By Vincent Delforge, Special to Kickin’ the Tires
The final stretch for the 2024 ARCA Menards West Series season is here, as this Saturday, October 26, the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame will take place, the penultimate race of the season. This 11th round of the schedule will be held at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield, CA. This will be the second time this year that we will race on this half-mile after the race on April 20, which saw the young Kole Raz’s first career victory. He will try to sweep the field since he is back behind the wheel of the No. 5 Jerry Pitts Racing.
This race also marks the return after a nine-year absence in the West Series of Spencer Davis. His teammate will be local Buddy Shepherd at Cook Racing Technologies.
The battle between Sean Hingorani, Tyler Reif and Trevor Huddleston promises to be intense in the championship!
This will be the 15th race at Bakersfield since 2013. A first race won at the time by Greg Pursley. Note that the most successful driver in the history of the KCRP is Derek Kraus with four consecutive victories!
The race will be 150 laps (75 miles) and all activities will be concentrated on the single day of Saturday with the single practice from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. PT. The General Tire Pole Qualifying at 5 p.m. PT and finally the race at 8:15 p.m. PT. which will be broadcast live on FloRacing.
The Race Procedure
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame is limited to 22 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2024 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.
QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap per the Timed Session qualifying procedure.
RACE PIT STOP: Break pitting procedure. Break at/or near the conclusion of lap 75. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is 10. Maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race = 4, 2 for use at the break and 2 for emergency use only.
ARCA West quick stats at Bakersfield
-71st season in history.
-Race No. 1027 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.
-2024 race No. 11 of 12.
-This will be the 690th paved oval race in history.
-This will be the 15th race since 2013. As far as statistics are concerned, of the 14 races already contested in Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (KHKR) we can highlight:
-Among the manufacturers Toyota leads the dance at KHKR with 8 wins ahead of Ford (5) and Chevrolet (1). The all-time most successful manufacturer is Ford with 292 wins.
-The most successful team at KHKR is Bill McAnally Racing with 6 wins. The all-time most successful owners in history are Bill McAnally (99), Fred Elder (45), Bob Bruncati (42) and Ernie Conn (41).
-Derek Kraus is the most successful pilot at KHKR with 4 wins. In all, 9 different drivers have won at least one race.
-Bill McAnally Racing is the most successful teams with six poles at KHKR. The most successful team in history is Bill McAnally Racing with 79 poles. The most successful owner in history is Bill McAnally with 52 poles.
-Among the manufacturers, Toyota leads with 9 poles ahead of Ford (4) and Chevrolet (1). The all-time most successful manufacturer is Chevrolet with 260.
-The pole sitter has won the race five times. Whoever started second has won four times.
– The driver who won the race from the worst starting position was Dylan Lupton. ninth in 2014.
-The track record is owned by Gray Gaulding at 100.514 mph achieved in 2013.
-As far as yellow flags are concerned, the record is 8(thrice). The 2015 race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 43.
– The record for the fewest caution is 3 (the last two races). With just 12 laps behind the pace car, the 2022 race holds the record for fewest laps under yellow flags.
-The most leader changes occurred in 2016 with 9. The fewest leader change is zero in 2019.
-The largest starting field was in 2013 with 28 cars.
-The smallest starting field was in 2019 with 13 cars.
-The driver with the most races is Takuma Koga (10).
-The driver with the most wins is Derek Kraus (4)
-The driver with the most poles is Todd Gilliland (3)
-The drivers with the most top5 are Derek Kraus and David Mayhew with 5.
-The driver with the most top10 are Trevor Huddleston, David Mayhew and Todd Souza with 9.
-The drivers with the most laps is Takuma Koga (1318).
-The driver with the most laps lead is Derek Kraus (368).
-Four times the race has been extended by an overtime (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019).
There are 20 drivers on the entry list and six of them will be making their first race at Bakersfield.
The Drivers
No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing)
On April 20, Smith played it safe in Bakersfield to avoid a repeat of the disastrous Phoenix weekend at the season opener. He finished a distant 16th, but with the car in one piece, which was his goal at the time. This time, on this very fast half-mile, he intends to get closer to the top 10. Brian Carlson will be his crew chief as usual.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 26 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10th (2x) | 2 starts, best result 13th |
No. 3 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing)
Todd Souza’s presence is not 100% confirmed at the time of writing this article. However, with Kyle Keller having found refuge at Jan’s Racing while the basic deal included Roseville and Bakersfield, it would not be surprising to see the veteran Souza return to service. Especially since we already know that he will do the last race of the season in Phoenix. Ninth at the start of the year at KHKR, Souza is performing well on this half-mile where he has already obtained seven top 10s in nine races with a fifth position in 2019 as his best result. Jason Dickenson will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 129 | 1 | 23 | 74 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 9 starts, best result : 5th |
No. 4 Eric Nascimento, Jr. (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
After a superb second position in Roseville, CA, Bubba intends to ride this positive momentum and finally obtain this first victory that he deserves so much. To do this, he will have to find more speed than last April when he finished sixth in the race. Ty Joiner, his crew chief, will be able to bring him all his experience from the KHKR where he was already able to visit Victory Lane in 2017 with Derek Kraus.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 24 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 2nd (2x) | 4 starts, best result: 6th |
No. 5 Kole Raz (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Kole Raz won his first race win here in Bakersfield early this season. He came back like a cannonball late in the race to pass Trevor Huddleston on the last turn of the final lap of the race. He will be one to watch closely once again. This time his crew chief will be Dustin Ash and not Jerry Pitts. But Ash is very good since he allowed Hingorani to retake the championship lead when the latter was driving the No. 5. Will Raz sweep the wins at KHKR?
