By Vincent Delforge, Special to Kickin’ the Tires
The first race of the 2024 season, the 71st season in history since the inception of the West Series in 1954, saw the race at Phoenix Raceway located in Avondale, AZ be halted after 115 of 150 laps due to rain. But that in no way takes away from the superb performance achieved by the winner William Sawalich who knew how to get rid of the rookie Giovanni Ruggiero at the right time.
One of the performances of the day goes to the credit of the rookie Isabella Robusto who showed everyone that the accident which took her away from the circuits last year is nothing more than a bad memory. More info by reading: www.kickinthetires.net/nascar/robusto-shines-long-awaited-arca-debut/
The race was combined with the ARCA Menards National Series. With 43 drivers registered for 40 places on the starting grid, the rebirth of this platform seems to be confirmed after a first race at Daytona which had already been full of entrants. As for the West Series, the 2024 season promises to be a great year with a multitude of drivers who will compete in the championship full-time.
For a complete recap of the race, I invite you to read the article « Race review » available here: www.kickinthetires.net/nascar/arca-west-2024-phoenix-race-review/
Complete race results: www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2024-01/AW/
The top-five in the championship being the following: William Sawalich (49 points), Giovanni Ruggiero (43), Grant Enfinger (41), Connor Mosack (40), Sean Hingorani (39).
Driver & owner point standings: www.racing-reference.info/standings/2024/AW/
As after each race we are going to detail the statistics for each driver, embellished with the reactions collected from many of them, drivers, owners and crew chiefs.
ARCA West Quick stats
-71st season in history.
-Race No. 1017 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.
-2024 race No. 1 of 12.
-Race No. 53 at Phoenix Raceway since 1977.
– Win No. 12 for Toyota at Phoenix. Chevrolet leads the dance with 16 wins ahead of Ford (14), Toyota (12), Pontiac (6), Dodge (3) and Buick (2).
-81st win for Toyota in West Series. The all-time most successful manufacturer is Ford with 290 wins.
-Second win for team owner Joe Gibbs.
-Win No. 6 for Joe Gibbs Racing team (Coy Gibbs 2 ; J.D. Gibbs 2 and Joe Gibbs 2). The all-time most successful owners in history are Bill McAnally (99), Fred Elder (45), Bob Bruncati (42) and Ernie Conn (41).
-Fifth win for Joe Gibbs Racing at Phoenix.JGR becomes the equal of Bill McAnally Racing (five wins) by being the most victorious teams in Phoenix. Petty Enterprises and Gene Price Motorsports follows with three wins each.
-Second career win for William Sawalich (fifth career start) and second at Phoenix. Ken Schrader is the most successful driver at Phoenix with four wins. Richard Petty, Greg Pursley and Ty Gibbs follows with three. In all, 38 different drivers have won at least one race at Phoenix.
-16th time in 53 races the polesitter wins at Phoenix.
-Third career pole position for William Salawich (fifth career start) and third at Phoenix (in three starts at Phoenix).
-Fourth pole for Joe Gibbs Racing at Phoenix. JGR becomes the equal of Gene Price Motorsports and Duncan Racing by being the most successful teams in Phoenix with four poles.
-Fourth pole for Joe Gibbs Racing in West Series. 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.
-First career attempt in West Series for (15 drivers): Giovanni Ruggiero, Grant Enfinger, Isabella Robusto, Marco Andretti, Isaac Johnson, Andy Jankowiak, Michael Mapples, John Aramendia, Joe Farrè, Brayton Laster, Brad Perez, Cody Kiemele, Danica Dart, Cody Dennison (DNQ), Garrett Zacharias (DNQ).
-First career start in West Series for (13 drivers): Giovanni Ruggiero, Grant Enfinger, Isabella Robusto, Marco Andretti, Isaac Johnson, Andy Jankowiak, Michael Mapples, John Aramendia, Joe Farrè, Brayton Laster, Brad Perez, Cody Kiemele, Danica Dart.
-First career attempt at Phoenix in West Series for (16 drivers): Giovanni Ruggiero, Grant Enfinger, Isabella Robusto, Eric Johnson, Jr., Marco Andretti, Isaac Johnson, Andy Jankowiak, Michael Mapples, John Aramendia, Joe Farrè, Brayton Laster, Brad Perez, Cody Kiemele, Danica Dart, Cody Dennison (DNQ), Garrett Zacharias (DNQ)
-First career start at Phoenix in West Series for (14 drivers): Giovanni Ruggiero, Grant Enfinger, Isabella Robusto, Eric Johnson, Jr., Marco Andretti, Isaac Johnson, Andy Jankowiak, Michael Mapples, John Aramendia, Joe Farrè, Brayton Laster, Brad Perez, Cody Kiemele, Danica Dart,
-Best career result in West Series for Giovanni Ruggiero (2nd), Grant Enfinger (3rd), Isabella Robusto (6th), Toni Breidinger (9th), Lavar Scott (10th), Marco Andretti (21st), Isaac Johnson (24th), Andy Jankowiak (27th), Michael Mapples (29th), John Aramendia (34th), Joe Farrè (35th), Brayton Laster (37th), Brad Perez (38th), Cody Kiemele (39th), Danica Dart (40th).
