By Vincent Delforge, Staff Writer
Here we are, it’s the final race of the 2025 ARCA Menards West Series championship. As has been the case since 2019, the one-mile oval of Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, will host the last race of the season. The Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 will start this Saturday, November 1st, at 10:45 a.m. MT (12:45 p.m. ET).
Unsurprisingly, Trevor Huddleston will be officially crowned the 2025 champion as soon as he starts the race. Indeed, with 26 drivers entered and a 35-point lead over his closest competitor, Kyle Keller, he can no longer be mathematically overtaken.
Unlike the race in March, which was held at night under the lights, this one will take place in the sunshine. The car setups will have to be adapted accordingly, and there’s no guarantee that those who were at the front in March will be there again this time. Even though the winner of the race in March, Brent Crews, will be back with the Joe Gibbs Racing team. A team that has won six of the last ten races at Phoenix!
The battle for the honorary position of vice-champion will be interesting to follow with three contenders. While Kyle Keller is best placed in the championship standings, he will have to watch out for his teammate Robbie Kennealy, who is only 15 points behind. Let’s not forget Eric Johnson, Jr., who, with 24 points behind, can also aim for second place in the championship.
In addition to the regular West Series drivers, we will welcome some newcomers with Carson Brown, Howard Chase, and Tristan McKee. There will also be four female drivers: Taylor Reimer, Isabella Robusto, Kaylee Bryson, and Jade Avedisian. The latter will be driving the No. 13 for Central Coast Racing in place of Tanner Reif, who has decided to focus on the next stage of his racing career and skip the last race of the season. He will therefore finish fifth in the championship.
The Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 will take place over two days. Practice (11:00 – 11:45 a.m. MT) and qualifying (12:00 – 12:20 p.m. MT) will be held on Friday, October 31, while the race will be run on Saturday, November 1 at 10:45 a.m. MT. It is a 100-lap race divided into two segments with a break at or near lap 50.
Did you know?
It was in Phoenix on January 22, 1956, that the first race in the history of the West Series took place on a paved oval. It was already a one-mile oval but not the one we visit today at Avondale. At the time, it was the Arizona State Fairgrounds at Phoenix. A 150-lap race combined with the NASCAR Cup Series won by Buck Baker.
The Race Procedure
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 30 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2025 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.
QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by the fastest lap in qualifying per the Timed Session Qualifying Procedure, plus provisionals.
RACE PIT STOP: Break pitting procedure. Break at / or near the conclusion of lap 50. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is 10.
ARCA West Quick Stats At Phoenix Raceway
-72nd season in history.
-Race No. 1040 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.
-2025 race No. 12 of 12.
-701st paved oval race in history.
-56th race at Phoenix Raceway since 1977.
As far as statistics are concerned, of the 55 races already contested in Phoenix Raceway we can highlight:
-Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet leads the dance with 17 wins ahead of Ford (14), Toyota (13), Pontiac (6), Dodge (3) and Buick (2). The all-time most successful manufacturer is Ford with 297 wins.
-The all-time most successful owners in history are Bill McAnally (100), 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).
-Joe Gibbs Racing are the most victorious teams in Phoenix with six wins ahead of Bill McAnally Racing with five win. Petty Enterprises and Gene Price Motorsports follow with three wins each.
-Ken Schrader is the most successful driver at Phoenix with four wins. Richard Petty, Greg Pursley and Ty Gibbs follow with three. In all, 40 different drivers have won at least one race at Phoenix.
-17 times in 55 races, the pole-sitter wins at Phoenix.
-Joe Gibbs Racing is the most successful team in Phoenix with five poles ahead of Gene Price Motorsports and Duncan Racing with four poles each. The most successful team in history is Bill McAnally Racing with 83 poles. The most successful owner in history is Bill McAnally with 56 poles.
-Among the manufacturers, Chevrolet leads the dance with 21 poles ahead of Ford (12), Toyota (10), Buick (3), Dodge (3) and Pontiac (3). Note, three times in 2004, 2021 and 2025, the qualifying was cancelled due to rain.
