By Vincent Delforge, Special to Kickin’ the Tires.
This Saturday, August 10, 2024, an old acquaintance will make his return to the ARCA Menards West Series, it is the Tri-City Raceway, the fastest half mile tri-oval in the world. Located in West Richland, Washington. The West Series has already taken place there nine times between 1968 and 2003.
The NAPA Auto Care 150 will be the eighth race of the season and will see the return of another old acquaintance of the West Series, namely, the 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, 2002 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and star of the NASCAR Cup Series with 19 victories Greg Biffle. A driver originally from Portland, OR but who grew up in Vancouver, WA, Biffle knows Tri-City Raceway well, having been champion there in 1995.
That said, his last race on the tri-oval was on August 31, 1997, during a race of the defunct NASCAR Northwest Series, where he finished in second place. That’s almost 27 years! As for the West Series, Biffle competed there in two races in 1996 at Tucson and Altamont for John Kieper’s team. Thirtieth at Tucson, he finished fourth at Altamont. This year he will drive the No. 23 of Sigma Performance Services. A top-level car since the new team led by owner Joe Farré already won at Sonoma with Sam Mayer last June.
But Biffle will not be the only attraction of the race. Indeed, the duel between Tyler Reif (Central Coast Racing No. 13) and Sean Hingorani (Jerry Pitts Racing No. 5) for the championship leadership will continue with intensity because Jack Wood (Bill McAnally Racing No. 16), Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing No. 50) or Kyle Keller (Kennealy-Keller Motorsports No. 12) intend to make the task difficult for them between now and the end of the season.
In addition to the regular drivers of the West Series, we will note the return the debuts of Kasey Kleyn (Naake-Klauer Motorsports No. 88) and Jess Havens (Jerry Pitts Racing No. 6). Jess who is none other than the little brother of Braeden Havens who we saw in the West Series between 2011 and 2017.
Another attraction of the race, the record that the Japanese Takuma Koga (Jerry Pitts Racing No. 7) will set when he takes the start of the race. Indeed, it will be his 122nd career race, which will make him the foreign driver who has raced the most in the West Series history. He will beat the previous record held by the Canadian Daryl Harr with 121 races between 2001 and 2014.
The last winner at Tri-City in 2003 was Jeff Jefferson. During this race, there were also Johnny Borneman III and Bobby Hillis, Jr. If these last two drivers participated in part of the 2024 season, they will unfortunately not be present this Saturday. Which means that 100% of the drivers entered this year will make their first race on the Tri-City Raceway in the West Series.
The Iconic paved 1/2 mile tri oval is located at the base of Red Mountain in West Richland, WA. Built by the Rector family in 1968, the architectural design was to represent the three cities. Shortly after its opening, it rapidly became a destination racetrack. Tri-City Raceway is the only 1/2 mile paved trioval left in North America and is notorious for its speed, uniqueness and prestige. It was closed down in 2004 for 17 years and was reopened in 2021 as a premium stock car race venue holding 2-3 premium NASCAR style races per year.
ARCA Menards West Series stats at Tri-City Raceway.
-71st season in history.
-Race No. 1024 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.
-2024 race No. 8 of 12.
This will be the 10th race since 1968.
As far as statistics are concerned, of the nine races already contested in Tri-City Raceway we can highlight:
Manufacturer
Win: Ford (4), Dodge (3), Chevrolet (1), Pontiac (1)
Pole: Chevrolet (6), Ford (1), Dodge (1), Plymouth (1)
Race car number
Win: #79 (2), #96 (2), 7 (1), #18 (1), #20 (1), #50 (1), #97 (1)
Pole: #75 (2), #00 (1), #04 (1), #37 (1), #61 (1), #85 (1), #95 (1), #96 (1)
Owner
Win: Fred Elder (2), Warren Razore (2), Bob Bristol (1), Ernie Conn (1), Tom Craigen (1), Samuel Roebuck (1), John Strauser (1)
Pole: Wayne Spears (2), Marshall Chesrown (1), Fred Elder (1), Beryl Jackson (1), Gene Monaco (1), Mike Ober (1), Varner Brothers (1), Dan Wade (1)
Driver
Win: Ray Elder (2), Roy Smith (2), Mike Chase (1), Jim Cook (1), Jeff Jefferson (1), Jack McCoy (1), Dirk Stephens (1)
Pole: Bill Sedgwick (2), Dick Bown (1), Rick Carelli (1), Ray Elder (1), Frank James (1), Hershel McGriff (1), Kevin Richards (1), Lance Wade (1)
Crew chief
Win: Richard Elder (2), Jackie Jackson (2), Ernie Conn (1), Tom Craigen (1), Ronald Drake (1), Samuel Roebuck (1)
Pole: Leon Ruther (2), Chuck carruthers (1), Richard Elder (1), Joe Garone/David Ifft (1), Pat McElreath (1), George Wade (1)
-In all, seven different drivers have won at least one race.
