By Vincent Delforge, Staff Writer
The sixth race of the 2025 ARCA Menards West Series season took place at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA. The General Tire 200 was won by William Sawalich. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver completely dominated the race, leading every lap from pole position. Only the final restart, during overtime, challenged his dominance. But he managed to emerge victorious from a three-way battle with Christian Eckes and Alan Day to cross the finish line just 66 thousandths of a second ahead of Eckes and 156 ahead of Israeli driver Alon Day. In fourth place, Huddleston solidified his championship lead, extending his lead to 14 points over Tanner Reif.
The West Series will return to action on August 9th for the NAPA Auto Parts 150, which will take place on the half-mile tri-oval at Tri-City Raceway in W. Richland, WA. This race will mark the start of the second half of the series.
Complete race results: www.racing-reference.info/race/2025-06/AW
Race review: www.kickinthetires.net/nascar/arca-menards-west-series-2025-sonoma-race-review/
In the championship, Trevor Huddleston now has 299 points, 14 more than Tanner Reif. (285). Kyller Keller is third with 284 points ahead of Eric Johnson, Jr. (271) and Robbie Kennealy (264).
Driver & owner point standings: www.racing-reference.info/standings/2025/AW
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 at Sonoma
The West Series was the first NASCAR series on this road track in 1969 with the victory of the late Ray Elder.
There were even two races in 1969. The second won by the late Jack McCoy.
It will be necessary to wait until 1978 for the drivers of the West to return to Napa Valley. Jimmy Insolo won the race three years in a row.
Following the closure of the Riverside road track at the end of the 1988 season, the NASCAR Cup Series logically settled in Sonoma. Between 1989 and 1998, the Cup and the West will race together nine times. The Cup drivers claim the nine victories. However, some years, the West also performed there in standalone events.
In 1998, Kevin Harvick won the race, his fifth and last victory of the season at the end of which he would win the championship.
Then nothing until 2006. And since the West comes every year except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-72nd season in history.
-Race No. 1034 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.
-2025 race No. 6 of 12.
-148th road track race (including the 4 street races) in history.
-Race No. 46 at Sonoma Raceway since 1969, including nine combined Cup / West races between 1989 and 1997 when the two series had the same technical regulations.
-Second win for Toyota at Sonoma. Among the manufacturers, Ford leads with 17 wins ahead of Chevrolet with 13. Buick (5), Pontiac (5), Oldsmobile (2), Dodge (2) and Toyota (2) share the other victories.
-The all-time most successful manufacturer is Ford with 294 wins.
-Fifth win for owner Joe Gibbs, the first at Sonoma.
-Win No. 9 for Joe Gibbs Racing team (Coy Gibbs 2 ; J.D. Gibbs 2 and Joe Gibbs 5). The first at Sonoma.
-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 most successful team at Sonoma is Bruncati Sunrise Ford Racing with five victories. Jerry Pitts Racing has three wins. Among the teams still in activity, only one has ever won here, Naake Motorsports (Previously named Naake-Klauer Motorsports until 2024) in 2012.
-Fourth win in career for William Sawalich (9th career start), the first at Sonoma. Sawalich is the 34th different winner at Sonoma.
-The most prolific drivers at Sonoma are Jimmy Insolo, Bill Schmitt and Hershel McGriff, three wins each.
-34 different drivers have won at least one race at Sonoma.
-16th time in history the driver starting on pole position wins the race at Sonoma in 46 races, including the last four races. The driver who won the race from the worst starting position was Jimmy Insolo (1978).
-Fifth pole for William Sawalich (9th career start), the first at Sonoma.
-Pole No. 82 for Toyota, the third at Sonoma.
-Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet leads with 16 poles ahead of Ford (15), Buick (5), Pontiac (4), Toyota (3), Dodge (2) and Oldsmobile (1).
-The all-time most successful manufacturer is Chevrolet with 263.
-The most successful team in history is Bill McAnally Racing with 82 poles. The most successful owner in history is Bill McAnally with 55 poles.
-The qualifying lap record for the 1.99-mile version (The Chute) is held by Sam Mayer in 92.873 mph.
-As far as yellow flags are concerned, the record is 12 (2008). The 2008 race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 40.
-The record for the fewest cautions is 1 (1969 race #2 and 1980). With just 5 laps behind the pace car, the 1969 (race #1) race holds the record for the fewest laps under yellow flags.
