By Vincent Delforge, Special to Kickin’ the Tires
This Friday, June 9, 2023, Sonoma Raceway, in Sonoma, CA will host the General Tire 200, the fifth ARCA Menards West Series race of the season. The second and last road races of the year. As last time, ARCA will use the short Sonoma version of 1.990 miles – 11-turn, like the one used between 1998-2018 and 2022, named The Chute.
It will be the 1009th race since the inception of the West Series in 1954 and the 44th here in Sonoma. The West has been there since 1969, including nine combined Cup / West races between 1989 and 1997 when the two series had the same technical regulations.
Curiously, the Californian road track has always refused to Bill McAnally Racing. The Roseville team failing several times in second position ! Will this year be the right one ?
The General Tire 200 is a 64-lap (127.36-mile) race starting Friday 9, 2023 at 5 p.m. PT. It will be preceded by a combined practice from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. and a 20-minutes qualifying session from 12:10 – 12:30 p.m. PT.
Among the drivers, we note the presence of a few road ringers from the West as well as a lot of drivers from the national NASCAR Series (Cup and Xfinity) who come to perfect their experience of road circuits including Ryan Preece, Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Kyle Sieg, Parker Retzlaff and Sammy Smith.
The entry list is made up of 29 drivers.
ARCA West 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 winning the race three years in a row.
Following the closure of 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 claiming the nine victories. However, some years, the West also performed there in stand alone.
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.
Last year Jake Drew won the race from pole position by largely dominating his opponents. A race marked by numerous incidents and which was shortened from 64 to 56 laps due to time constraints.
Among the drivers, Jimmy Insolo and Bill Schmitt won three races each. For the owners it is Bob Bruncati who dominates the stats with five victories. Jerry Pitts Racing has three wins. Among the teams still in activity, only two have ever won here, Naake-Klauer Motorsports in 2012 and McGowan Motorsports With Cook Racing Technologies in 2015.
Finally, among manufacturers, Ford dominates with 16 wins ahead of Chevrolet with 12. Buick (5), Pontiac (5), Oldsmobile (2), Dodge (2) and Toyota (1) share the other victories.
Note that the poleman won the race 13 times out of 43. The race was only won nine times by a driver starting beyond the second row. The qualifying session will therefore be essential. At least that’s what the statistics tell us!
The Race Procedure
CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the General Tire 200 is limited to 26 starters plus provisionals. This event will run under the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations, and specifications.
QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap per the Timed Session qualifying procedure, plus provisionals.
RACE PIT STOP: There will be a scheduled caution at or near lap 32. Pitting during any caution period in this event will be for adding fuel, making repairs and adjustments only, no tires can be changed unless approved by ARCA officials. Positions will not be gained or lost among those pitting on the same lap unless penalty or going a lap down on pit road. All cars will be required to make at least one pit stop prior to last 10 laps of race.
The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is eight (8). Maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race = two (2) for emergency use only.
The Drivers
No. 02 Parker Retzaff (Young’s Motorsports)
After a great race rewarded with fifth position in Portland, Retzlaff is once again engaged to learn the Sonoma track that he will discover. The goal is to have seat time to best prepare for his Xfinity race which will take place the next day. He is of course accompanied by his crew chief Joshua Graham.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3rd | n/a |
No. 05 Dave Smith (Shockwave Racing)
Even if it will be his first time in the West Series at Sonoma, David Smith knows this track very well having already driven there in TransAm for example. This should allow him to aim for a better result with a top10 in a corner of the head. Brandon Carlson will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10th | n/a |
No. 2 Sebastian Arias (REV Racing)
Last year when he had a good pace, the Colombian driver was caught in spite of himself in an accident in the esses. For his first race of the 2023 season in the West Series and for REV Racing, he hopes to ward off fate and put himself forward. Jamie Jones will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8th (1x) | 1 start, best result: 21st |
No. 4 Eric Nascimento (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
Last year Bubba had a very good race, full of intelligence with a seventh position at the finish. Portland’s disappointment could be forgotten if he goes to the end of the race without mechanical problems. This year it is precisely this that poses a problem for the team. With his crew chief Ty Joiner, they will be keen to show themselves in front of all the cream of NASCAR.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5th (1x) | 2 starts, best result: 7th |
No. 5 Riley Herbst (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Seat time, that is the reason for the presence as in Portland of Herbst. He is there to prepare for his Xfinity Series race. He could have won the race in Oregon but had to retire following a mechanical failure. And unlike Portland, Sonoma he already knows since he raced there in 2016 when he was a rookie at BMR. And he had made a strong impression by taking fifth position. Will his crew chief Jerry Pitts finally allow Herbst to visit Victory Lane for the first time in the West Series?
