’s time to review the entry list made up of 32 pilots.
The Drivers
No. 01 Zack Herrin (Fast Track Racing)
The 26-year-old from Glendale, CA will be making his West Series debut for the team led by Andy Hillenburg. He paused his motorcycle and karting racing career in 2017, which began in 2012. The pause from from Herrin’s being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, which was not as well accepted at the time.
He made the decision to return to competition at the start of the year. but this time on four wheels. He had tested an ARCA car at Daytona in January for Fast Track Racing. His presence in Phoenix, which he discovers, is to prepare for a potential 2023 season in ARCA. Mike Sroufe, his crew chief already knows Phoenix for having raced there in the West but also in the Xfinity Series ten years ago.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a |
No. 02 Katie Hettinger (Young’s Motorsports)
After a lackluster debut in Las Vegas following an accident at the very start of the race, the young 15-year-old driver intends to show everyone that her speed in qualifying at the Bullring was no coincidence. She will discover Phoenix and Andrew Abbott will be her crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23rd | n/a |
No. 04 Sean Hingorani (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
May Sean finally experience a race without mechanical problems or accidents. Because his talent was not rewarded at its fair value during his first four career races. He does, however, arrive with newfound confidence as he has just secured a seventh-place finish out of 34 drivers at Kern County, CA in the SRL Southwest tour with Nascimento Motorsports. If he has never won here, his crew chief Ty Joiner is however a regular at the top-fives and top-10s. A great addition for Sean, newcomer here.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12th | n/a |
No. 05 Dave Smith (Shockwave Racing)
The Canadian veteran will debut in Phoenix, his first one-mile oval in a West Series car. His goal will be to have fun while aiming for the best possible result. To do this, he will have to avoid problems, including mechanical ones, as was the case during his first three races. Dave Fuge will once again be his crew chief and that could help Smith a lot since Fuge already has some great Phoenix experience in the NASCAR National Series.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th | n/a |
No. 1 Jake Finch (Phoenix Racing)
The son of James Finch, after making his West Series debut at Irwindale last July where he finished in a good sixth position, is back with his crew chief Johnny Allen. A partnership that worked well in the East and in the ARCA National Series this year with a top-five, six top-10s and a pole obtained in Nashville. He will discover Phoenix.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6th | n/a |
No. 4 Sebastian Arias (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
The young Colombian will start his seventh race this year in the West Series. He was already present in Phoenix at the start of the season. Moreover, this will be his third race here where he has already obtained a 26th and a 25th position for his first steps in the series. Today, he has more experience and should evolve in the top-15 at least. As usual Mike Nascimento will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 7 (+1 DNS) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8th (2x) | 2 starts, best result 25th |
No. 6 Jake Drew (Bruncati Racing)
Without any pressure since the simple fact of taking the start offers him the crown of champion 2022, Drew will be keen to end the season in style. An exceptional season. If he finishes in the top-10, he will be the first driver in history to achieve the feat of having finished all races in the same season in the top-10.
He finished fifth at the start of the year here. If he gets pole position, he will allow Bill Sedgwick, his crew chief, to equal the record of 47 poles held by Richard Elder since… 1975! Sedgwick who already has a winning history in Phoenix.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 19 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 7 | 1st (4x) | 3 starts, best result : 5th |
No. 7 Takuma Koga (Jerry Pitts Racing)
His 100th career race was not a success in Las Vegas, so for his 101st, which will also be his 10th in Phoenix, Koga is hoping to turn the odds on his side. Performing well at the start of the season here, he was a candidate for a possible top-10 during the first 100 laps before losing pace in the last 50.