-The most leader changes occurred in 1986 with 12. The fewest leader changes is zero in 2014.
-The largest starting field was in 1990, 1996 and 1997 with 44 cars (a combination race with the Cup Series).
-The smallest starting field was in 1984 and 1995 (race #2) with 19 cars.
-The drivers with the most races are Hershel McGriff and Jack Sellers with 20.
-The drivers with the most wins are Jimmy Insolo, Hershel McGriff and Bill Schmitt with 3.
-The driver with the most poles is Ricky Rudd with 4. For the West stand-alone race is Hershel McGriff with 3.
-The drivers with the most Top 5 is Bill Schmitt with 8.
-The driver with the most Top 10s is Bill Schmitt with 9.
-The driver with the most laps is Bill Schmitt (1120).
-The driver with the most laps led is Rusty Wallace (148). For the West stand-alone race is Hershel McGriff (142).
-Eight times the race has been extended by overtime (2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2025)
-One time the race was shortened due to time constraints in 2022.
-First career attempt in West Series for (3 drivers): Kaylee Bryson, Alon Day and Christian Eckes.
-First career start in West Series for (3 drivers): Kaylee Bryson, Alon Day and Christian Eckes.
-First career attempt at Sonoma in West Series for (7 drivers): Jeff Anton, Kaylee Bryson, Alon Day, Corey Day, Christian Eckes, Blake Lothian and Jonathan Reaume.
-First career start at Sonoma in West Series for (7 drivers): Jeff Anton, Kaylee Bryson, Alon Day, Corey Day, Christian Eckes, Blake Lothian and Jonathan Reaume.
-Best career result in West Series for Christian Eckes (2nd), Alon Day (3rd), Corey Day (7th), Jeff Anton (10th) and Kaylee Bryson (14th)
-First career Top-10 result in West Series for Christian Eckes (2nd), Alon Day (3rd), Corey Day (7th) and Jeff Anton (10th),
-First career Top-5 result in West Series for Christian Eckes (2nd) and Alon Day (3rd)
-Kaylee Bryson is the 40th woman to take part in a West Series race and the 10th at Sonoma.
-19th win for the No. 18 in history. The first at Sonoma.
-20th pole for the No.18 in history. The first at Sonoma.
-5th career win for crew chief Matt Ross. The first at Sonoma.
-5th career pole for crew chief Matt Ross. The first at Sonoma.
-Alon Day is the 112th foreign driver in the West Series, and the first Israeli.
-Israel is the 18th country represented in the West Series.
The Drivers
No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing) Start: 23rd – Fin: 20th
Problems with a stuck accelerator pedal during the qualifying session prevented the Canadian veteran from setting a fast lap. His team will repair the problem in time for the race. But the heat made the No. 5 driver’s race difficult. The pace was off, and he lost several laps without ever being able to benefit from the free pass. In the end, he courageously earned a top-20 finish. “GAWD THIS IS HARD! Big shoutout again to all the crew. They fixed the car after a hung throttle and calamity in qualifying.” Smith said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 34 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10th (3x) | 3 starts, best result : 15th |
No. 1 Robbie Kennealy (Jan’s Racing Team) Start: 14th – Fin: 21st crash
While he was having a good race in the top 10, despite having little experience on road tracks, Kennealy was a collateral victim of the misunderstanding between Johnson, Jr. and Rodd Kneeland. The driver of the No. 1 had nowhere to go and at full speed hit Kneeland’s car and then the outside wall of turn 12. The impact was violent but fortunately the drivers escaped unharmed. However, the car was destroyed. It is already planned that he will use his backup car for the next road race in Portland at the end of August. “Tough day at Sonoma Raceway. This one stings for sure. Running top 10 on my third ever time on a road course when two cars multiple laps down in front wrecked and I had nowhere to go. Did everything I could fully sideways to avoid it but eventually just hit hard into the wall. The Jan’s Racing Team has worked so hard and I hate for it to have ended this way. Super confident in my team to rebuild and head to Tri-City in Washington next. Congrats to my teammate Kyle Keller on his great run.” Kennealy said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 18 (2 DNS) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3rd | 2 starts, best result 17th |
No. 3 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing) Start: 17th – Fin: 23rd Suspension
Souza certainly hasn’t had any luck with him so far this year. He made a good start to the race, moving up to 12th place on the second lap. But it wasn’t to last, as his car suddenly started behaving strangely, causing him to lose positions and a lap on the leaders after barely 15 laps of racing. His team could do nothing to fix the problem, and Todd was ultimately forced to retire after 36 laps with a broken suspension.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 135 | 1 | 23 | 76 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 17 starts, best result 5th |
No. 4 Eric Nascimento, Jr. (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports) Start: 9th – fin: 6th