-The all-time most successful manufacturer for pole position is Chevrolet with 264.
-Ricky Rudd won the race in 1995 from 29th position on the starting grid, which is a record.
-The track record is owned by Sammy Smith for Kyle Busch Motorsports at 135.491 mph achieved in 2022 (November race).
-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.
-The driver with the most races is Brett Thomspon (24).
-The driver with the most wins is Ken Schrader (4)
-The drivers with the most poles are Mike Duncan, Greg Pursley and William Sawalich with 4.
-The drivers with the most Top 5 is Greg Pursley (8).
-The drivers with the most Top 10s are Greg Pursley and Brett Thompson with 10.
-The driver with the most laps is Ken Schrader (3614).
-The driver with the most laps lead is Mark Martin (448).
-13 times the race has been extended by an overtime (2003-01, 2005-03, 2007-02, 2009-03, 2010-02, 2014-01, 2014-14, 2015-13, 2019-14, 2022-01, 2022-11, 2023-01 and 2025-02).
-The race was shortened one time due to rain (2024-01)
The Drivers
No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing)
Having crashed here last March, Smith has a complicated love-hate relationship with Phoenix Raceway. He likes the track, but it certainly hasn’t been kind to him. He’ll be using the team’s backup car but his goal is to see the checkered flag. Brandon Carlson will, of course, be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 38 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10th (3x) | 6 starts, best result 17th |
No. 09 Derek Kraus (Shockwave Racing)
This will be Kraus’s first race in the West Series since March 2022. The 2019 champion is very familiar with Phoenix, having competed there numerous times in NASCAR, including in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Cup Series. In the West Series, he has three starts at Phoenix, finishing 3rd (2019), 5th (2021), and 9th (2022). He will be driving a second car for David Smith. Smith, the owner of Shockwave Marine Suspension, has been a loyal sponsor of Kraus for many years, including this year in the ASA West Tour series. Kraus will drive the team’s primary car, while Smith will use the backup car. Darrel Crocker will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 44 | 10 | 29 | 35 | 8 | 1st (10x) | 3 starts, best result : 3rd |
No. 1 Robbie Kennealy (Jan’s Racing Team)
Kennealy has already competed in three races at Phoenix, achieving his best result there this past March with a ninth-place finish. But since then, the rookie has made significant progress and is now a race winner. He will be battling his teammate Kyle Keller for the honorary title of 2025 runner-up. Chris Greaney will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 23 (2 DNS) | 1 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 1st | 3 starts, best result 9th |
No. 2 Isabella Robusto (RAFA Racing)
Very fast last March, Robusto had to retire due to a mechanical problem, even though she had the potential to battle with Queen and Crews for the win. She will be driving the Toyota entered by Kevin Conway’s new RAFA Racing team. This team has decided to diversify by joining the ARCA series. Indeed, this team is best known for competing in various GT racing categories, such as IMSA. Jamie Jones will be her crew chief. It’s worth noting that Conway was a NASCAR driver in all three national divisions between 2003 and 2011. He also participated in two West Series races in the early 2000s.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2nd | 2 starts, best result 6th |
No. 4 Monty Tipton (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
This will be Tipton’s first race at Phoenix Raceway. He showed good speed in the last race at the Las Vegas Bullring. Ty Joiner, his crew chief, has extensive experience at Phoenix and should help him compete for a strong finish.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th | n/a |
No. 5 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Earlier this year, right here in Phoenix, Johnson, Jr. finished in eleventh place. But he lacked the speed to aim for a better result. Since then, however, he has gained experience and is consistently a contender for a top-five finish. Especially with his crew chief Dustin Ash, the chemistry is good, and mathematically, second place in the championship is still possible. So, he’ll need to finish on a high note.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 27 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 2nd | 3 starts, best result 11th |
No. 6 Gavin Ray (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Ray is about to discover Phoenix Raceway. He’ll have his crew chief R.J. Johnson and his owner Jerry Pitts by his side, both of whom are intimately familiar with the one-mile Arizona oval. Ray has already demonstrated real skill on short tracks. This first experience on a larger oval will be valuable in preparing for the 2026 season.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6th | n/a |
