By Vincent Delforge, Special to Kickin’ the Tires
The Shasta 150, the seventh race of the 2024 ARCA Menards West Series season, held at Shasta Speedway in Anderson, CA, kicked off the second half of the season. And while there was fear of Sean Hingorani dominating this summer after his two consecutive victories at Irwindale, CA, it was not to be. Indeed, Tyler Reif did a perfect job on the .375-mile bullring by being first from the practice to Victory Lane.
By leading every lap, he showed Hingorani that the battle for the championship would be contested until the last lap of the season. Hingorani finished second in the race and is now second in the championship, five points behind Reif. The next race at Tri-City Raceway promises to be thrilling. A track that the ARCA Menards West Series has not visited since 2003. That is, a few years before the birth of the two strong men of the 2024 championship!
For a complete recap of the race, I invite you to read the article « Race review » available here: www.kickinthetires.net/nascar/arca-menards-west-24-shasta-race-review/
Complete race results: www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2024-07/AW/
The top-five in the championship being the following: Tyler Reif (340), Sean Hingorani (335), Jack Wood (300), Trevor Huddleston (300) and Kyle Keller (291).
Driver & owner point standings: www.racing-reference.info/standings/2024/AW/
Next race on August 10 at Tri-City Raceway, W. Richland, WA for the NAPA Auto Care 150.
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. 1023 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.
-2024 race No. 7 of 12.
-Race No. 16 at Shasta Speedway since 1967.
-Win No. 3 for Toyota at Shasta. Among the manufacturers Chevrolet leads the dance with 4 wins ahead of Pontiac (3), Oldsmobile (3), Toyota (3), Ford (2) and Buick (1)
-86th win for Toyota in West Series. The all-time most successful manufacturer is Ford with 290 wins.
-Second win for owner Kelly Souza, the first since 2008 at Tooele, UT, and the first on oval.
-Win No. 2 for Central Coast Racing team. The all-time most successful owners in history are Bill McAnally (99), Fred Elder (45), Bob Bruncati (42) and Ernie Conn (41). The all-time most successful teams in history are Bill McAnally Racing (99), McCoy Racing (54), The Racing Farmers (47), Bruncati Racing (42) and Gene Price Motorsports (26).
-First win for Central Coast Racing at Shasta. The winning owners at Shasta are: Gerald Cracker (2), Lois Williams (2), Marshall Chesrown (1), Bill Clinton (1), Ron Eaton (1), George Jefferson (1), Bill McAnally (1), Bill Schmitt (1), Jim Schmitt (1), Kelly Souza (1), Wayne Spears (1), Bill Venturini (1), Jim Walker (1), Jack Williams (1)
-Second career win for Tyler Reif (21st career start) and the first at Shasta. The winning drivers at Shasta are: Jim Robinson (3), Jimmy Insolo (2), Bill Schmitt (2), Scotty Cain (1), Rick Carelli (1), Derrike Cope (1), Ron Eaton (1), Chris Eggleston (1), Sean Hingorani (1), Tyler Reif (1), Bill Sedgwick (1), Jim Walker (1)
-Tyler Reif now has two West Series wins, matching his older brother Tanner Reif.
-With four wins, the Reifs are the second winningest pair of brothers in West Series history. The winningest siblings are the Bown brothers with 10 wins (Chuck 3 wins and Jim 7 wins).
-Fifth career pole position for Tyler Reif (21st career start) and first at Shasta. Tyler Reif is the eleventh different poleman at Shasta. The polesitters at Shasta are: Bill Schmitt (3), Chuck Bown (2), Jim Bown (2), Ron Eaton (2), Scotty Cain (1), Rick Carelli (1), Trevor Huddleston (1), Jimmy Insolo (1), Tyler Reif (1), Dirk Stephens (1), Tim Williamson (1)
-First pole position for Toyota at Shasta. Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet leads with 6 poles ahead of, Buick (3), Ford (3), Pontiac (2), Oldsmobile (1) and Toyota (1).
-Fifth time in 16 races the driver who started in pole position wins at Shasta.