-First career Top-10 result in West Series for Giovanni Ruggiero (2nd), Grant Enfinger (3rd), Isabella Robusto (6th), Toni Breidinger (9th), Lavar Scott (10th).
-First careet Top-5 result in West Series for Giovanni Ruggiero (2nd), Grant Enfinger (3rd).
-16th win for the No. 18 in history. The fourth at Phoenix (all from the pole position).
-18th pole for the No. 18 in history. The fourth at Phoenix.
-Third career pole for crew chief Matt Ross. And third at Phoenix.
-Second career win for crew chief Matt Ross. And second at Phoenix
-74th pole for Toyota in West Series and ninth at Phoenix. The all-time most successful manufacturer is Chevrolet with 258.
-The track record is owned by Ty Gibbs for Joe Gibbs Racing at 135.064 mph achieved in 2021.
-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 13 in 2023 (March race). The 2023 March race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 78.
-Note that from 1988 to 1996 the Phoenix race was combined with the NASCAR Cup Series.
-The most leader changes occurred in 1993 with 20. The least leader change is zero, three times in 2012, 2014 and 2021 #2.
-The largest starting field was in 1996 and 1996 with 44 cars.
-The smallest starting field was in 2003 #2 with 22 cars.
-682nd paved oval race in history.
-First time in West History that a team has entered three female drivers in the same race. Venturini Motorsports with Amber Balcaen, Toni Breidinger and Isabella Robusto.
-First time since the Phoenix race in November 2015 that a West Series race has DNQs drivers. That was exactly 100 races. Note that that year the starting grid was limited to only 30 cars.
-First time that the distance of a Phoenix race has been reduced due to weather. And First time since Portland in June 2022.
-First time that the winner of the first race of the season is also the one who won the last race of the previous season since Derek Kraus (last race of 2017 and first race of 2018).
The Drivers
No. 03 Alex Clubb (Clubb Racing Inc.) Start: 39th – Fin: 30th Oil Pressure
The road to Phoenix was strewn with pitfalls for Alex Clubb. Mechanical problem with his hauler, leading to a hefty first bill… The race was hardly more satisfactory. Using a provisional position to start from the back of the starting grid, he would avoid the accident on the first lap but would suffer a puncture in the first segment causing him to lose many laps under the green flag. But the final blow will come at the restart when the belts “get tangled”… And presto, second hefty bill…
“Crap week capped off with a bad race got ran over early and a flat left rear. The crew did a great job with the unexpected green flag pit stop. Then on the restart before the break the power steering pump belt broke and took the oil pump belt off. Unfortunately I didn’t catch it until about four seconds later so the motor ran without oil pressure. I’m ready for Talladega and hopefully never running open motors ever again! Huge thank you to Yavapai Bottle Gas for the weekend.” Clubb said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18th | 3 starts, best result 18th |
No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing) Start: 34th – Fin: 32nd Crash
A weekend to forget for David Smith. His only satisfaction was the moment he removed the yellow stripes which indicated that he was a rookie last year. Crash during practice with his primary car, he took part in the race with his backup car thanks to a provisional place. But from the first corner he was caught in the first incident of the race. Being able to continue his race he was going to fall back on the trajectory of Eric Johnson, Jr who overtook him on turn 3 in lap 59.
A poor understanding between the two drivers resulted in Smith being sent into the wall. The final blow was delivered by Jake Bollman who, having nowhere to go, crashed into the back of the red and black Toyota. DNF for Smith and second visit to the track medical center for a mandatory check-up. Fortunately, apart from self-esteem, he escaped unscathed.