No. 13 Jade Avedisian (Central Coast Racing)
Avedisian will be discovering Phoenix, but also a new team. She will be taking the wheel of the iconic No. 13 for CCR following Tanner Reif’s departure. Reif has decided to focus on 2026 and the rest of his career, and he is expected to announce his plans soon. As for Jade, she will have Michael Munoz as her crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12th | n/a |
No. 15 Jake Finch (Phoenix Racing)
Ninth in 2022 and seventh in 2024. It’s safe to say, Finch is pretty good at Phoenix. This year will be his first race in the West Series, but he has competed in the East Series as well as the ARCA national series, with his best result being three seventh-place finishes on very different tracks (Talladega, Dover, and Bristol). Johnny Allen will be his crew chief for the first time this year.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3rd | 2 starts, best result 7th |
No. 17 Kaylee Bryson (Cook Racing Technologies)
Unlucky at Sonoma for her West Series debut due to engine problems, Bryson had better fortune in the ARCA Menards National Series race at Madison, where she finished eighth. Madison is another one-mile oval, although it has a very different configuration from Phoenix, which she will be experiencing for the first time. But the experience gained there with her crew chief Sean Samuels will be very useful here.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14th | n/a |
No. 18 Brent Crews (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Having won last March, Crews returns with the same package and will therefore be one of the main favorites for the win, especially since his main rival in that race was Brenden Queen, who will not be present this Saturday. Matt Ross will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1st | 2 starts, best result 1st |
No. 20 Leland Honeyman (Nitro Motorsports)
Honeyman made his only career start in the West Series at Phoenix in 2023 and had a strong showing. He led 21 of the 160 laps and finished eighth. At the time, he was driving for Young’s Motorsports. This year, he has competed in three races in the ARCA Menards National Series, securing three top-five finishes for Venturini Motorsports. This time, he will be driving under the Nitro Motorsports banner and will have Glenn Parker as his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8th | 1 start, best result : 8th |
No. 24 Connor Hall (Sigma Performance Services)
Finishing second at the Las Vegas Bullring in his first career West Series race, Hall is back behind the wheel of the No. 24 SPS car at Phoenix. He’ll be making his debut at Phoenix, but that shouldn’t pose any adaptation problems for him. Just look at what he did in Las Vegas to see why. Tom Ackerman will once again be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | n/a |
No. 25 Taylor Reimer (Nitro Motorsports)
Reimer’s statistics are impressive, with six top-10 finishes in six races in the ARCA Menards National Series. In addition, she secured another top-10 finish with a ninth-place showing in her West Series debut at the previous race in Las Vegas. She previously drove for Venturini Motorsports and has now moved to Nick Tucker’s new Nitro Motorsports team. However, nothing else changes, as she will be using the same car and will have the same crew chief, Danny Johnson.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9th | n/a |
No. 28 Carson Brown (Pinnacle Racing Group)
The 17-year-old driver will make his West Series debut and will also be experiencing Phoenix for the first time. He will be driving the car that Brenden Queen used here last March, narrowly missing out on the win. Brown’s experience in an ARCA-type car is limited to just one race, which was on March 23rd in the East Series at Pensacola, where he finished sixth. Steven Dawson will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
No. 31 Chase Howard (Rise Motorsports)
Howard will be making his West Series debut and experiencing Phoenix for the first time. He competed in two races in the ARCA National Series this year, also with Rise Motorsports, and impressed by securing a strong seventh-place finish on the dirt track at DuQuoin. Matthew Wright will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
No. 46 Thad Moffitt (Nitro Motorsports)
Moffitt finished seventh in March at Phoenix. This time, Larry Balsitis will be his crew chief. It’s worth remembering that Moffitt finished third here in 2021. That race was won by Ty Gibbs, sponsored by Pristine Auction at the time. And guess who Thad’s sponsor is this Saturday?