No surprises. When his car doesn’t have mechanical issues, which has been the case too often in his career, Bubba is a fast and efficient driver. As proof, he had an excellent race, rewarded with a nice sixth place. He could have even achieved a top 5 but he had to make an unscheduled pit stop with 10 laps to go. Thanks to the overtime, he was able to move up from 12th to sixth position. It’s a shame he doesn’t have the opportunity to do more races. Because his team is made up of competent and experienced people, such as his crew chief, Ty Joiner. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the driver of the No. 4 can do at least the other road race in Portland. I’ve said it often, but Bubba has the talent to become a champion. “Race went smoothly overall! I held strong in 5th until about 10 to go when we had to make an emergency pit stop. Huge credit to the crew for getting me back out fast enough to stay on the lead lap. Thankfully, a caution came out a few laps later, which bunched up the field and gave me a chance to fight back. Managed to climb up to 6th by the checkered flag. Big shoutout to Impact Transportation for sponsoring this race, and huge thanks to everyone who showed up to help out with the car this weekend. I had an awesome time and really appreciated seeing some familiar faces during the autograph session! As always, I couldn’t have done it without my crew, sponsors, and supporters.” Bubba said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 27 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 2nd (2x) | 5 starts, best result: 6th |
No. 5 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Jerry Pitts Racing) Start: 15th – Fin: 17th
A race to forget for Johnson, Jr., even though he had it marked on his calendar. Transmission problems during the qualifying session forced the team to make a change, sending the No. 5 car to the back of the grid for the start. But on the first lap, he suffered a broken axle. He remained stuck in his pit box for five laps while Dustin Ash, his crew chief, and his mechanics managed to repair it. Once back on track, he proved to be among the fastest. But with five laps lost, all hopes of a good result were dashed. On lap 51, as he was catching up with Kneeland, he collided with it, sending the No. 68 car into the wall. Johnson, Jr. came out of it well. Unlike Kneeland, who was hit by Kennealy. Johnson, Jr. apologized after the race to the members of the Rodd Racing team. In the championship, he is now fourth, 28 points behind leader Huddleston. “We couldn’t catch a break. Transmission issues in qualifying and a broken left rear axle before the green even flew. Got the transmission swapped in time for the race, but the axle let go coming to the start. Huge credit to the Jerry Pitts Racing crew for thrashing to get it fixed and getting us back out there. We lost six laps but clawed back to finish 17th. Had plenty of speed, running times similar to the Top-5 but just couldn’t make up the track position we needed to be in the mix. The toughest part was getting caught up with a lapped car that left a couple guys banged up. Hated to be apart of something like that. Just thankful they were able to walk away. Overall, just wasn’t our day in any way, shape or form. Tried to learn what I could for Portland. Hoping it all clicks soon so this group gets the results they deserve. Grateful to be out here doing what I love. Heading to Tri-City with more fire than ever. Thanks Pacific Office Automation, Sherwin-Williams. On to the next,” Johnson, Jr. said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 22 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 2nd | 3 starts, best result 7th |
No. 6 Caleb Shrader (Jerry Pitts Racing) Start: 7th – Fin: 11th
No mechanical issues as disabling as last year for Shrader, who finished the race in 11th position. But a recalcitrant transmission that was causing him to lose time nonetheless prevented him from aiming for victory. This is all the more disappointing for the driver of the No. 6 car, who had remained in the top 10 until the final yellow flag, since he was sixth. This would have been a consolation prize for him. But during the final one-lap dash, he was not spared by his opponents and lost five positions. He will be keen to achieve a strong result in Portland at the end of August, a road track he masters to perfection. “Terrible, had transmission issues and race and couldn’t compete for the win, luckily I finished but the same thing as last two races in ARCA West,” Shrader said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6th | 2 starts, best result 11th |
No.7 Corey Day (Spire Motorsports) Start: 3rd – Fin: 7th
A mixed race for Corey Day. While he spent the entire race in the top five, even sitting in third for a long time, he’s going to have a very difficult overtime. Ejected from the top five by his rivals who showed exacerbated aggression during this final restart. That said, this seventh position is the best he’ll achieve in Sonoma. Indeed, the next day in Xfinity, he’ll have to settle for a modest 24th place.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7th | 1 start, best result 7th |