“Tough weekend. I have never been in the ambulance or infield care center and had to go twice. Car got loose first lap of practice. Went to a backup car that went real good until getting caught up in a wreck in turn 1 on the first lap. This bent the splitter and made the car wicked tight. So I tiptoed around until the last incident in turn 3 which destroyed the right front and every body panel. So that ended our day. Lots of damage to both cars everything from driver back on the primary and front clip and body on the secondary. The Shockwave crew will be busy for Irwindale.” Smith said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10th | 4 starts, best result 17th |
No. 06 Cody Dennison (WP Motorsports) DNQ
Studious during practice by setting consistent lap times, he was however not fast enough in the qualifying session. 35th, he could not start the race because he did not have a provisional place. For this he should have been among the 32 fastest drivers.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 0 (1 DNQ) | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
No. 07 Danica Dart (Kennealy Keller Motorsports) Start: 40th –Fin: 40th Crash
A satisfactory first experience in the West Series for the rookie Dart. Studious during the practice, she missed her qualification time by 0.005 seconds but thanks to the provisional place she can start the race. A race which will be too short since it stops at the first turn being trapped by the accident between Mapples and Kiemele.
She explains this first experience in Phoenix to us in detail. “My race day at Phoenix went really well, although my night ended really early. I had such an amazing experience meeting such nice people, and getting to race at a facility like that was just so surreal to me. Practice went good, I was just getting my used to the track, and the speeds.
“We only had a 45 minute practice session so that made it pretty difficult to get everything dialed but we got pretty close!! Then I went out for qualifying, I actually did pretty well considering I had a pretty tight car and no more than 25 laps on that track. Everything leading up to the main was definitely something to remember, it was just so much fun.
“The main event came around and I was full of emotions and excitement, I put my helmet on and got strapped into the car then rolled off grid. I had a really good feeling about the race. When the green flag dropped I ended up passing a couple cars going down the dogleg, heading into turn 1 I got involved in an unfortunate wreck. Although it wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, it was definitely an amazing opportunity and I hope to do it again!”
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40th | 1 start, best result 40th |
No. 1 Robbie Kennealy (Kennealy Keller Motorsports) Start: 29th – Fin: 22nd
The blue Mustang lacked speed throughout the day due to an engine problem. But Kennealy was able to run a clean and intelligent race, finishing 22nd. He could have done better but the long green flag of the first segment (50 laps) did not allow him to stay within the leader’s lap.
“Fun weekend out in Phoenix even if the race wasn’t too crazy. Unfortunately had motor issues all day long which made it super hard to compete up front but our team never gave up and came home with a perfectly clean car and a P22 finish out of the 43 cars that showed up. Huge thank you to the Wilson Motorsports team and KKM Driver Development team for never giving up. Gonna go back to the shop and get it fixed up to have a shot to run up front at Irwindale . Great job to my teammates Kyle Keller and Danica Dart on the weekend.” Kennealy said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5th | 2 starts, best result 18th |
No. 2 Andres Perez de Lara (REV Racing) Start : 4th – Fin: 8th
The Mexican driver had a solid run in the top-five during the first segment but didn’t have the speed to stay there after the midway break. This eighth position is, however, a good result and confirms that seeing him at the front in each race is not due to chance.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2nd | 3 starts, best result 3rd |
No. 3 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing) Start: 24th – Fin: 19th
The speed displayed during practice could not be confirmed in qualifying. By starting beyond the twentieth position, the race looked complicated but the challenge was not impossible for Souza. He approached the top 15 at the end of the first segment but the lap lost during the long run under green could not be recovered. Todd never being in the lucky dog position. He managed to finish with a car in good condition at the finish, little consolation when we had the top-five here in 2022.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 121 | 1 | 22 | 69 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 16 starts, best result : 5th |
No. 6 Lavar Scott (REV Racing) Start: 10th – Fin: 10th
For his second race in the West Series and at Phoenix, Scott obtained his first top-10. He had to fight to get it. In fact he spent the majority of the race in 11th or 12th position. Shortly after the 100th lap, he managed to overtake Kris Wright and Tyler Reif and retained 10th position until the race was definitively interrupted by mother nature.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10th | 2 starts, best result 10th |
No. 7 Takuma Koga (Jerry Pitts Racing) Start: 22nd – Fin: 23rd
Difficult to be satisfied with a 23rd position but Koga did not have the speed to fight for much better. He ran a clean race. The adjustments made to his car during the midway break unfortunately did not allow the Japanese driver to obtain more speed. The car was difficult to enter corners, especially turn 3.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 114 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 5th (4x) | 13 starts, best result : 15th |
No. 10 Brayton Laster (Fast Track Racing) Start: 35th – Fin: 37th Electrical
Sorry for Laster who was making his debut at Phoenix, but Fast Track Racing brought a speedway car to the 1.0-mile oval. Laster was a last minute name on the entry list. The team didn’t even have enough time to put his name on the rear windshield of the Fast Track machine that he drove in the race.. Benefiting from a provisional starting spot he was able to start but his race was short due to electrical problems.