-First pole for owner Kelly Souza and Central Coast Racing at Shasta. The most successful owners at Shasta is Gerald Cracker with 4 poles ahead John Kieper (2), Bill Schmitt (2), Bill Clinton (1), Tom Craigen (1), Ron Eaton (1), Tim Huddleston (1), Steve McGowan (1), Bill Morehart (1), Kelly Souza (1), Charles Williamson (1)
-Fifth pole for Central Coast Racing and Kelly Souza in West Series (all with driver Tyler Reif). 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.
-The track record (for the 0.375 layout) is owned by David Mayhew at 85.050 mph achieved in 2015.
-Jim Robinson won the race in 1982 from 9th position on the starting grid, which is a record.
-As far as yellow flags are concerned, the record is eight in 1992. The 1992 race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 47.
– The 1976, 1977 and 2024 races holds the record for the fewest caution with zero.
-The most leader changes occurred in 1992 with 6. The fewest leader change is zero in 1967 and 2024.
-The largest starting field was in July 1978 (race #1) with 26 cars.
-The smallest starting field was in 1967 with 12 cars. Note: 13 cars in 2024.
-First career attempt in West Series for (0 driver)
-First career start in West Series for (1 driver): Derek Copeland
-First career attempt at Shasta in West Series for (4 drivers): Jaron Giannini, Eric Johnson, Jr., Robbie Kennealy and Jack Wood.
-First career start at Shasta in West Series for (5 drivers): Derek Copeland, Jaron Giannini, Eric Johnson, Jr., Robbie Kennealy and Jack Wood.
-Best career result in West Series for Derek Copeland (2nd)
-First career Top-10 result in West Series for Derek Copeland (2nd)
-First career Top-5 result in West Series for Derek Copeland (2nd)
-Second win for the No. 13 in history. The first at Shasta and the first since Tooele, UT in August 2, 2008 with Todd Souza. All with Central Coast Racing.
-5th pole for the No. 13 in history. The first at Shasta.
-Sixth career pole for crew chief Michael Munoz and the first at Shasta.
-Second career win for crew chief Michael Munoz. The first since Tooele, UT in August 2, 2008 with driver Todd Souza. The two with Central Coast Racing and the No.13.
-77th pole for Toyota in West Series. The all-time most successful manufacturer is Chevrolet with 260.
-686th paved oval race in history.
The Drivers
No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing) Start: 11st – Fin: 10th
A wise race rewarded with a second top-10 in his career. That said, the car was hard to drive in the corners and David Smith admits to having suffered a bout of fatigue in the last laps. But this good result gives heart to the Canadian team. The “never give up” spirit is part of Shockwave Motorsports’ DNA.
“Shasta is done. We had better speed when I wanted it but not enough stamina in driver. We were way too stiff. Didn’t have anything to move forward so I was content with staying out of the way. Yikes am I beat up….it was a bumpy ride.” Smith said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10th (2x) | 2 starts, best result : 10th |
No. 3 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing) Start: 6th – Fin: 7th
It’s exactly one year since Todd gave up his seat in his iconic No. 13 to Tyler Reif and there’s no doubt that his teammate’s victory is a huge joy to him. He had a great race and was fair enough not to get in Hingorani’s way when the latter, chasing Tyler Reif, overtook him to put him one lap behind at the end of the race.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 127 | 1 | 22 | 73 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 2 starts, best result : 7th |
No. 5 Sean Hingorani (Jerry Pitts Racing) Start: 2nd – Fin: 2nd
Last year Hingorani had the opportunity to catch up with the leader thanks to a yellow flag. This allowed him to fight for the first position and finally win the race. This year, he ran the entire race behind Reif without ever being able to attempt an overtake, even if he managed twice to reduce the gap to less than three tenths thanks to overtaking by the late drivers. The last ten laps were complicated with tires at the end of their life. He lost a position in the championship where he is now second but only five points behind the leader.