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 18 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 3rd (4x) | 1 start, best result: 5th |
No. 6 Jack Wood (REV Racing)
16th in 2019 with the family team and fourth last year with BMR. Wood this year is focusing on the ARCA National Series as well as a partial season in the Craftsman Truck Series. The team led by Max Siegel is used to doing the “big” races in the West Series like Phoenix for example. Coming to Sonoma allowing the team and the pilots to learn for the future. Steve Plattenberger will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 16 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4th | 2 starts, best result: 4th |
No. 7 Takuma Koga (Jerry Pitts Racing)
Fast last year the Japanese had a violent accident when he hit Tanner Reif at full speed. Fortunately, no injuries for the two drivers. Koga will do his eighth race on the Californian road track and he hopes to finally get a top-10 there. Denny Moyer will be his crew chief and together they want to do at least as well as in Portland where the No. 7 finished eighth.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 105 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 5th (4x) | 7 starts, best result : 11th |
No. 8 Johnny Borneman III (Borneman Racing)
The veteran is making his return to the West Series. His last appearance dating from Phoenix during the final in 2021. Very experienced since he has 123 career races including 11 in Sonoma. The last time we saw him on this road track, it was already in 2017 when he finished 18th. But he has three top 10s including a top five (fifth in 2009) here. He is not a road track specialist but it is nice to see him back in action. Steve Teets will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 112 | 3 | 28 | 61 | 1 | 1st (3x) | 11 starts, best result: 5th |
No. 9 Ryan Preece (Stewart-Haas Racing)
Preece has already made two Cup Series races at Sonoma in 2019 and 2021 but never managed to get a good result. That’s why SHR decided to race him this year, so he could get that precious seat time. Note that it is precisely here and for the same reason that he made the race in West in 2019, his only career race in the series. Although qualified in fourth position, he had led 33 laps before tumbling in the classification in the last two laps to finish 20th. Chad Johnston will be his crew chief as in the Cup Series.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th | 1 start, best result : 20th |
No. 13 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing)
After the disappointment of Portland, Souza will be keen to get a good result here. And what better than a road track he knows like the back of his hand? He is the most experienced driver here with 14 starts. In the past two years, he has qualified in the top four each time, but despite races where he was a candidate for victory, it was denied to him due to small errors or penalties. With his crew chief Michael Munoz, a single objective, the Victory Lane!
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 112 | 1 | 19 | 62 | 0 | 1st (1x) | 14 starts, best result: 5th |
No. 14 Davey Magras (Davey Magras Racing)
Magras is like David against Goliath, the guy who prepares his car at home with his family. Zach his son is his crew chief. But who manages to interfere in the top-10 at each of his races, all against teams with much more financial means and equipment!