“Was looking forward to learning a lot and running some more laps tonight, unfortunately an electrical issue will sideline us for the evening. This is nothing to be ashamed us, this team literally took a Superspeedway car and got it intermediate ready in less than half a day. Huge thank you to everyone for hopping onboard tonight, and for those that we’re riding on board for Daytona, I greatly appreciate you as well.” Laster said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37th | 1 start, best result 37th |
No. 11 Brad Perez (Fast Track Racing) Start: 32nd – Fin: 38th Overheating
Exactly the same thing to say as for his teammate Laster. Perez was only here to glean a few points for the owner standings. Mission accomplished in the qualifying session as he obtained 32nd position. During the race, an overheating problem put an end to his performance shortly after the restart following the first accident.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38th | 1 start, best result 38th |
No. 12 Ryan Roulette (Fast Track Racing) Start: 37th – Fin: 28th
Very anonymous run for Roulette due to various issues. He almost saw his race end prematurely when around the 20th lap, he clashed with the leader Sawalich who overtook him and put him one lap behind. The contact seemed light. But the car, which was already lacking speed at that point, was even more difficult to drive afterwards.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22nd | 4 starts, best result 22nd |
No. 13 Tyler Reif (Central Coast Racing) Start: 7th – fin: 11th
Everything started well for Tyler Reif with good speed from the practice session. Confirmed in qualifying session. He was fighting for the top-five and was in fifth position at mid-race. It was more complicated in the second segment and on the 96th lap he clashed in the backstretch with Wood and Robusto. The behavior of the Toyota was no longer the same thereafter and it had to settle for 11th position. Far from his expectations, he who had won the race last year.
“Eventful weekend for the Central Coast Racing team at Phoenix. The day started off good running top5 all in practice and had a oil leek we couldn’t find tell after qualifying which made my car look like a smoke bomb. Qualified P7 and found the problem after qualifying, ran in the top5 all race and got roughed up after the half time break causing us to drop down to 11th and shortly after the race rained out. P.11 the team and i had more but that’s racing. Excited for 2024.” Tyler Reif said.
Crew chief Michael Munoz telling us: “Phoenix went well. Tyler had a top five car all weekend with one of the largest fields in years. We had a long-run car and with the cautions and rain delay it really hurt us. Central Coast Racing team #3 Todd Souza drove a clean race and they both brought clean race cars home and that’s always a positive in racing. Central Coast Racing is excited for Irwindale. We had a really good practice there!”
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 15 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1st | 4 starts, best result 1st |
No. 15 Kris Wright (Venturini Motorsports) Start: 9th – fin: 12th
Unlike last November’s race here, Wright was never in a position to fight for victory. He spent the entire race between seventh and tenth position. His end of the race was complicated with a car that was difficult to turn. Eighth during the restart on lap 96, he lost four positions and finished in a disappointing 12th position, beaten by his three teammates.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | 3 starts, best result 12th |
No. 16 Jack Wood (Bill McAnally Racing) Start: 8th – Fin: 7th
First complicated race for Wood with BMR. His car was extremely loose everywhere on the oval. He took advantage of the good adjustments on the wedge of his crew chief Kevin Bellicourt during the third caution. Restarting 14th, he would fight his way through the pack and move up to sixth position. However he was sandwiched on the 96th lap between Tyler Reif and Isabella Robusto on the backstretch. He crosses the finish line in seventh position.
“With as deep as the field was here, seventh is a solid start to our season. Our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet was too loose in the first half of the race, and we really needed that caution before halfway to get an extra adjustment. Kevin (Bellicourt, his crew chief) and the guys made a good call, and it really improved the car. I would have liked to see us run out the full distance to see if we could have gotten into the top-five, but that’s a solid finish for our first race as a group. We have a good foundation here and we’ll work on getting ready for Irwindale in a couple weeks.” Wood said.
Team owner Bill McAnally telling us: “Great event 43 cars was huge , we are hard at work to improve and get stronger and I’m very confident we will grow and be in Victory circle soon.”