“I think we were better for a bit there but then we just got too free. Struggled a little bit with drive. These Jerry Pitts Racing guys worked really hard this weekend so I can’t thank them enough for that,” Hingorani said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 24 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 1st (6x) | 2 starts, best result : 1st |
No. 7 Takuma Koga (Jerry Pitts Racing) Start: 9th – Fin: 9th
In difficulty in the corners because of a car that was too tight in the center preventing him from having a good race pace, Koga wore out his tires more than he would have liked and had to settle for ninth place at the finish, three laps behind the winner. But this second top-10 in three races is encouraging for the rest of the season.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 120 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 5th (4x) | 2 starts, best result : 9th |
No. 11 Robbie Kennealy (Kennealy Keller Motorsports) Start: 10th – Fin: 13th mechanical (Start and park)
Kennealy ended up using the car of his teammate Danica Dart, who was not present here. That is why he ended up using the No. 11 instead of his usual No. 1. But his race was limited to a start and park. Which was expected following the failure of his main engine at Irwindale. He scored important points, which allowed him to move from 13th to 11th position in the championship, thus maintaining all his chances of obtaining a top-10 at the end of the season. Robbie has the talent, we just have to wish him more luck. Because this season, he has not been spared from mechanical problems so far.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 11 (2 DNS) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5th | 1 start, best result 13th |
No. 12 Kyle Keller (Kennealy Keller Motorsports) Start: 7th – Fin: 5th
Keller had a great end to the race with a pace that allowed him to overtake Jack Wood for fifth position. It’s a shame he didn’t do better in the qualifying session since he started the race from seventh position. We knew he was fast because he had the third fastest time in practice. But this first top-five of the season is good for Keller and KKM in a complicated season for the team. Kyle Keller, who with five top-10s in seven races, is now well established in the top-five of the championship.
“P:5 at Shasta Speedway! I struggled in qualifying which resulted in me starting a little to far back. Took me to long to get by sixth and fifth to have anything for fourth. But to the thanks to my team for bringing me a fast hot rod!!” Keller said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 29 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 4th (3x) | 2 starts, best result : 5th |
No. 13 Tyler Reif (Central Coast Racing) Start: 1st – Fin: 1st
Fast but unlucky last year for his debut at the wheel of the No. 13 CCR, Tyler Reif left no chance for his opponents to contest his victory this year. He was first in the practice session, first in the qualifying session, led every lap of the race and achieved the fastest lap time in the race! This allows him to regain the championship lead that he had left to Sean Hingorani on the evening of the second race of the doubleheader at Irwindale in early July.
“What a way to pick up are first win with this amazing team! P.1 both practices and p.1 qualifying, lead all 150 laps. So nice to park it in victory lane along with a clean sweep on the weekend! Thank you to the boys at Central Coast Racing for bringing me such a fast race car this weekend! Ready for Tri-City in two weeks!” Reif said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 21 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 1st (2x) | 2 starts, best result : 1st |
No. 16 Jack Wood (Bill McAnally Racing) Start: 3rd – Fin: 6th
It all started well for Wood who took second position from the start in Hingorani but he would lose position after position throughout the race to finish sixth. Of course he is third in the championship but 40 points behind the leader. But the speed is there. We just have to solve this problem of efficiency when the track cools down during the race with the disappearance of the sun. Problem already encountered previously this year.
“I felt we had some good speed after practice and qualifying. I thought our No. 16 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet was a second or third place car. We ran into the same problem we have had this season when the sun goes away and the track cools down. We expect to be winning these races and we just keep coming up short in the end of the race.” Wood said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 26 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 2nd | 1 start, best result 6th |
No. 19 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Bill McAnally Racing) Start: 13th – Fin: 12th
Tough day for the rookie who was unable to do any practice laps due to an engine problem. No qualifying session either. By starting the race dead last, Johnson, Jr. nevertheless showed that he had a fast car. He climbed back to eighth position before encountering new mechanical problems shortly before the halfway point. A broken rear axle that would cause him to lose 28 laps in his pit box while his team solved the problem.
