By Vincent Delforge, Staff Writer
This Saturday, September 27, 2025, the ARCA Menards West Series returns to action on the .333-mile bullring at Madera Speedway located in Madera, CA., for the tenth race of the season, the Madera 150 presented by Madera Ford and the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Last year, current championship leader Trevor Huddleston defeated Sean Hingorani in a very intense overtime race. The two drivers were separated at the finish line by only 0.84 thousandths of a second.
The championship battle will be closer than ever this Saturday between Huddleston, Kyle Keller, and Tanner Reif. The three drivers are separated by only 26 points.
The entry list includes 15 drivers. In addition to the West Series regulars, Andrew Chapman (High Point Racing) and Joey Iest (Naake Motorsports) will be present, as in Roseville.
We will note that the return of Jaron Giannini will drive the Clark Racing Toyota, Cody Dennison for Strike Mamba Racing and Nick Joanides will be behind the wheel of the car entered by Joe Nava.
This 0.333-mile oval, built in 1972, will host the West Series for the ninth time. The first race in 1973 was won by Jack McCoy driving a Dodge entered by Ernie Conn. Madera made brief appearances on the West Series schedule in 1989 and again between 1995 and 1996 before returning for a one-shot in 2003 and 2009. Then, in October 2023, the race was won by Kaden Honeycutt.
The Race Procedure
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 20 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2025 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.
QUALIFYING: Two consecutive laps of qualifying. No adjustments or repairs may be made to the car after taking the green flag at the Start/Finish line. All cars must make a qualifying attempt, and all drivers must practice before they can qualify.
RACE PIT STOP: Pitting during any caution period in this event will be for making repairs and adjustments only; no tires can be changed unless approved by ARCA Officials. Positions will not be gained or lost among those pitting on the same lap unless under penalty or going a lap down on pit road.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is eight (8). Any tire change must be approved by an ARCA official.
ARCA Menards West Series quick stats at Madera Speedway
-72nd season in history.
-Race No. 1038 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.
-2025 race No. 10 of 12.
-699th paved oval race in history.
-Race No. 10 at Madera Speedway since 1973.
| Year | Pole | Win | ||||||||
| Driver | Owner | Crew chief | # | Make | Driver | Owner | Crew chief | # | Make | |
| 1973 | Jack McCoy | Ernie Conn | Gary Nelson | 7 | Dodge | Jack McCoy | Ernie Conn | Gary Nelson | 7 | Dodge |
| 1989 | Bill Sedgwick | Wayne Spears | Leon Ruther | 75 | Chevrolet | Bill Sedgwick | Wayne Spears | Leon Ruther | 75 | Chevrolet |
| 1995 | Doug George | Eldon George / Tamara Turner | Rodney Haygood | 37 | Ford | Doug George | Eldon George / Tamara Turner | Rodney Haygood | 37 | Ford |
| 1996 #1 | Mark Krogh | Robert Krogh | Corrie Stott | 24 | Chevrolet | Butch Gilliland | Bill Stroppe | David Gilliland | 38 | Ford |
| 1996 #2 | Scott Gaylord | Geoff Burney | Tom Puskarich | 00 | Chevrolet | Lance Hooper | Lance Hooper / Raymond Claridge | Mike Steurer | 07 | Pontiac |
| 2003 | Mike Duncan | Mike Duncan | Bill Sedgwick | 9 | Chevrolet | Mike Duncan | Mike Duncan | Bill Sedgwick | 9 | Chevrolet |
| 2009 | Jason Bowles | Bob Bruncati | Bill Sedgwick | 6 | Ford | Eric Holmes | Bill McAnally | Ty Joiner | 20 | Toyota |
| 2023 | Eric Nascimento, Jr. | Eric Nascimento, Sr. | Ty Joiner | 4 | Chevrolet | Kaden Honeycutt | Steve McGowan | Sean Samuels | 17 | Chevrolet |
| 2024 | Jaron Giannini | Joe Farrè | Chris Bray | 23 | Toyota | Trevor Huddleston | Tim Huddleston | Jeff Schrader | 50 | Ford |
-Ninth races and eight different winners.
-Ninth races and eight different pole-sitters.
–Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet and Ford lead the dance with three wins ahead of Dodge (1), Pontiac (1) and Toyota (1). The all-time most successful manufacturer is Ford with 296 wins.
-The all-time most successful owners in history are Bill McAnally (76), Fred Elder (45), Bob Bruncati (42) and Ernie Conn (41).
-The all-time most successful teams in history are Bill McAnally Racing (100), McCoy Racing (54), The Racing Farmers (47), Bruncati Racing (42) and Gene Price Motorsports (26).
-The ninth races at Madera were won by nine different teams.
-Three times in nine races, the driver who started in second position wins at Madera and the second time in a row.
-The most successful team in history is Bill McAnally Racing with 83 poles. The most successful owner in history is Bill McAnally with 56 poles.
-Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet leads the dance with five poles ahead of Ford (2), Dodge (1) and Toyota (1).
-The all-time most successful manufacturer is Chevrolet with 264.
-The poleman has won the race four times.
-Track record in 82.369 mph by Eric Nascimento, Jr., achieved in 2023.
-Butch Gilliland won the race in 1996 #1 from 14th position on the starting grid, which is a record for the worst starting position.
-As far as yellow flags are concerned, the record is 8 in 1989, 2009 and 2024. The 1996 #1 race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 48. Conversely, with only one yellow flag and only 3 yellow flag laps, the 1973 race holds these records.
-The most leader changes occurred in 1995 and 2009, with 7. The 1973 and 1996 #2 races saw the pole sitter lead every lap.
-The largest starting field was in 1996 #2 with 21 cars.
-The smallest starting field was in 1989 and 1996 #1 with 16 cars.
-The driver with the most races is Jack Sellers (6).
-The driver with the most Top 5s is Butch Gilliland (3).
-The drivers with the most Top 10s are Scott Gaylord, Butch Gilliland, Jack Sellers and Rich Woodland, Jr., with 3.
-The drivers with the most laps is Jack Sellers (1110).
-The driver with the most laps lead is Lance Hooper (254).
-Two time the race was extended by an overtime (green/white/checkered flag) at Madera (2003 and 2024).
The Drivers
No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing)
Having finished 13th in 2023 and 2024, Smith will aim to improve and return to the top 10. It’s been a while, indeed; his last top 10 came in the first race of the season at Bakersfield, where he finished 10th. Brandon Carlson will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 36 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10th (3x) | 2 starts, best result 13th (2x) |
No. 1 Robbie Kennealy (Jan’s Racing Team)
Will Robbie be the first driver to win two consecutive races in 2025? After his total domination at Roseville, he’ll be the favorite. Although the banking in the corners isn’t the same as at Roseville, Madera is also a 0.333-mile bullring. Last year, due to budget constraints, he had to run a start-and-park race. Fortunately, this year is very different. Chris Greaney will be his crew chief
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 21 (2 DNS) | 1 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1st | 2 starts, best result 16th |
No. 3 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing)
Second in 2023, Souza had a difficult race last year. He failed to reach the top 10 in eleventh place. This year has been complicated for CCR and its driver. But this is precisely the right time to make a big impact and remind everyone that Souza is a top driver. Gilbert Munoz will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 137 | 1 | 23 | 77 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 2 starts, best result 2nd |
No. 4 Eric Nascimento, Jr. (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
Last year, Bubba retired due to an ignition problem. It was a shame, especially since the team was performing well, as his younger brother Ethan had proven, finishing third. After the disappointment of Roseville two weeks ago, where he couldn’t do better than ninth, the eldest of the Nascimento brothers will be keen to get back into the top five and perhaps finally secure that first career victory he’s been waiting for too long. It’s worth remembering that it was here in 2023 that he secured his first career pole position. Ty Joiner will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 28 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 2nd (2x) | 2 starts, best result: 6th |
No. 5 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Last year, Johnson, Jr.’s race had its ups and downs, but he ended with a superb fourth place finish. It was his first career top-five finish. Since the LaCenter, WA driver has made significant progress, as evidenced by the five top-five finishes already achieved in nine races this year. Just missing one thing, a win. And what if it were this Saturday? Dustin Ash will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 25 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 2nd | 1 start, best result 4th |
No. 13 Tanner Reif (Central Coast Racing)