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1st | 1 start, best result 1st |
No. 6 Henry Barton (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Barton made his first career West Series race at KHKR in April. He was driving the No. 21 Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports. He had to retire due to vibration issues. Since then, he has gained experience with Jerry Pitts Racing with whom he has two top-10 finishes in two races. The team is very fast on this half-mile and Barton should be able to aim for a big result. Jerry Pitts will be his crew chief. Pitts who already has three victories at KHKR.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8th | 1 start, best result 20th |
No. 7 Takuma Koga (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Koga has a lot of experience in Bakersfield since he has already driven there ten times. However, apart from a ninth position at the start of the 2022 season, he has never really had success there. Jerry Pitts Racing proved in April to be efficient there with the victory of Kole Raz. This should help Denny Moyer, the crew chief, to provide the Japanese with a good car. A top 10 is the minimum expected.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 124 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 5th (4x) | 10 starts, best result 9th |
No. 9 Kyle Keller (Jan’s Racing)
Seventh in April, Keller is looking to do better with his new team. Indeed, he signed a last-minute deal with Jan’s Racing to continue his 2024 season. His stint with Central Coast Racing in Roseville was a bit disappointing in terms of results since he only obtained 10th position. But it allowed him to stay in the fight for third position in the championship. His best result in Bakersfield, sixth in 2020, should be improved this time around. All this is possible thanks to his sponsors, Jan’s Towing, Argus Construction, Sunrise HeavyHaul and Las Vegas Rentals.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 32 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 0 | 4th (3x) | 4 starts, best result 6th |
No. 12 Joey Kennealy (Kennealy Keller Motorsports)
The rookie will be doing his second career race and at the same time discovering the KHKR with a heavy and powerful car from the West Series. While the emotion was high in Roseville following the death of his father a few days before, he still delivered a solid performance. At the start of the season, Kyle Keller was able to bring this car up to seventh position. Will Kennealy get his first career top 10? For that, he will have the help of John Keller as crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th | n/a |
No. 13 Tyler Reif (Central Coast Racing)
Poleman and third in the race on the KHKR at the start of the season after largely dominating the first segment of the race, Reif is looking to get back to winning ways and thus make up for his five-point deficit in the championship before the finale in Phoenix. Michael Munoz, his crew chief, will do everything to provide him with a top machine.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 24 | 3 | 13 | 15 | 5 | 1st (3x) | 2 starts, best result : 3rd |
No. 15 Sean Hingorani (Venturini Motorsports)
Fourth with Sigma Performance Services last April, Hingorani returns to the wheel of his No. 15 Venturini Motorsports Toyota after driving since Irwindale for Jerry Pitts Racing. Although he has not won a race since Irwindale, he has always finished at the front, which has allowed him to regain the championship lead. He arrives in Bakersfield with plenty of confidence, especially since he triumphed here last year with Venturini. His crew chief will be Taylor DeWolf.