Here, since there will only be 100 laps, this should bode well for a good result to end the season. A year made ups and downs, however, remains his best in career. Denny Moyer will be his crew chief as since the sixth race of the season at Irwindale.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 100 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 5th (4x) | 9 starts, best result : 15th |
No. 9 Tanner Reif (Bruncati Racing)
For his debut in Phoenix, as a rookie, he had a solid race in March even if the final result (16th) does not reflect his overall performance. With his crew chief Jeff Schrader, he intends to take advantage of all the experience acquired during the season and maintain his second position in the championship against Cole Moore, over whom he only has a small point lead.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 10 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1st (2x) | 1 start, best result 16th |
No. 11 Chris Lowden (Lowden Jackson Motorsports)
At the beginning of the year, with the No. 21 he had had a complicated race in Phoenix with an accident during the practice and then an incident during his stop at the pit box during the race, forcing him to retire. The objective will be to finish the race and avoid, if possible, hitting the front bumper of a car driven by a female driver, as was the case during the last two races in Roseville and Las Vegas! In both cases, he was not for much, let us specify. Dave Jackson will be his crew chief as usual.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12th (2x) | 1 start, best result : 31st |
No. 13 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing)
After having experienced a complicated race in Las Vegas, the most experienced driver in Phoenix, since this will be his 13th start here, has every intention of ending the season on a positive note. As a reminder, he said at the start of the year that this would be his last full-time season. But since Todd Souza is still a fast and formidable opponent, I would bet my hand that he will return next year full time. Michael Munoz, his crew chief, being of this opinion.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 107 | 1 | 18 | 60 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 12 starts, best result : 7th |
No. 15 Parker Chase (Venturini Motorsports)
Chase knows Phoenix well since he has already raced there twice with a best result of 13th position in 2021. At the start of the season, he had qualified well but had problems during the race, causing him to lose several laps on the leaders. With Doug George, his crew chief, he hopes to finally get a top-10 in the West Series.
As a reminder, George is a crew chief who had many successes in the early 2000s, among other things with Austin Cameron as a pilot. Without forgetting that he was also a talented driver in the West Series with six victories and the championship title in 1995.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13th | 2 starts, best result : 13th |
No. 16 Landen Lewis (Bill McAnally Racing)
Since joining BMR à Irwindale, Lewis has never been closer to victory than at the last race in Las Vegas. Not having done the first races of the season, he will discover Phoenix. Charlie Wilson, his crew chief, knows the way to Victory Lane in Phoenix, it was in 2003 and 2004 with Scott Lynch.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1st (1x) | n/a |
No. 17 Buddy Shepherd (McGowan Motorsports with Cook Racing Technologies)
For his return after three years of absence, Shepherd was excellent in Las Vegas, finishing in fifth position. It will be his first race in Phoenix but with a team that already won here exactly ten years ago with David Mayhew. Derek Peebles will once again be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 8 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3rd | n/a |
No. 18 Sammy Smith (Kyle Busch Motorsports)
The two-time East Series champion (2021-2022) has sparkled in every race this year, including in the ARCA National Series with six wins and 15 top-fives in 16 races! Without forgetting his successful debut in the Xfinity Series with, among other things, a third position at Watkins Glen.
In the West Series he only raced in Phoenix and did pretty well with two third places and a pole at the start of the year here. With his usual crew chief Mark McFarland, he will be a serious candidate for victory, no doubt about it.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3rd (2x) | 2 starts, best result 3rd (2x) |
No. 20 Jesse Love (Venturini Motorsports)
We no longer need to introduce Jesse Love, double champion of the West Series in 2020 and 2021. He has since been evolving in the ARCA Menards national series with success since in 14 races this year, he won one and made 12 top-10s . Curiously he never did better than sixth in four races at Phoenix. Shannon Rursch will be his crew chief at Venturini as always this year.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 21 | 5 | 13 | 16 | 4 | 1st (5x) | 4 starts, best result 6th (2x) |
No. 21 RJ Smotherman (Lowden Jackson Motorsports with Holleran-Wood Racing))
For Smotherman it will be the first time in Phoenix and on a one-mile oval. After the disappointment in Las Vegas where the top10 was once again possible, it should return to the ranks in Phoenix due to a chassis that is too typical for small short tracks. But the experience gained will be useful for the future. Dave Jackson will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7th | n/a |
No. 25 Conner Jones (Venturini Motorsports)
Another Venturini driver! Jones has already raced in Phoenix with Steve McGowan’s team in 2021 but failed to get a good result (19th). This year he has done a few races in the East and in the ARCA National Series with Venturini getting some top-fives. Here he drives the No. 25 usually assigned to Toni Breidinger. Kevin Reed, Jr. will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19th | 1 start, best result 19th |
No. 27 Bobby Hillis, Jr. (Fearce Creature Racing)
What a pleasure to see Bobby Hillis again, who for lack of budget had to skip the 2022 season. His only race this year was precisely that of Phoenix last March. He returns with a brand new car, from the former team led by Matt Levin. Fitted with a spec engine, he is present here for the sole purpose of determining a basic setup in preparation for the 2023 season, which he will do full-time.