“Today just wasn’t our day. At no fault of anyone, we fought unforeseen mechanical failure after mechanical failure. Unfortunately when you loose both practice and qualifying at a track you’ve never seen it’s hard to know what to expect. Sadly, we never even had a fighting chance as we broke an axle before the halfway point which costed us any shot we had at a good night. Hopefully our luck turns around soon so we can get this Pacific Office Automation Chevrolet up in the mix.” Johnson, Jr. said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7th | 1 start, best result 12th |
No. 23 Jaron Giannini (Sigma Performance Services) Start: 8th – Fin: 11th Brakes
Giannini was driving a smart race, gaining experience and maintaining a consistent pace, but the rookie suffered a brake failure in the final third of the race, forcing the SPS driver to park his car on lap 121 while battling with Souza for seventh position.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5th | 1 start, best result 11th |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing) Start: 4th – Fin: 3rd
A solitary race for Huddleston who was far from the leading duo but well ahead of his pursuers except at the end when Copeland came back to him. Once he had passed Jack Wood for third position on lap 18, the HPR driver continued on his way, losing a few tenths on each lap on the first two. But this podium allows him to keep his chances for the championship alive because he is third equal with Wood on 300-points, 40 behind the leader with five races to go in the season.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 72 | 3 | 27 | 58 | 2 | 1st (3x) | 2 starts, best result : 2nd |
No. 71 Nick Joanides (Jan’s Racing) Start: 12th – fin: 8th
Different team but same result as last year for Joanides with eighth position. The race was however a test session since it was necessary to establish a setup with the new chassis (for the team) used for the first time here. This allows Joanides to consolidate his sixth position in the championship and to stay within shooting range of the top-five. The team is new and in full structuring for the future.
“Ninth in qualifying out of 13 cars, not what I would consider a great day. But, was a day to be expected when taking an untested car out for the first time. One that we had minimal time to get a full setup in it. Naturally, we hoped for the best, but the day went about as expected under the circumstances. We gained good notes on the car and will be able to take it back to the shop and make a bunch of changes to make it much better before the next time we run it.
“For Tri-City, will be more of the same as we’ll be taking our third car to that race. Also untested with barely a full setup in the car. But after that, we should have good notes on both cars and get back to contending in the top-five from there on out. This weekend and Tri-City, we’re effectively using them as test sessions. We had a lot of success with the Mustang at Kern and Irwindale. Hopefully we can make the same type of progress on these other two cars. We’ll get there.
“We’ve accomplished a lot for a first year team in a short period of time. We’ve added a few new team members and I couldn’t be happier with the team we have. I have all the faith we’ll get it figured it. We knew we were going to have to go through a couple of weekends like this at some point to start building the rest of the program.
“We managed to keep it clean and salvage an eighth place finish out of. About what we expected. Would have been nice if we had gotten a couple of yellows to make some changes during the race since it was effectively a test session for us, but we didn’t get that luxury.” Joanides explains to us.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 35 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 4th (2x) | 2 starts, best result : 8th (2x) |
No. 80 Derek Copeland (Derek Copeland Racing) Start: 5th – Fin: 4th
Terribly unlucky last year for his West Series debut, Copeland was unable to start due to engine failure. This year, during the optional practice on Friday, the same problem with the engine breaking. But the team will have time to put the spare engine in for Saturday, the day of the race. And then no more problems for the local driver, since he lives in Anderson, CA, not far from the oval. He put in a remarkable performance by increasing the pace as he approached the halfway point.
He passed Wood for fourth position on lap 63 and even became more and more threatening towards Huddleston at the end of the race, despite major brake problems, especially in the last 20-30 laps. This fourth position is the team’s best result since its creation in 2020 and Brian Kamisky’s eighth position on the Tooele, UT road track. Copeland is usually the crew chief of Kamisky, the roles are reversed for Copeland’s home track. Note the valuable help of the former crew chief (421 races) of the NASCAR Cup Series Jimmy Elledge who came to strengthen the team.
“Qualified 5th and finished 4th in the ARCA Shasta 150.. Race went 150 laps without a yellow flag! Started losing brakes with 50 to go and completely lost them with about 20 to go. Can’t thank everyone who helped out enough from the Friday nights engine swap to making changes on the car during practice. We got better every time we hit the track.
“Big thank you to Legal Limit Motorsports and Brian Kamisky for giving me the opportunity to race. Definitely wouldn’t have been possible without you. Also wouldn’t have been possible without SK Construction, Wards Concrete, and Cox & Cox Construction. Thank you Mike Naake-Naake Suspension Specialists for the shocks and helping with a starting point to work with on setup. Shoutout to Jimmy Elledge for coming and crew chiefing and getting the car better every time we hit the track! Couldn’t have got it where it was without you! Hopefully we can do it again another day!” Copeland said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Shasta |
| 2 (1 DNS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4th | 2 starts (1 DNS), best result : 4th |
Next race on August 10 at Tri-City Raceway, W. Richland, WA for the NAPA Auto Care 150.