This will be the young woman’s first time as crew chief. A 2023 graduate of UNOH, she joined Venturini Motorsports as a team member and has already had the opportunity to work on Toni Breidinger and Sean Hingorani’s cars. She could become the first female crew chief in history to win a race in the West Series. Note that her partner in life, Gregory Papp, will be the crew chief of Brent Crews, another Venturini Motorsports driver at KHKR.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 27 | 6 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 1st (6x) | 2 starts, best result 1st |
No. 16 Jack Wood (Bill McAnally Racing)
After being plagued by insurmountable brake problems in April, Wood, his crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and the entire BMR team are looking to finally get their first win of the season. And Bakersfield is the ideal track for that, as BMR has already had a lot of success there in the past with six poles and six wins. There is no doubt that if the No. 16 is spared from bad luck, it will be a contender for the win.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 29 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2nd | 3 starts, best result 10th |
No. 17 Buddy Shepherd (Cook Racing Technologies with MMI Racing)
What could be more normal than seeing Buddy Shepherd participate in the Bakersfield race. Indeed, he is from this Californian city. Shepherd has already driven twice for this team in 2022 but not on the KHKR. On his hometrack, he raced in 2016 (19th) and 2017 (7th). He will have the excellent crew chief Sean Samuels at his side.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3rd | 2 starts, best result : 7th |
No. 19 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Bill McAnally Racing)
The race in April had been correct for the rookie Johnson, Jr. He had finished 10th. He has since progressed a lot in speed and consistency. And as for his teammate Jack Wood, if he is spared from bad luck, which has been a bit relentless on the Californian team this season, we will have to keep a close eye on the No. 19. Especially since his crew chief John Camilleri knows how to take a car to Victory Lane here. He has indeed won three times with Derek Kraus between 2018 and 2019.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 14 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4th | 1 start, best result : 10th |
No. 20 Brent Crews (Venturini Motorsports)
For his only career race in the West Series, Crews showed great things in Sonoma since he was a candidate for the podium but had been the victim of a broken suspension. He will discover the KHKR. He has raced little in 2024 in ARCA but still won the race on the dirt track of DuQouin. Precisely with the No.20. Will this bring him luck again? Gregory Papp, his crew chief, is starting in this position as is his partner in life, Taylor DeWolf, crew chief of Hingorani.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23rd | n/a |
No. 21 Ethan Nascimento (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
Ethan Nascimento is in a good period, he who obtained his best career result in the West Series at Madera with the third position, followed by a good sixth position at Roseville, has just won on October 20 the $10,000 race, the 12th annual Short Track Shootout 200 at Madera in Pro Late Model by beating the legendary Derek Thorn (double champion of the West Series 2013 & 2018). And last year it was here at the KHKR that he obtained his first top 10 in the West Series with the eighth position. The team is in good shape and will be serious candidates for victory with the two Nascimento brothers. As usual, Mike Nascimento will be its crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 10 (+ 1 DNS) | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3rd | 1 start, best result 8th |
No. 23 Jaron Giannini (Sigma Performance Services)
Giannini will discover the KHKR with a West Series car. This new opportunity to drive with SPS and its crew chief Chris Bray is a great reward for the rookie. It must be said that he has shown great things in his five previous races at the wheel of the No. 23. Four top 10s including a top 5 and a pole, no less!
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5th | n/a |
No. 42 Spencer Davis (Cook Racing Technologies with MMI Racing)
Spencer Davis is making his return to the West Series after nine years! Indeed, the driver from Dawsonville, GA, had raced in Phoenix in 2015. He was not in the spotlight this year and did not drive much. However, he did race in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for the same team in New Smyrna, FL, last February where he had to give up due to an engine failure. However, his 2024 season in the Z-Max CARS Tour with the Pro Late Models is of great quality since he won two victories in 13 races. His crew chief will be Danny Johnson.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27th | n/a |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing)
On his little cloud of happiness since the last two races, Huddleston intends to do the hat trick and win the Bakersifeld race. He always performs very well there. Second at the start of the season, which is his best result on the KHKR, he has especially accumulated seven top 10s including four top 5s in seven races. His worst result was an eighth position five years ago. Jeff Schrader, his crew chief, would like to reconnect with victory on this oval like in 2014 with Dylan Lupton. So who can beat Huddleston?
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 75 | 5 | 29 | 61 | 3 | 1st (5x) | 7 starts, best result 2nd |
No. 55 Isabella Robusto (Venturini Motorsports)
Her last race in the West Series probably left a bitter taste in her mouth. Indeed, she was leading the second race at Irwindale when she hit the wall after getting a flat front right tire. Since then, in the ARCA Menards national series, she has had two top 5s and a pole. But she has also been very successful in the Late Models races she has done. She will be keen to win her first victory. If she succeeds, she will be the woman who has won her first West Series victory the fastest in her career. Hailie Deegan had to wait until her 12th race and Gracie Trotter until her eighth. Her crew chief will be Tyler Barrett for the first time. The latter having already held this position during the Irwindale doubleheader with Jake Finch as driver.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2nd | n/a |
No. 71 Rip Michels (Jan’s Racing)
Jan’s Racing demonstrated last April that the team had an excellent car at Bakersfield since Nick Joanides had obtained the fifth position. Michels continues his interim while Joanides is convalescing, he who was able to leave the hospital a few days ago. Marco Peaz will be the crew chief. The latter is not unknown since he officiated as a team member with Performance P-1 Motorsports at the beginning of the season and here at Bakersfield with Cody Kiemele as a driver. But this will be his first time as crew chief in West Series.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Bakersfield |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9th | n/a |
Final notes.
-The championship finale, the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100, will take place in Phoenix, AZ on November 8, 2024.
-The race will be broadcast live on FloRacing.