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7th | n/a |
No. 15 Sean Hingorani (Venturini Motorsports)
Too much of a rush on the final corner in Portland is costing him valuable championship points. This is called
a rookie mistake. But Hingorani will not make the same mistake twice because he is a smart driver who learns very quickly. He will aim for victory with Kevin Reed, Jr. his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1st (2x) | n/a |
No. 16 Tanner Reif (Bill McAnally Racing)
Last year he was comfortably in the top 10 when during a restart he made a mistake in a furious pack and was hit by Koga. Luckily no physical injuries. But this accident cost him a lot of points and his hopes of becoming champion. This year he is with BMR, a very successful team in Sonoma but which has never won the race! To Tanner and his crew chief John Camilleri to be the first to offer this beautiful gift to Bill McAnally.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 15 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 1st (2x) | 1 start, best result 18th |
No. 17 Landen Lewis (McGowan Motorsports with Cook Racing Technologies)
The championship leader will aim for victory, nothing less. He can even afford, with his crew chief Richard Mason, an aggressive strategy since he has a 24-point lead in the championship. Last year he qualified second and was still second when he was hit by Colby Howard in the hairpin at the very end of the race.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 12 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 1st (2x) | 1 start, best result: 14th |
No. 18 William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing)
A difficult race for the rookie, leader of the East Series, in Portland. Rookie mistake at the start of the race but he had managed to reverse the situation in his favor by benefiting twice from the free pass. With a good pace he was able to gain positions and get a top-five. Matt Ross, his crew chief, and the whole Joe Gibbs team will give him a very fast car as usual. It is up to him to make good use of it, as he has already proven this year.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4th | n/a |
No. 19 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Bill McAnally Racing)
Will the great story of Johnson, Jr. continue in Sonoma. On his Portland debut he raced smart without overdriving. He was rewarded with a top10. Now that he knows the car and he won’t be unfamiliar ground, he could surprise us. Chuck Jones should be his crew chief as in Sonoma.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10th | n/a |
No. 21 Ethan Nascimento (Nascimento-Joiner Motorsports)
Change of number for Ethan who celebrated his 16th birthday on June 7. Goodbye number 04, he takes the number 21 as the one he usually uses in the lower series like in Legend Cars. This number has just been made available by the ARCA. But this will not be the only novelty for him. Indeed he will have a brand new chassis prepared this week by Mike Nascimento his crew chief and the whole team.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 3 (+ 1 DNS) | – | – | 1 | – | 8th | n/a |
No. 32 Dale Quarterley (Quarterley Racing)
The elder statesman is fresh as a young man! He proved it again in Portland. His technique is simple. Be fast while avoiding contact with other pilots. As a result, the possible top-fives turn into a podium! And it is exactly this tactic that had already allowed him to finish third last year on the Californian track. That said, last year the race had been shortened from 64 to 57 laps, which had “saved” Quarterley who was at the end of his tether, on the verge of sunstroke.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 12 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2nd (1x) | 4 starts, best result: 3rd |
No. 41 Tyler Reif (Lowden Jackson Motorsports)
The rookie has just turned 16 and he intends to go to Victory Lane to celebrate! The problem encountered in Portland which had caused his retirement was solved by his crew chief Tony Jackson. He was able to test on a similar track at Buttonwillow ten days ago. Tyler and his team were very happy with the behavior of the car. Like many he will discover Sonoma with an ARCA car.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1st | n/a |
No. 46 Kyle Sieg (Lowden Jackson Motorsports)
Normally he had to do the West Series race to prepare for the Xfinity race the next day. But if he will do the West race, he has been replaced by Alex Labbé in the family team RSS Racing in the second division of NASCAR. Regardless, he will be able to learn the track, which will be useful to him in the future. As in Portland Dave Jackson will be his crew chief. Let’s just hope for Kyle that he will be spare by the mechanical issues.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4th | n/a, |
No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing)