In his only race here at Madera in 2023, Tanner saw his engine suddenly shut down while battling for third place. After a lengthy repair, he returned to the track to finish a modest 17th. But the driver of the No. 13 knows he must win the race this year if he wants to maintain his championship chances. Michael Munoz will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 34 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 2 | 1st (3x) | 1 start, best result 17th |
No. 19 Jake Bollman (Bill McAnally Racing)
Bollman will be new to Madera Speedway, but as we’ve already seen this year, that’s not the kind of thing that’s stopping him from being very fast. He’s just been a little unlucky this season, with too many mechanical issues disrupting his races. He’ll be keen to help Bill McAnally celebrate another victory at Madera. This hasn’t happened since 2009, when Eric Holmes crossed the finish line first. Cayden Lapcevich will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1st (1x) | n/a |
No. 23 Jaron Giannini (Clark Racing)
Poleman last year, his first in career, he led the first laps before remaining in the top four of the race for a long time. Ultimately, he was a victim of overtime and lost a few positions, finally taking the checkered flag in sixth position. This year, he has only been seen once in the West Series, in Bakersfield in June when he finished seventh. His crew chief will be Chris Bray.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5th | 1 start, best result 6th |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing)
Last year’s winner, Huddleston, fought to the bitter end to fend off Hingorani’s ambitions. Huddleston had one mission: to win the race so he could propose to Nastassia Dodd, his girlfriend of 10 years at the time. This year, he’ll want to win again, but he’ll have another mission in mind: to take a big step toward winning the 2025 championship. Jeff Schrader will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 86 | 7 | 38 | 70 | 3 | 1st (7x) | 2 starts, best result 1st |
No. 51 Blake Lothian (Strike Mamba Racing)
Lothian has just completed the Loudon race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. With this additional experience in one of NASCAR’s three national divisions, he returns to the West Series with the ambition of fighting for his first career top-5 finish. But he won’t have an easy task since he will be new to Madera Speedway. His crew chief will be John Reaume
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8th | n/a |
No. 55 Andrew Chapman (High Point Racing)
Chapman will be getting his first taste of Madera Speedway in a West Series car. He did the same at Roseville, but it didn’t stop him from finishing third. His goal once again is to take as many points as possible from his teammate Huddleston’s rivals. He accomplished this mission perfectly at Roseville. Travis Thirkettle will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3rd | n/a |
No. 71 Kyle Keller (Jan’s Racing Team)
Roseville was a more complicated race for Keller, finishing sixth. He’s familiar with Madera, having finished fifth last year and seventh in 2023. It’s a short track where he’s comfortable. A win, or failing that, finishing ahead of Huddleston, will be his main goals this Saturday. With three races remaining in the season, he must reduce his points deficit in the championship. Brian Kizer will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 43 | 1 | 14 | 30 | 1 | 1st (1x) | 2 starts, best result 5th |
No. 72 Cody Dennison (Strike Mamba Racing)
This is Dennison’s return to the West Series. He hasn’t raced there since the third race of the season in Tucson. In the meantime, he’s raced in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards National Series for Josh Reaume’s team, the brother of his owner, John, here at SMR. He’ll be making his debut at Madera Speedway. His crew chief will be Al Lebert.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 3 (1 DNQ) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8th | n/a |
No. 77 Nick Joanides (Performance P-1 Motorsports)
Joanides has only one race in the West Series so far in 2025, and that was at Sonoma, where he suffered a mechanical failure before the race even started. He is once again driving PP1M’s No. 77. He is familiar with Madera, having finished eighth there in 2023. Tony Jackson will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 37 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 4th (2x) | 1 start, best result 8th |
No. 88 Joey Iest (Naake Motorsports)
Joey had a very good race at Roseville for his return to the West Series after a year off. He had to “remove some rust.” Now that he has his car back under control, he will be a very serious contender for the win. In addition, he knows Madera Speedway inside out, having driven there and won races in several classes. In the West Series, he achieved a nice third place in 2023. Mike Naake will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Madera |
| 28 | 1 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 1st | 1 start, best result 3rd |
Final notes
– Thomas Annunziata will drive the No. 15 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports at the Las Vegas Bullring in the West Series. He will be joined by driver Jade Avedisian.