No. 8 Jeff Anton (Quarterley “1/4” Racing) Start: 16th – Fin: 10th
Anton hasn’t lost any of his driving skills. For his comeback in an ARCA-type car at Lime Rock after a decade away from stock car racing, he finished eighth. But he knows Lime Rock inside out. Here, for his debut at Sonoma, he drove a solid race, resulting in a tenth-place finish. His first career top-10 finish. We should see him again in Portland.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10th | 1 start, best result 10th |
No. 13 Tanner Reif (Central Coast Racing) Start: 13th –Fin: 9th
Unable to fight for victory, the driver of the No. 13 raced intelligently, earning him his first top 10 finish at Sonoma. It’s clear that Tanner Reif was hoping for more, but he limited the damage to the championship. In fact, he only lost five points to the leader, Huddleston. Note that if Tanner wins the next race at Tri-City, he will allow the Reif family to enter the history books of the West Series. Indeed, this would be the first time that two brothers have won the same race in succession for the same team. Tyler won in 2024.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 31 | 3 | 13 | 21 | 2 | 1st (3x) | 3 starts, best result 9th |
No. 14 Davey Magras (Davey Magras Racing) Start: 19th – Fin: 15th
Sixteenth last year and fifteenth this year. Magras’ progression hasn’t been what the driver of the No. 14 car had hoped for. The reason was a spring rate choice that wasn’t suited to the resurfacing of the Sonoma asphalt. The team will make changes for the start of the race, forcing its driver to start from the rear. He will gain a few positions, but once he reaches 15th, it’s impossible to do better. The team, however, has obtained a lot of information that will be useful for the Portland race. It’s worth noting that Magras has already competed in two races in Portland, finishing in the top 10 each time. “Since I didn’t race Sonoma last year, we were off in spring rate a ton. We actually gave up 6 positions for the start to change rear springs in impound after qualifying. Improved but didn’t go far enough. Honestly, we were pretty happy with a P15… just never got a lucky dog. Referencing last year track had been resurfaced and changed spring setup considerably. We were 4 seconds faster than in 2023.. I will be working on bump spring/shock package immediately.” Magras said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7th | 2 starts, best result : 15th |
No. 16 Jack Wood (Bill McAnally Racing) Start: 6th – fin: 13th
An excellent race, not rewarded as it should have been, for Wood, who fought for a top-5 finish throughout the race. Some great, very clean battles with his teammate Eckes and the other drivers. Fourth for a long time, he saw a chance to win the race at the final restart. But he would fall victim to the passion and lack of fair play of Alon Day first. The latter, off track at turn 2, came back onto the line and hit Eckes, who in turn hit his teammate Wood. However, this was nothing compared to the aggression he would suffer from Sawalich coming out of turn 3. The latter pushed Wood, then third, without restraint in a spun. The BMR driver would return to the track but would finish last on the leader’s lap. “We had such a fast No. 16 Weyerhaueser/TimeberTech By Azek Chevrolet today that deserved to finish way better than where we ended up. Super bummed that we could not get the finished these guys deserved today but super proud of Kevin (Bellicourt, his crew chief) and the guys for giving me a top five car today. Huge thanks to them for coming out and doing this deal and also a huge thanks to Weyerhaueser, TimeberTeck, James Hardies, Berry Lumber and Bill McAnally for supporting us today. It has been awesome to spend some time at home with all my family and friends but it’s time to get back to North Carolina and get focused for IRP.” Wood said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 32 | 0 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 2nd | 5 starts, best result 4th (2x) |
No.17 Kaylee Bryson (Cook Racing Technologies) Start: 20th – Fin: 14th
No luck for newcomer Bryson, who experienced engine cutouts from practice and throughout the race. Her engine was losing power, and several times she even ended up stopping on the track, without causing a yellow flag because she was able to restart her engine each time. Thanks to all the efforts of her team, she finished the race in 14th position, one lap behind the winner after benefiting from the free pass during the final caution. We can’t wait to see her again in the West Series because, despite the problems, the experience gained here will be very useful to her. Let’s hope she’ll be there in Portland. “ARCA debut in the books! We fought some electrical issues during our race that put us behind the 8 ball but it didn’t stop us from making some solid laps. Learned so much and we have a lot of speed in the Cook Racing Technologies #17.” Bryson said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14th | 1 start, best result 14th |