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 20 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 4th (3x) | 5 starts, best result 4th |
No. 17 Marco Andretti (MMI Racing) Start: 17th – Fin: 21st
Disappointing. What else can we say about a driver who has 251 starts in the NTT IndyCar Series as well as a few races in the Craftsman Truck Series, including at Phoenix. And what’s more, he drives for the team which was champion last year among the owners. In short, all eyes were on Andretti and he did not meet expectations. In his defense, he continues his reconversion to stock car after a very long career in open wheel. The experience acquired here will be useful to him and we look forward to seeing him again soon behind the wheel of his No. 17.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21st | 1 start, best result 21st |
No. 18 William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing) Start: 1st – Fin: 1st
Dazzling. Change of superlative between Sawalich and Andretti to describe their respective races. Winner last November, he once again had a solid race, taking pole, the fastest lap in the race and leading 66 laps. Apart from an approximation when overtaking the latecomer Ryan Roulette which made him lose the lead of the race to the benefit of Ruggiero in turn 3 on lap 19. Sawalich did not lose focus and did the job to regain leadership.
If it hadn’t been for surprising rookie Giovanni Ruggiero to challenge him for the top spot, Sawalich would have had a quiet evening in the Arizona desert. This victory owes nothing to luck. It doesn’t matter that the race was shortened by 35 laps because of the storm. Because the real storm was him on the track!
“Not the way I wanted to win a race, but I knew we had the best car out there. We kind of fell back during that first stint, but the guys made a really good adjustment, so I’m super proud of them doing that. We ran a good race and I knew we had a chance to win it.” Sawalich said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1st (2x) | 3 starts, best result : 1st (2x) |
No. 19 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Bill McAnally Racing) Start: 15th – Fin: 20th
Losing a lap during the long green flag, he was the victim of a misunderstanding from the latecomer David Smith who fell back on his trajectory entering turn 3 on the 59th lap. Too bad for Johnson, Jr. who was then fighting for the top-15 because being involved in the incident could not benefit from the free pass. Restarting in 20th position, he was unable to get back up before the race was interrupted by rain.
“It’s not the result we had planned out tonight. We had a great Pacific Office Automation Chevrolet just got stuck in a lot of traffic making it tough to push through. Unfortunately, we got involved in that incident into Turn 3 a little before halfway, but our team was able to make some repairs and still raced to try to get back on the lead lap. I am proud of this team and what we learned today and we’ll get ready for Irwindale.” Johnson, Jr. said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9th | 1 start, best result 20th |
No. 20 Giovanni Ruggiero (Venturini Motorsports) Start: 3rd – Fin: 2nd
What a performance for rookie Ruggiero who was immediately the best of the four Venturini Motorsports drivers. He was the only one to challenge Sawalich’s first position. Taking advantage of a disagreement between Sawalich and the latecomer Roulette to dive inside the dog leg and take command of the race on the 20th lap. He lost the lead of the race during the second restart but then remained glued to the bumper of No. 18 for the remainder of the race.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | 1 start, best result 2nd |
No. 22 Amber Balcaen (Venturini Motorsports) Start: 16th – Fin: 15th
After effective chassis adjustments during the midway break, Balcaen was able to benefit from the free pass at the same time. All this combined allowed her to gain a few positions and finish the race 15th. After her top 10 at Daytona, this is a great start to the season for the Canadian.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th | 2 starts, best result 15th |
No. 23 Grant Enfinger (Sigma Performance Services) Start: 5th – Fin: 3rd
Solid race for Enfinger who did honor to his CV. Even though he was making his first West Series race at Phoenix, he was right on the pace and fighting throughout the race to maintain his third position. Only Sawalich and Ruggiero were faster than him. It allows the young SPS team to obtain its first top-five. This will normally be the only West Series race Enfinger is expected to do this season.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3rd | 1 start, best result 3rd |
No. 24 Joe Farrè (Sigma Performance Services) Start: 28th – Fin: 35th
He wanted to have fun by participating in a race of this level. And owner Joe Farrè did a good job. Qualified on time, he was unfortunately forced to put his No. 24 Chevrolet in the garage after 32 laps due to electrical problems. The big smile displayed on his face all day long is there to prove it, Joe Farrè had fun. And seeing his second car, finishing third in the race, almost made his jaw drop with joy!
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35th | 1 start, best result 35th |
No. 25 Toni Breidinger (Venturini Motorsports) Start: 11th – Fin: 9th
Great performance from Toni Breidinger who, despite a few marks on the front of her Raising Canes Toyota, finally had a bit of success in Phoenix. She had already driven for the top 10 several times without achieving it due to various problems not of her own making in the past. This time she brought her car back in ninth position, her first top 10 in the West Series.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9th | 6 starts, best result 9th |
No. 27 Bobby Hillis, Jr. (Fierce Creature Racing) Start: 38th – Fin: 36th
New car and teething problems to resolve. In fact, it all started badly with very little practice time because the car did not pass the technical inspection. Hillis took part in the race using his provisional place. But the race was complicated due to brake problems.