With the car used last year by Jake Drew, Huddleston demonstrated in Portland that he could fight for victory on road track. He just hopes to never cross paths with Hingorani in Sonoma again. Because he missed a second position through no fault of his own. He knows Sonoma where he has already done three races with a best result of 10th position in 2019. Jeff Schrader will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 57 | 2 | 21 | 48 | 1 | 1st (2x) | 3 starts, best result: 10th |
No. 52 Ryan Philpott (Philpott Racing)
Philpott suffered an engine problem in Portland and hopes for better luck in Sonoma. Last year he used his knowledge of the track to move up to the top 10. Unfortunately he had been a collateral victim of Cole Moore’s ardor which had caused an accident in the hairpin at the end of the race. As usual Chuck Dozhier will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 38 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6th (2x) | 5 starts, best result: 9th |
No. 55 Cole Custer (High Point Racing)
A favorite for victory in Portland where he led the most laps. He was going to make the most of this seat time to be ready the next day for the Xfinity Series race he was going to win! Well, the goal will be the same here. But with the difference that unlike Portland, which he was discovering, Sonoma he knows well whether in the West Series or in the Cup Series. In West he did three races here with respectively 12th, 9th and 4th position in 2019
Travis Thirkettle will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 8 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1st | 3 starts, best result : 4th |
No. 70 Kyle Keller (Kyle Keller Racing with Last Chance Racing)
For his first West Series race on a road track, Keller was not successful in Portland. Engine problem. Brian Kizer, his crew chief, has solved the problem and we should see Keller approaching the top 10. It is the objective. Note that with this chassis, last year Vince Little finished 11th.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 14 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 4th (3x) | n/a |
No. 77 Nick Joanides (Performance P-1 Motorsports)
A short track Toyota from the team has been converted into a road track car. Joanides just hopes that the big engine problems of last year will be a distant memory! Indeed for his first race in the West Series at Sonoma he could not do anything despite the help of engineers from Robert Yates Engines. This year with the veteran and experienced Roger Bracken as crew chief, the team hopes to make their way to the top-10.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 21 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4th | 1 start, best result: 22nd |
No. 80 Brian Kamisky (Dereck Copeland Racing)
Last year, Kamisky had the opportunity to make a good result. He had qualified well but unfortunately he had not been able to take the start following the breakage of his engine during his start-up. The team not having a backup engine, he had to watch his colleagues race without him. This road ringer comes to do his annual race in the West Series. Objective to have fun and if possible finish in the top 10, which he has already been able to do in the past.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 6 (+1 DNS) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8th | 1 start (+1 DNS), best result: 16th |
No. 81 Sammy Smith (Hattori Racing Enterprises)
Apart from Phoenix where he raced three, Sammy Smith has never done another race in the West Series. But as he is riding in the Xfinity Series this year, he needs seat time to learn Sonoma, a road track he does not know. His Toyota is entered by HRE, the team of Japanese Shigeaki Hattori, at the request of Joe Gibbs Racing. The two teams having a technical alliance. Jon Leonard will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1st | n/a |
No. 86 Tim Spurgeon (David Racing)
Road track specialist from Sonoma, Spurgeon finished in a good ninth position last year. Its crew chief is as usual in recent years Mike David, 2007 West Series champion. The objective will be to do at least as well as last year. The team has a technical alliance with the Nasicmento family.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6th (1x) | 9 starts, best result: 9th |
No. 88 Bradley Erickson (Naake-Klauer Motorsports)
The young rookie learns quickly and his good comeback in Portland from 14th to sixth position is further proof of this. And it was his first race on a road track with an ARCA car. He tested at Buttonwillow two weeks ago and the team was happy with the setup of the car. And this track is very similar to that of Sonoma. Auspicious! NKM has won here before. Tony Caputo will be his crew chief.
| Starts | Wins | Top5 | Top10 | Pole | Best result | At Sonoma |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3rd | n/a |
Final notes
– Contrary to what the entry list indicates, Bobby Hillis, Jr. will not be present in Sonoma. He will be in Tucson to sell two of his Late Models, just to have additional funds to prepare for the 2024 season where he intends to return full time.
-Dylan Lupton will be present in Xfinity Series but not in West. His presence was not guaranteed, it depended on the result of Portland. But given the damage after the car caught fire, that ultimately made the decision easier.