No. 18 William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing) Start: 1st – Fin: 1st
As stated in the race review, Sawalich dominated all day, from practice to victory, including the pole and leading every lap. Only the one-lap dash in overtime was difficult for him. A fifth career victory was tarnished by his disrespectful maneuver on Jack Wood, whom he pushed without restraint on the last lap after losing several positions. It would have been understandable if he had pushed Alon Day, who himself had pushed him off the track a few hundred meters before. But Wood had nothing to do with it. His final pass between the hairpin and the finish line was a beauty against Alon Day and Christian Eckes. Sawalich will also receive the Reese’s Move of the Race award for this. That said, his seat time in the West Series will be beneficial to him since he will finish third the next day in the Xfinity Series. A very good weekend in Sonoma for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. “Yeah, I don’t really know what happened in [turn] 1. I don’t know if I overshot it or pretty sure I got ran into. Yeah, think so. But I mean it is what it is. It was a good race, good racing the No. 25 [Alon Day] and everybody else. That was definitely our race, but it sucks it had to happen that way. We did what we could to get our Starkey Camry in Victory Lane, so I’m glad that we’re here. It took me a while to figure out how to do a burnout.” Sawalich said on Victory Lane.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 9 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 1st (4x) | 3 starts, best result 1st |
No. 19 Christian Eckes (Bill McAnally Racing) Start: 5th – Fin: 2nd
Excellent race by Eckes, who, like Corey Day and Sawalich, was making a one-off run in the West Series to prepare for his Xfinity Series race. And Eckes came very close to victory. In the top five all day, he battled for second place with Wood, and the two Days, Alon and Corey. For the final restart (overtime), he was second and was able to take the lead of the race by getting out of the second turn better, taking advantage of the heated argument between Alon Day and Sawalich, who had gone off-track. Eckes remained in the lead until the penultimate turn (hairpin) when Sawalich gave him a little “love tape”, just enough to destabilize the No. 19 Chevrolet. Upon re-acceleration, the two drivers were side by side. Eckes brushed the wall just outside the pit lane and lost a little speed. Sawalich also touched the wall, but just before the finish line. With his momentum, he took the checkered flag first. Eckes is second, 66 thousandths of a second behind. BMR once again fails to win. Sonoma is clearly once again holding out against the winningest team in West Series history. “That was almost really cool. I was lacking a lot of forward drive on the exit all day. I put us behind wheel-hopping in to (turn) seven but we got back to the front with a shot at it near the end. The last lap was wild. The leaders got together and fortunately we had a hole to get through on the restart. I was hoping to get our NAPA Chevrolet enough of a gap through the esses that they couldn’t get to us in Turn 11, but the No. 18 snuck up to my bumper and got me off line enough that there was nothing I could do. Wish we could have gotten Bill (McAnally) a win here, and everyone at BMR. It’s great to the extra track time, and hopefully it’ll pay off for our Kaulig Racing team on Saturday.” Eckes said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | 1 start, best result 2nd |
No. 23 Spencer Gallagher (Clark Racing) Start: 25th – Fin: 18th
Destroying his car during practice, Gallagher started from the back after his team configured the backup car loaned by Sigma Performance Services. It’s worth noting that last year, Joe Farrè (SPS) and T.J. Clark were partners. There was a great sense of solidarity between them. But the car lacked performance, and Gallagher also experienced his share of problems. He ran an average of three to four seconds slower than the leaders and lost several laps to them. In the end, it was a frustrating race with the only consolation being to have received the checkered flag. A nice way to thank the mechanics for having done a great job in such a short time.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 7 (+2 DNQs) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7th | 2 starts, best result 18th |
No. 24 Tyler Reif (Sigma Performance Services) Start: 4th – Fin: 5th
Tyler had a great race and was a serious contender for the win. He got off to a great start and found himself in second place by the second lap. A position he held for the first 22 laps before being passed by Corey Day. Tyler lost two more positions after having to avoid Eckes who was struggling in turn 7A. He then stayed between 6th and 7th position until the red flag on lap 52. He lost a few positions due to minor technical issues and found himself in ninth place at the final yellow flag. But Tyler did what he does best, an excellent restart and during the overtime he gained four positions and finished in a good fifth position. “P5 finish at Sonoma. Qualified strong and quickly charged into 2nd, holding it for much of the first half of the race. But as anyone who’s raced there knows, Sonoma is tough on equipment, and some mechanical issues slowed our chances to go after another victory. Proud of this team for staying relentless and bringing it home in the top 5.” Tyler Reif said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 28 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 5 | 1st (3x) | 3 starts, best result : 2nd |