Bobby Hillis, Jr. tells us in detail about his day: “Phoenix was a “shit show” right from the beginning with technical inspection. Car failed in so many areas that it was just ridiculous! Body isn’t even close to fitting templates or ride height measurements. Roof is almost an inch too low and we maxed out the jacking bolts trying to raise it up but still wasn’t there by half an inch.
“We had to go back to the pit area and build braces to push the roof up from the inside but still couldn’t get enough out of it. Back through tech three times and practice is almost done and they finally just let us go even though it still wasn’t right. Got into the car to start it and it wouldn’t start.
“Barely even could turn over. Kept trying and there was smoke coming out from underneath when it finally caught fire! Small fire and I guess it was just a short on one of the wires to the starter. Tony (Huffman, the crew chief) fixed that and we got out on track with four minutes left in practice. Not enough time to figure out anything and it was really slow. Back into the pits to put on qualifying tires and then back out we went. Picked up over two seconds but still slow. Got a provisional so we were in.
“Figured out really quickly that the brakes just weren’t going to cut it. They weren’t slowing down the car enough at all so I had to lift super early just to make the corners. Couldn’t get it going and pretty much was just in the way and if I stayed out I was going to cause a problem for myself and most probably other drivers as well so I pulled off around lap 30 and that was pretty much it.”
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 97 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8th (1x) | 22 starts, best result : 11th |
No. 28 Connor Mosack (Pinnacle Racing Group) Start: 19th – Fin: 4th
He well deserved his K&N Hard Charger award. Indeed, fast in practice, he completely missed the qualifying session with only the 19th time. In the race he entered the top 10 on the 50th lap and continued to climb back into the pack until the race was interrupted due to rain. Without this he could perhaps have challenged Enfinger’s third position or even fought for victory. His race pace was excellent.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2nd | 2 starts, best result : 4th |
No. 31 Garrett Zacharias (Rise Motorsports) DNQ
With an uncompetitive car, the task was difficult for rookie Zacharias. His 32nd position in practice could give hope but he could not do better than 34th during the qualifying session. Not having a provisional seat, he had to watch the race from the stands
“’Rome wasn’t built in a day.‘ Well what a day and a experience. We missed the show by one spot, three tenths of a second off. Showed great pace and great learning from today. We will regroup and shoot for more and prove that we belong in ARCA. I will be back and better than ever. Thank you everyone for the sponsorship, support, and just all the love and care for this trip and week. And I can now say that I was here and we will be back!” Zacharias said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 0 (1 DNQ) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a (1 DNQ) |
No. 32 Christian Rose (AM Racing) Start: 12th – Fin: 16th
Good race from Rose who maintained his starting position for more than half the race. But a loss of power prevented him from doing better. Worse still, he lost positions at the end of the race without really being able to fight to defend himself.
“We had good speed with our No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services Ford Mustang throughout the day but unfortunately, shortly after the halfway break, we started to lack some power under the hood and salvaged the race with a respectable but career best finish at Phoenix. “We’ll regroup and focus on Talladega next month.” Rose said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7th (1x) | 4 starts, best result 16th |
No. 34 Isaac Johnson (Greg Van Alst Motorsports) Start: 27th – Fin: 24th
Anonymous race for Johnson in the middle of the pack. He got noticed once and offered TV time to his sponsors by going on a spun in the 90th lap between Turns 3 and 4. Imitating his teammate and owner Greg Van Alst who had experienced the same misfortune 20 laps earlier in Turn 2. Fortunately without damages for both drivers.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24th | 1 start, best result 24th |
No. 35 Greg Van Alst (Greg Van Alst Motorsports) Start: 18th – Fin: 13th
By finishing 13th and thanks to his third position in Daytona, Van Alst leaves Phoenix as the leader of the ARCA Menards National Series. A spun on the 69th lap, fortunately without damage, hardly delayed him. In fact he was 13th at that time and will finish the race in this same position.
“Leaving Phoenix as Points Leaders! Not the finish we wanted but loaded up clean.Thanks to all our partners that made this weekend happen!” Van Alst said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10th (1x) | 3 starts, best result : 10th |
No. 41 Johnny Borneman III (Lowden Jackson Motorsports) Start: 25th – Fin: 33rd
Not at all the race hoped for for Borneman III and LJM. Last year the team celebrated its first victory of its young existence here. A year later, little or nothing has gone in the right direction. Yet it was the same car, the same crew chief (Tony Jackson),… in short, all the ingredients for success were there. But Borneman brushed the wall during practice. the team repaired in time for the qualifying session.