Regarding Phoenix, he is by far the most experienced driver in activity with 18 races here. The record being held by Brett Thompson with 24. As has been the case many times since 2015, Ralph Byers will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 90 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8th (1x) | 18 starts, best result : 11th |
No. 40 Carson Hocevar (Niece Motorsports)
To increase his seat time, Hocevar and his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team decided to participate in the West Series race. This will be his first start in the series. In Truck, he has three starts in Phoenix with a ninth position last year as his best result.
However, Phil Goud will not be his crew chief as in the Truck Series. He will be replaced here by Cody Efaw, the crew chief of Lawless Alan for the Truck race in Phoenix, something quite surprising since the goal is the time of seat and collaboration between the members of the team… Efaw who won the race in Charlotte with Ross Chastain this year, without however using the SAFER wall to overtake the other drivers!
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a |
No. 41 Tyler Reif (Lowden Jackson Motorsports)
Tanner’s little brother had a great run on his Las Vegas debut. He was even a candidate for the top-five before, unfortunately, an accident at the very end of the race. He will discover Phoenix and Tony Jackson will again be his crew chief. We’ll have to keep an eye on him.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18th | n/a |
No. 42 Christian Rose (Cook Racing Technologies)
Complicated season for Rose who experienced many mechanical problems or accidents whether in ARCA Menards, East or even during his two races in the West Series. Indeed, whether in Phoenix or Irwindale, the driver of No. 42 had a crash. Sean Samuels will be his crew chief this time around.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7th | 1 start, best result 27th |
No. 51 Andres Perez de Lara (David Gilliland Racing)
A thundering debut in Las Vegas where he contested the victory to his teammate Taylor Gray until the checkered flag. He will discover Phoenix but being in the DGR team, he has the equipment to simply envisage victory. Indeed whether it’s in 2020 with boss David Gilliland himself or early in the year with Taylor Gray, DGR knows the path to victory in Phoenix well. As in Las Vegas, Derek Smith will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | n/a |
No. 54 Joey Iest (Naake-Klauer Motorsports)
Another year full of ups and downs for Iest. The last race in Las Vegas being the perfect example. It is always very fast but too often a grain of sand comes to stop the mechanics. And what about Phoenix, he will make his fifth starts there but has never been successful there so far. Mike Naake and his gang are obviously not going to give up and if Joey has a reliable car he will be in the top-10 at least.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 23 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 4 starts, best result : 12th |
No. 55 Landon Pembelton (Venturini Motorsports)
And four! Pembelton is the fourth pilot of the armada deployed by Bill Venturini in Phoenix!