-The track record, 95.541 mph, is owned by two drivers achieved, Bill Sedgwick and Kevin Richards respectively in 1990 and 2003.
-The poleman has won the race only one time (1970).
-Mike Chase (1994) and Jeff Jefferson (2003) won the race from 6th position on the starting grid, which is a record.
-As far as yellow flags are concerned, the record is 10 in 1990. The 1990 race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 72.
– The 1970 and 1972 races holds the record for the fewest caution with one.
-The most leader changes occurred in 1989 with 10. The fewest leader change is one in 2003.
-The largest starting field was in 1972 with 24 cars.
-The smallest starting field was in 1970, 1989 and 1994 with 17 cars.
-The driver with the most races is Jack Sellers (5).
-The drivers with the most top5 are Mike Chase (3), Ray Elder (3) and Jack McCoy (3).
-The driver with the most top10 is John Krebs (4).
-The drivers with the most laps is Jack Sellers (853).
-The driver with the most laps lead is Mike Chase (244) with exactly double the next one Kevin Richards (122).
The race will be 150 laps (75 miles) and all track activities will be concentrated on the single day of Saturday with the single practice from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. PT. The General Tire Pole Qualifying at 4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. PT and finally the 150-laps race at 7:45 p.m. PT.
The Race Procedure
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the NAPA Auto Care 150 is limited to 22 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2024 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.
QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap in General Tire Pole Qualifying (single car/2 laps).
RACE PIT STOP: Break Pitting Procedure; break at or near Lap 75. No adding or moving tires to or from pit stall once race has started.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is 12. Maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is eight (8).
Among the fifteen drivers, all will discover Tri-City at the wheel of a West Series car. And only five of them have raced here before in another category.
The Drivers
No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing)
David Smith’s tactic of staying out of trouble and rallying to the finish paid off in Shasta with his second career top-10 finish. Smith never raced at Tri-City but helped build cars that raced there in the 1970s for various Canadian drivers like Gary Kershaw and Roy Smith. His crew chief will be Brandon Carlson.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10th (2x) | n/a |
No. 3 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing)
Souza is a veteran but he has never driven at Tri-City. With his experience, he should adapt easily to this oval. He has just obtained two consecutive seventh positions. Which are his best results of the season. But we feel that Souza is in a good dynamic and is finding speed again. CCR has just won with his teammate at Shasta and Todd will be keen to also win a victory this season. Jason Dickenson will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 127 | 1 | 22 | 73 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 2 starts, best result : 7th |
No. 5 Sean Hingorani (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Like in Shasta, Hingorani will drive Jerry Pitts’ No. 5 with Dustin Ash as crew chief. Like his great rival in 2024 Tyler Reif, he will discover this atypical triangular oval. But Sean has an incredible ability to adapt regardless of the track, the car, the team, … He is always at the top of the top. Personally, I don’t see what could be different here!
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 24 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 1st (6x) | n/a |
No. 6 Jess Havens (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Jess Havens of Spokane, WA, will make his West Series debut but his last name is not unknown to West Series fans. Indeed, his big brother Braeden did 20 races between 2011 and 2017, obtaining three top 5s, eight top 10s and a pole in 2014 with Chuck Carruthers as crew chief. The latter is still active today in the competition and had obtained the pole position in 2003 with Kevin Richards at Tri-City.
Jess knows Tri-City well since he has raced there several times since 2021 in both Pro Late Models and Super Late Models. He will drive a third car entered by Jerry Pitts Racing and will have Jerry Pitts himself as crew chief. Those with good memories will remember that Western Rail Inc., which will sponsor Jess, was already Braeden’s sponsor over 10 years ago.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
No. 7 Takuma Koga (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Ninth in Shasta, the Japanese will be keen to do better on the tri-oval located in Washington State. A track on which he has already driven in the Northwest Tour Series in… 2001! Qualifying 14th out of 27, he had to abandon following a puncture on the 112th of 125 laps when the top-10 was possible. Hopefully this year he will not experience the same misfortune. Indeed Tri-City is a track known for wearing out tires very hardly.
As described in the introduction to this article, Koga by taking the start will enter the legend of the West Series by becoming the foreign driver to have done the most races in history with 122 starts. Denny Moyer will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 121 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 5th (4x) | n/a |
No. 11 Danica Dart (Kennealy Keller Motorsports)
Danica was finally able to do a “real” race in the West Series at Irwindale. A learning race that she did intelligently by reaching the finish. This will be useful for Tri-City especially since unlike many other drivers, she knows Tri-City well since she drove there in the Northwest Super Late Models (SLM) Series this year.