The start of the race seemed to work in their favor. No. 41 quickly gained positions. But a battery problem was going to cost them dearly. The time to change it,… and the team plunged to the bottom of the ranking. But fate prevailed and the second battery lost its power due to a faulty alternator. The team had no other choice but to store for good the car in the garage. 33rd… They will come back stronger in Irwindale.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 126 | 3 | 27 | 61 | 1 | 1st (3x) | 24 starts, best result: 3rd |
No. 42 Tanner Reif (MMI Racing) Start: 26th – Fin: 14th
We will end up believing that Phoenix is an oval that does not suit Tanner. Or that a form of curse hangs over him precisely in this place in Arizona. Because no matter which team he rides with, he can’t fight for victory. Yet we know his talent and that’s what makes it even stranger. But this time the problems started as soon as the cars were unloaded from the hauler.
As a result, he only has time to do three practice laps. Poorly qualified, due to lack of time to find the solution, he will nevertheless make an interesting comeback. He benefits from the free pass on the 70th lap and the adjustments made at mid-race will be good enough for him to enter the top-15. Without the rain interruption he could have hoped for much better.
“Not quite the race we wanted. Unloaded both cars from the trailer with problems due to problems towing. Took us until after qualifying to find the problem and have to position ourselves in the rear to allow us to work on it pre race. So even 40 laps short due to a rain delay we were able to pass 25 cars and get a p.14 finish with no practice. I’m proud of the team and we knew we would be tested with unforeseen problems. The teams got its head up high as we prepare for the next race. “Don’t call it a comeback”. Tanner Reif said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 24 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 1st (2x) | 5 starts, best result : 8th |
No. 48 Brad Smith (Smith Bros. Racing) DNQ
The veteran was present in Phoenix only to certify his presence in all the races of the season and thus remain eligible for the financial bonus distributed by ARCA. He used a backup car made available by REV Racing. Spun in practice in turn 3 in his one and only lap of the day. No damage fortunately. He did not participate in the qualifying session.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 (1 DNQ) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th (1x) | 3 starts (1 DNQ), best result : 26th |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing) Start: 21st – Fin: 17th
Strange race for Huddleston who curiously never had the speed, even from the practice session. He will sail around 20th position for most of the race. He benefits from the free pass at the yellow flag on the 90th lap and thanks to this grabs a few positions to finish 17th. Far from its real level. He will be keen on his home track in Irwindale to show everyone that this Phoenix race was just a bad day.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 66 | 3 | 24 | 53 | 2 | 1st (3x) | 7 starts, best result : 7th |
No. 55 Isabella Robusto (Venturini Motorsports) Start: 6th – Fin: 6th
What can I say except ‘WOW!!’ Very good race from the rookie Robusto. She, who suffered a concussion in an accident last year, taking her away from the circuits, made an excellent debut. Very fast, she was even in third position for many laps before halfway through the race. The incident on the 96th lap when she clashed on the backstretch with Jack Wood will cause her to lose a little time and the top-five which she had not left throughout the race.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6th | 1 start, best result 6th |
No. 61 Sean Hingorani (Hattori Racing Enterprises) Start: 2nd – Fin: 5th
Team change during the off-season but for Hingorani, almost nothing changes. Indeed, the 2023 West Series champion has demonstrated that he would be a candidate for a second championship. However he was going to have to fight because during the long green flag run at the start of the race, his car started to become very loose. Having dropped to seventh position, he was able to reverse the trend thanks to good adjustments during the midway break. He gained several positions while protecting his tires. An ascent stopped by the rain..
“We had a strong showing this weekend, and I’m incredibly proud of what we were able to achieve,With a new team and a car new to me, I thought we held our own against the other teams here in our first start. The car felt great, and the team worked tirelessly to give me a competitive machine. While we narrowly missed the podium, we’ll take this result and build upon it for the races to come. I can’t wait to get on track again in a couple weeks at Irwindale”. Hingorani said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 18 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 1st (4x) | 4 starts, best result 3rd |
No. 63 John Aramendia (Spraker Racing Enterprises) Start: 31st – Fin: 34th Overheating
Complicated debut in Phoenix for Aramendia. He benefits from a provisional place allowing him to start the race. But very quickly overheating problems will slow it down. Finally he put his Chevrolet in the garage for good on the 34th lap.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34th | 1 start, best result 34th |
No. 70 Kyle Keller (Kennealy Keller Motorsports) Start: 23rd – Fin: 18th
Finishing in the leader’s lap without having to benefit from the free pass is a beautiful thing. But KKM is a new team and still learning. This kind of race, disappointing if we only look at the raw result, will be very useful for the rest of the season. Because the problems encountered here will be resolved for the next race. And the team has already demonstrated that it is capable last year of aiming for the top-five.