No.25 Alon Day (Venturini Motorsports) Start: 2nd – Fin: 3rd
The Israeli driver drove a solid race for 64 of the 65 laps, staying in the top five and even the top three most of the time. But he squandered a chance at victory by driving very aggressively and sloppily on the final lap. Third at the overtime restart, he first pushed the leader, Sawalich off the track in turn 2. But the driver of the No. 25 also went off the track. He returned to the track without worrying about his rivals and hit Eckes, who was ejected onto Wood. However, Alon Day lost his momentum and positioned himself in Eckes’ rear bumper until turn 11 (hairpin) where he moved out to the outside line, allowing Sawalich to slip past on the inside. Day touched Eckes again but remained behind the Sawalich/Eckes duo under the checkered flag.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3rd | 1 start, best result 3rd |
No. 32 Dale Quarterley (Quarterley “1/4” Racing) Start: 11th – Fin: 24th crash
This is something we haven’t seen from Quarterley in recent years, namely a gross error on his part. While in fifth position, he spun off on his own in turn 4A on lap 27 and hit the inside wall. He didn’t cause a yellow flag because he was able to restart quickly. He managed to return to his pit box but his left front wheel was destroyed and he had to retire.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 16 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2nd (1x) | 7 starts, best result: 3rd |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing) Start: 8th – Fin: 4th
Until now, Huddleston had never finished better than 10th at Sonoma. This year, he rode at a whole new level. He secured a strong result with an excellent fourth position. This allowed him to increase his championship lead. He now has a 14-point lead over his closest rival, Tanner Reif. Is it the championship leader status that has transcended Trevor? His weakness has clearly been road tracks in recent years. Seeing him finish in the top five on a regular basis, it’s impossible now to think that the HPR driver is no longer the strong favorite for the 2025 championship.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 83 | 7 | 35 | 67 | 3 | 1st (7x) | 6 starts, best result: 4th |
No. 51 Blake Lothian (Strike Mamba Racing) Start: 22nd – fin: 19th
For his first race on the Sonoma road track, Lothian didn’t have an easy time. His day was marred by engine problems. His team tried to make adjustments before the race, but they didn’t improve his performance. He lacked power. As a result, the rookie’s goal was to complete as many laps as possible to learn as much as possible. This experience will be useful for the next road track race in Portland at the end of August. “Motor issues in Sonoma capped us to a P19 finish. Regardless it was great to get my first road race under my belt and run all the laps! Next up Tri-City August 9th! Huge thanks to The Texas Lawbook and Potus ABC Kids for all of their continued support!” Lothian said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8th | 1 start, best result 19th |
No. 52 Ryan Philpott (Philpott Racing) Start: 18th – Fin: 12th
Philpott rode a good race and was a serious contender for the top 10 for a long time. The final restart wasn’t easy, and he lost two positions, eventually finishing 12th. He’ll have to settle for being the best of the West Series road ringers riding on his own ride, finishing ahead of Magras and Kneeland.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 43 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6th (2x) | 6 starts, best result: 9th |
No. 68 Rodd Kneeland (Rodd Racing) Start: 21st – Fin: 22nd
It was a big disappointment for Kneeland, who left Sonoma with a wrecked car. The day hadn’t started off in the best conditions, with some minor technical issues during practice. His team made adjustments after the qualifying session, forcing him to start from the back. But he lacked the pace to aim for the top 10. He benefited from the free pass twice, but he suffered a major accident on lap 50 when he was pushed into turn 12 by Johnson, Jr. who was then four laps behind him. Kneeland first hit the outside wall before being hit at full speed by Kennealy. Fortunately, he escaped without injuries. But the Chevrolet was doomed, with the chassis twisted. “no injuries, just disappointed in people’s judgements, he apologized I have to hand that to him but the car is completely destroyed had to have a flat bed tow truck bring it home it’s only worth the parts on it.” Kneeland said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th | 8 starts, best result 14th |