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3rd | 2 starts , best result : 3rd |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing)
Simply starting the race will be enough for Huddleston to be officially crowned the 2025 champion. There’s no pressure on his shoulders. And that will surely be helpful because he can give it his all to finally get a good result in Phoenix. Indeed, Phoenix is the oval track where he has the worst statistics of his career, considering the number of races he has competed in there. In nine starts, he has only managed a modest (for him) seventh-place finish as his best result. Jeff Schrader will, of course, be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 88 | 9 | 40 | 72 | 3 | 1st (9x) | 9 starts, best result : 7th |
No. 51 Blake Lothian (Strike Mamba Racing)
It was right here last March that Lothian made his West Series debut. Since then, the rookie and his team, SMR, which was also making its debut, have made significant progress. His last race in Las Vegas proves this, as he was fighting for a top-five finish. His first race in Phoenix had been challenging, but he managed to finish 17th out of 34 despite never having completed a single lap on that oval before the start. It’s worth remembering that last March, due to bad weather, there were neither practice nor qualifying sessions. John Reaume will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8th (2x) | 1 start, best result 17th |
No. 55 Andrew Chapman (High Point Racing)
Chapman will be discovering Phoenix, and this experience will be useful to him as he is expected to compete in the full West Series season in 2026. He is talented, as evidenced by the four races he has competed in this season. He managed to score significant points against the competitors of his teammate Huddleston. Travis Thirkettle will once again be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3rd | n/a |
No. 67 Shane Backes (Maples Motorsports)
Backes is about to discover Phoenix, and we wish him better luck than he had in Las Vegas, where he experienced technical problems. Kyle Totman will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14th | n/a |
No. 70 Thomas Annunziata (Nitro Motorsports)
Two races and two top-five finishes for Annunziata in the West Series. While the one at Portland on a road course didn’t surprise anyone, the one achieved at the Las Vegas Bullring was less expected. Indeed, he was new to the track and, more generally, to driving on such a small short track. He’ll be making his debut at Phoenix, but with a crew chief as experienced as Shannon Rursch, that shouldn’t pose too many problems for him.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | n/a |
No. 71 Kyle Keller (Jan’s Racing Team)
Keller likes Phoenix and has already achieved good results there, including a fifth-place finish. He was very fast last March, but a fuel issue on the penultimate lap knocked him out of the top 10. He will be one to watch, as he no longer has to think about the championship. Victory will be his only goal. Brian Kizer will, as always, be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 45 | 1 | 15 | 31 | 1 | 1st (1x) | 7 starts, best result : 5th |
No. 72 Cody Dennison (Strike Mamba Racing)
Last March, Dennison raced with Fast Track Racing and, despite numerous pit stops to repair his car, he saw the checkered flag in 16th position. Unlucky in Las Vegas three weeks ago, he hopes to finish the season on a high note. Al Lebert will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 5 (1 DNQ) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8th | 1 start (+1 DNQ), best result 16th |
No. 77 Tristan McKee (Spire Motorsports)
The young 15-year-old rookie is one of the big surprises of the 2025 season. He impressed observers with his talent, securing a victory in his debut in the ARCA Menards National Series at the Watkins Glen road course. Aside from Madison, where he finished 11th, he then achieved two more strong results, finishing second at Bristol and third at Toledo! He will be making his debut at Phoenix and in the West Series, but there’s no doubt that he will have no problem adapting. The experienced Shane Huffman will once again be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
No. 99 Michael Maples (Maples Motorsports) Start: 19th – Fin: 21st
It was here last March that Maples achieved his best career result in the West Series, finishing 21st despite a lack of pace during long runs under green flag conditions. Will he do better this time? As usual, his crew chief will be Jeremy Petty.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Phoenix |
| 3 (1 DNS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21st | 2 starts, best result 21st |
Final notes
-Several teams and regular drivers from the West Series are not present in Phoenix. Bill McAnally Racing is focusing all its resources on trying to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship with Tyler Ankrum. Naake Motorsports is doing the same in the TransAm series. Bobby Hillis, Jr. and his Fierce Creature Racing team are also absent.
-The 2026 ARCA Menards West Series schedule is expected to be officially unveiled during November.