Driving the No. 15, he has made three races in the ARCA National Series this year with one top-five and three top-10s. We can say that these are good beginnings! He will discover Phoenix and the West Series but that does not seem to be a problem for him. His crew chief will be Monon Rahman, a young team engineer who will also be making his debut in this role.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a |
No. 70 Kyle Keller (Jerry Pitts Racing)
As was the case in Phoenix last March, Keller will have No. 70 on his car, but not for the same reason. Here it is at the request of its new sponsor Star Nursery. Sponsor who also asked that the car change color to commemorate a former driver that the firm sponsored twenty years ago, namely Kurt Busch. Jerry Pitts, his crew chief, has already experienced Victory Lane three times in Phoenix with Greg Pursley.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 9 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 4th (3x) | 1 start, best result : 32nd |
No. 71 Taylor Gray (David Gilliland Racing)
Do we still have to present it? Dominant in Las Vegas in mid-October, he had already been very effective in Phoenix at the start of the year by winning the race. Note that if he manages to win the race this Friday, he will be the first driver in history to win three races out of three during the same season.
And he can! With Chad Johnston, his crew chief, everything seems to be working for them this year with victories in all three ARCA series. And in four races at Phoenix, he obtained 3rd, 9th, 2nd and 1st position respectively! He is the big favorite to his own estate.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 12 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 1st (5x) | 4 starts, best result 1st |
No. 81 TBA (Kyle Busch Motorsports)
At the moment the name of the driver of the second car of the team is not yet known.
No. 83 Jalen Mack (Mack Motorsports)
After finally giving up competing in the Irwindale race last July, Jalen Mack is back. So a little copy / paste is needed to present it again:
A young 16-year-old African American who cut his teeth in Karting in the USA (2015-2020) but also in Europe in 2016 at the age of 10, Jalen is the son of Lloyd Mack, a former driver in the West Series (nine races between 2007 and 2008) and who was also a Karting specialist. Jalen’s uncle, former karting driver George Mack, who even had a full season in the IndyCar Series in 2002. It is therefore a Californian family where the tradition of motorsport is very present.
Contrary to what was planned at Irwindale, it is not Chris Diederich who will be his crew chief but Auggie Vidovich. The latter former Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series driver made eight races in the West Series between 2001 and 2010, including three in Phoenix with a fourth place as the best result on the Arizona track in 2010. But his hour of glory was his victory at Irwindale in 2010.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a |
No. 84 Bradley Erickson (Naake-Klauer Motorsports)
Erickson continues his apprenticeship with NKM. All of this will be very useful to him for the 2023 season. After a good race in Las Vegas (7th), he will discover Phoenix with the main objective of bringing the car back in one piece. It’s up to him to surprise us. Tony Caputo will be his crew chief.
The latter is more accustomed to short tracks like Irwindale but he knows Phoenix. He was even the crew chief of Jack Sellers there in 2012. The opportunity to recall that on October 24, it had already been six years since Papy Jack left us, he who remains the absolute Ironman of the West Series with 282 starts.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7th | n/a |
No. 88 Bridget Burgess (BMI Racing)
After the historic race in Las Vegas where Bridget rode with her mother Sarah, back to “normal” for this last race of the season with Sarah as crew chief. Phoenix has never succeeded so far for our Australian friends. Yet in the last race here Bridget showed good pace with fresh tires.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 30 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7th (2x) | 4 starts, best result : 22nd (2x) |
No. 99 Cole Moore (Bill McAnally Racing)
A decent race in Las Vegas before an accident in the last laps costing him dearly in the championship with the loss of second position. What a complicated season for Cole, who on paper was one of the big favorites. Fortunately, he was able to win his first career victory in Roseville. He is one point behind Tanner Reif for second place in the championship. Obtaining this second position would be comforting for BMR after winning the championship three consecutive years between 2019 and 2021.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 27 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 3 starts, best result : 10th |
Final notes
Note the absence of several drivers and teams for this last race. This is the case of Performance P1 Motorsports, Joe Nava’s team preferring to focus on the off-season in order to prepare for their full-time return in 2023.
Last Chance Racing, Andrew Tuttle’s team is also ignoring Phoenix. The car No. 39 having suffered several damages in recent races. As for No. 85, it is currently on sale.
Finally 66 Rhead Racing, despite a car in good condition under the checkered flag in Las Vegas, will not be in Phoenix due to lack of budget.