The SLMs running at 100 mph per lap, this will be quite similar to what the ARCA West Series cars will do. Danica who just finished third at the Montana 200 at Mission Valley Speedway (July 13) by beating West Series newcomers Jess Havens (9th) and Kasey Kleyn (17th). A race won by… Jeff Jefferson, the last winner in the West Series at Tri-City in 2003! You couldn’t make it up! Charlie Wilson will be her crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 3 (1 DNS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14th | n/a |
No. 12 Kyle Keller (Kennealy Keller Motorsports)
After a nice top 5 in Shasta, Keller intends to ride this good wave and aim for the podium in Tri-City even if like the vast majority of his colleagues he will be discovering this half-mile with three turns. Brian Kizer will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 29 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 4th (3x) | n/a |
No. 13 Tyler Reif (Central Coast Racing)
Tyler Reif was dazzling in Shasta and we have seen it in the past, a driver who has just won is full of confidence and often rides on this good momentum. Whether for the CCR team or Tyler, Tri-City will be a discovery. The goal will be the victory but maintaining the championship lead will be very important. Michael Munoz will of course be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 21 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 1st (2x) | n/a |
No. 16 Jack Wood (Bill McAnally Racing)
Wood openly admits that before this year and the announcement of Tri-City on the West Series calendar, he had never asked himself any questions about the tri-oval because he had never raced there before in another category. His crew chief Kevin Bellicourt will really have to find a solution with the setup for the end of the race. Because the No. 16 team often has difficulties when the temperature of the track drops with the disappearance of the sun. 40 points behind is a lot but it is still possible to get back into the fight for the championship. But we have to win points now.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 26 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 2nd | n/a |
No. 19 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Bill McAnally Racing)
The rookie had a very complicated and frustrating race at Shasta. He hopes to find the top-10 again. His progression has been constant since the beginning of the season and this despite the fact that he is discovering the majority of circuits this year. This will obviously be the case for Tri-City. Curiously Johnson, Jr. finds that this oval has certain similarities with the Phoenix Raceway. With his crew chief John Camilleri, they will have to hook the right wagon and aim for a top-10.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7th | n/a |
No. 23 Greg Biffle (Sigma Performance Services)
Everything has been said in the introduction of the article or almost. Biffle will have to work his memory to remember how he drove on the tri-oval and he will have to adapt to a car of the new generation of the West Series. Because when he drove there in 1996, the technical regulations were very different. Chris Bray will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4th | n/a |
No. 31 Tim Goulet (Rise Motorsports)
After giving up his place at the wheel of his No. 31 car to his driver Rick Goodale during the second race at Irwindale, will we finally see Goulet’s debut in the West Series? Tim will discover Tri-City but he has already driven on another half-mile tri-oval, the Concord Speedway, NC, closed in 2019. The difference being that it was less hard on tire wear.Matthew Wrightwill be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing)
Huddleston intends to fight for the victory at Tri-City even if he will be new to this oval. He had a solid race at Shasta but could not hope for better than third position. Now is the time to take back points from the championship leaders otherwise it could become very complicated. Jeff Schrader will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 72 | 3 | 27 | 58 | 2 | 1st (3x) | n/a |
No. 71 Nick Joanides (Jan’s Racing)
Like in Shasta, the team will use a new chassis for the first time, which means that this race will serve as a practice to determine the best setup. That didn’t stop him from getting eighth place in Shasta. But Joanides warns that playing for the top positions like in Irwindale for example will be difficult. But Jan’s Racing has already surprised us so much this year, that anything is possible for a big result. Despite his long career, this will be the first time that Joanides will race on the tri-oval. But he has watched videos to familiarize himself with this particular configuration. Rip Michels will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| 35 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 4th (2x) | n/a |
No. 88 Kasey Kleyn (Naake-Klauer Motorsports)
Kasey “Cash” Kleyn, 16, of Quincy, WA, started racing at age eight in Bandoleros. He is familiar with Tri-City, having been the youngest winner of a Pro Late Model race there in 2023 with his family team. He makes his West Series debut with NKM, a team he previously raced for in Jr. and Pro Late Models from 2021-2023, also with the No. 88. Mike Naake will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Tri-City |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
Final notes
-Robbie Kennealy and KKM have decided due to budget issues to skip this race. However, Robbie will be present in the pits with the team to help prepare the two cars of Danica Dart and Kyle Keller.
-Josh Fanopoulos announced for his return to the West Series with a No. 21 car prepared by John Wood and Mike Holleran will ultimately not be present.
-The race will be broadcast live on FloRacing.