“The first part of the race we were fighting loose entry center but after the halfway break adjustments, we were able to work our way up to p18 and get back on the lead lap but the rain delay got us. But most of the weekend we are fighting loose, but we are ready for Irwindale.” Keller said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 23 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 4th (3x) | 5 starts, best result : 5th |
No. 71 Nick Joanides (Jan’s Racing) Start: 20th – Fin: 26th
Despite all the adjustments made during the numerous pit stops under yellow flags, the car remained loose until the end. The raw result is disappointing but the potential is there. In addition, the team is in the middle of construction and there are a multitude of things to sort out to make this car work, as Nick Joanides explains to us:
“Six months ago, Jan’s Racing didn’t exist. Jan Qualkenbush has invested so much and we’ve come a very long way in a short period of time. Unfortunately, time was still not on our side. We’ve got great equipment and people, but we do need a little more time to get some of the bugs worked out. Some new, to us, car blues. Car ended up extremely loose. We pitted at almost every caution in an attempt to make it better, but we need to do a post race inspection on the car to figure what went wrong.
For as loose as the car was, I was quite satisfied with the lap time we put up in qualifying, knowing it has so much more in it. We’ll spend the next three weeks working just as hard and hope that we hit on the setup for our home track race at Irwindale. With the team we have assembled and people helping us, I know we’re going to be really strong this year. Just might take getting a couple more races under our belts to hit on it.”
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 29 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4th | 3 starts, best result 16th |
No. 73 Andy Jankowiak (KLAS Motorsports) Start: 14th – Fin: 27th
Bad luck for the fastest plumber in the West. Victim of a puncture on the first lap. The time lost will not be made up, despite the fact that he had one of the fastest cars afterwards.
“A tire puncture that ruined our race Friday by forcing us to pit one lap after we went green. Although we lost multiple laps with an unscheduled pit stop our car showed fifth place speed most of the race and our pit crew executed well on pit road.
A lot of effort by a lot of people at KLAS Motorsports, we just need a little luck and things will start to roll!” Jankowiak said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27th | 1 start, best result 27th |
No. 77 Cody Kiemele (Performance P1 Motorsports) Start: 36th – Fin: 39th Crash
First short-term experience for rookie Kiemele. In fact he was caught in the accident on the first lap and his race ended there. However, the experience acquired during practice will be useful to him from the next race in Irwindale.
“Not quite the finish we had in mind. We got caught up in somebody else’s wreck. Cody Kiemele was a pleasure to work with first time out. We’re going for better luck at Irwindale Speedway in a few weeks. That’s all our home track. Special Thanks to King Taco, Toyota of Redlands, Burgeson’s Heating and Air, REX MD, Wallace Sign Company and HRP. Shout out to Big Rob, Rob Kiemele for helping put this deal together and being a calm voice on the spotter radio. Our crew chief Ryan Sebek , Steven Bedley , Larry Bedley, Marco Paez, Glenn Spagnola and Adrian for all their hard work.” Joe Nava (owner) said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39th | 1 start, best result 39th |
No. 88 Jake Bollman (Naake-Klauer Motorsports) Start: 13th – Fin: 31st
What a shame for the rookie. He had a good race and could claim a top-10. Unfortunately he was a casualty in the accident involving Eric Johnson, Jr. and Davis Smith on lap 59. Bollman had nowhere to go and crashed into the back of the No. 05. Race over.
“Yeah, Jake qualified well out of the big 43 Cars field for his first time there, and he was just running and logging some laps. unfortunately two cars got together in front of him and he had nowhere to go. Not a bad wreck. Just a leaking radiator. Ended our night.” Mike Naake (owner/crew chief) explains to us.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Irwindale |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7th (2x) | 3 starts, best result : 7th |
No. 93 Caleb Costner (Costner-Weaver Motorsports) Start: 30th – Fin: 25th
Costner made an anonymous race past twentieth position throughout the race. However he scores important points for the rest of his championship. He also just announced that he will do the entire ARCA Menards East series in addition to the national championship.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 (+1 DNS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14th (1x) | 2 starts, best result : 25th |
No. 99 Michael Maples (Fast Track Racing) Start: 33rd – Fin: 29th
Caught in the accident on the first lap in turn 1, Maples’ race must have seemed very long afterwards. With a damaged car, he went all the way to gain experience behind the wheel of an ARCA car.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29th | 1 start, best result 29th |
The next race on March 30 at Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, CA, for the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame 150 streamed live on FloRacing.