No. 71 Kyle Keller (Jan’s Racing Team) Start: 10th – Fin: 8th
Despite not being able to aim for victory, Keller drove a smart race by riding consistently. Thanks to this tactic, he was fighting for fifth place when, three laps from the end, he ran out of fuel and stopped his car just after the start/finish line, causing the final yellow flag. But he was quickly brought back to his pit box and able to put a few gallons back in his tank. He was thus able to get back on track without losing a lap to the leaders. He drove a good last lap and took the checkered flag in eighth place. Given his misfortune, he can be happy with the result. He limited the points loss to Huddleston and is third in the championship, 15 points behind. “What a run we had. Running 5th with 4 to go but car ran out of fuel. Luckily, we got pushed back around in time and was able to get back to the pits to get fuel and made my way back up to 8th. Was a fun weekend at Sonoma! Thank you to the whole Jan’s Racing Team for all their hard work this weekend! Glad my teammate was ok after that hard hit” Keller said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 39 | 0 | 12 | 26 | 0 | 2nd (3x) | 3 starts, best result : 8th |
No. 72 Jonathan Reaume (Strike Mamba Racing) Start: 24th – Fin: 16th
His new car, acquired a few days before the race, wasn’t ready when he arrived in Sonoma. Reaume wasn’t able to participate in the practice session and took his first laps during the qualifying session. The team made adjustments before the start. But it wasn’t enough to make the car a fast machine. Sonoma will therefore be considered a major learning session in preparation for the Portland race.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8th | 1 start, best result 16th |
No. 77 Nick Joanides (Performance P-1 Motorsports)
A disappointing day for Joanides and PP1M. The car experienced numerous problems as soon as it left the hauler. An oil leak occurred during practice. The team was unable to be ready for the qualifying session. Then, during the pace laps, a broken gear lever prevented Joanides from driving. He spent the early part of the race in his pit box. He finally started his race while the leaders were on their ninth lap. But after two slow laps, he returned to his pit box once again. The team attempted repairs, and the No. 77 returned to the track on lap 23, only to retire a few laps later due to vibrations. In total, Joanides completed nine laps while the leaders completed 36 at the time. “Small team with limited prep time to get ready for this race. They put in a great effort, but unfortunately had a major oil leak on the left rear that doused the tire in practice, causing the car to slide all over the place. Missed qualifying to fix it. First lap of the race, a pin came out of the shifter linkage and the car got stuck in Neutral. Fixed and went back out several laps down, but the only pin they could find was apparently too long and prevented me being able to get into first or second gear. Fixed that, then immediately had a vibration through the drivetrain that progressively got worse, so we parked it to prevent any further damage. Would like to have gotten more laps in, but can’t thank Joe and his team enough for the effort they put in and giving me the opportunity to get back out there. Aside from my legs being worn out from all the walking around that huge place, physically I felt good in the race car and was able to prove to myself that I’m still just as capable of driving these things as I was before my issues last year. Hopefully, whenever the next time is (no plans at the moment), I’ll be able to run back towards the front of the field, which I now have no doubt that I can do.” Joanides explains to us.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 37 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 4th (2x) | 4 starts, best result 14th |
No. 88 Will Rodgers (Naake Motorsports) Start: 12th – Fin: 25th
No luck for Rodgers, the only former winner here at the start this year, who had a good pace at the start of the race but on lap 17, he made a run off track in turn 2 and a rock hit the dry sump pump belt. The No. 88 returned to the track releasing a plume of smoke and Will stopped the Ford in turn 7A causing the first yellow flag. The team decided to retire since all hopes of a good result had vanished. “We were just riding running about 60% Got off track a rock got up and broke the dry sump pump belt. Will was quick to shut it off no engine damage We’re not running for points didn’t want to take a chance on hurting the engine Engine seems fine just needs to be checked out before I run it anymore.” Mike Naake (owner) said.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 31 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 1st | 5 starts, best result 1st |
The West Series will return to action on August 9th for the NAPA Auto Parts 150, which will take place on the half-mile tri-oval at Tri-City Raceway in W. Richland, WA. This race will mark the start of the second half of the series.
SONOMA ARCA WEST PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Diego Alvarado
