The Statistics of the NASCAR West Series

By Vincent Delforge, special to KickinTheTires.net

Here’s an overview of key ARCA Menards Series West stats since 1954, covering all iterations of the series from the initial NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Models to Winston West, and today’s ARCA sanctioning. Those statistics cover 999 races!

The Drivers

Top 10 drivers with the most wins

Top 10 drivers with the most poles

Top 10 drivers with the most top five

Top 10 drivers with the most top 10

The owners and teams

A distinction must be made here between owners and teams. Why? Because since its creation, NASCAR and therefore necessarily also the West Series has known different rules concerning the number of cars that can be entered under the name of an owner. It was usually two. But many teams regularly entered a third or fourth car. To “get around” the rules, it was common to enter another car under the name of his wife, son, friend, co-owner.

Top Five Teams with the most wins

Top 10 owners with the most wins

Top Five Teams with the most poles

Top 10 owners with the most poles

The crew chiefs

Top 10 crew chiefs with the most wins

Top 10 crew chiefs with the most poles

The car numbers

Top 10 most wins by car numbers

 Top 10 most poles by car numbers

The Manufacturers

Manufacturer’s wins

Manufacturer’s poles

The race tracks

Since 1954 there have been 111 different race tracks in the West Series. Tracks having had different configurations (lengths) such as Sonoma or Tooele are only counted once.

First Dirt oval = Race No. 1 at Oakland March 28, 1954

First Road track = Race No. 23 at Lancaster November 25, 1955

First Paved oval = Race No. 28 at Phoenix April 28, 1956

First Street circuit = Race No. 551 at Tacoma August 10, 1986

Most races per track:

Evergreen Speedway (Monroe, WA) = 60

Ascot Park (Gardena, CA) = 55

Phoenix International Raceway (Avondale, AZ) = 49

Mesa Marin (Bakersfield, CA) = 45

Irwindale Speedway (Irwindale, CA) = 32

Gardena Stadium (Gardena, CA) = 30

Various Other Records

Most caution flags, race = 17 – Mesa Marin Raceway, Bakersfield, CA (05/20/1990)

Most caution laps, race = 104 – Evergreen Speedway at Monroe, WA (08/18/1985)

Fewest caution flags, race = 0 – Multiple times

Fewest caution laps, race = 0 Multiple times

Most entries for a combination race = 113 – Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA (03/05/1972) with the Cup Series

Most entries for a stand-alone race = 49 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV (11/07/1998)

Largest field, race = 51 – Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA (2 times: 02/28/1971 & 03/05/1972)

Smallest field, race = 10 – Western Speedway, Victoria, B.C.

Largest Margin of victory, race = 8 laps – Ron Hornaday, Sr. at Champion Speedway, Brisbane, CA (11/15/1964)

Smallest Margin of victory, race = 0.003 second – Jim Robinson at Shasta Speedway, Anderson, CA (05/11/1985)

Most running at finish = 33 – Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA (03/05/1972)

Fewest running at finish = 7 – Race City Speedway, Calgary, Alberta (08/03/1986)

Most driver in lead lap = 27 Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA (06/23/2007)

Fewest driver on lead lap = 1 multiples times (most recently at Mesa Marin, Bakersfield, CA – 10/12/1996)

Most leaders, race = 10 – Mesa Marin Raceway, Bakersfield, CA (10/12/1990)

Most lead changes, race = 36 – Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA (03/05/1972)

Most recent Wire-to-wire win = Jake Drew, Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, CA (07/02/2022)

Longest race (Distance) = 500 miles (multiple times at Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, CA and Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA)

Longest race (Time) = 5 hours 20 minutes 43 seconds at Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, WA (07/14/1991)

Shortest race (Distance) = 12.5 miles at Tucson Speedway, Tucson, AZ (08/09/1963)

Shortest race (Time) = 16 minutes 50 seconds at Tucson Speedway, Tucson, AZ (08/09/1963)

Fastest Average Speed, race = 152.316 mph at California, Speedway, Fontana, CA (04/28/2001)

Slowest Average speed, race = 31.915 mph at Salem Speedway, Salem, OR (05/13/1967)

Fastest pole speed = 181.333 mph at California Speedway, Fontana, CA by Eric Norris (04/27/2002)

Slowest pole speed = 34.070 mph at Eureka Speedway, Eureka, CA by Johnny Kieper (05/30/1965)

Youngest champion = Jesse Love in 2020 (15 years, 9 months, 24 days)

Oldest champion = Hershel McGriff in 1986 (58 years, 11 months, 2 days)

Youngest rookie of the year = Jesse Love In 2020 (15 years, 9 months, 24 days)

Oldest rookie of the year = Billy Jac Shaw in 1991 at 45 years, 5 months

Youngest race winner = Jesse Love 06/27/2020 at 15 years, 5 months, 13 days

Oldest race winner = Hershel McGriff (05/13/1991) at 61 years 4 months, 29 days

Youngest pole winner = Jesse Love (07/04/2020) at 15 years, 5 months, 20 days

Oldest pole winner = Hershel McGriff (04/17/1993) at 65 years, 4 months, 3 days

Youngest race starter = Cameron Hayley (08/13/2011) at 15 years, 23 days

Oldest race starter = Hershel McGriff (05/05/2018) at 90 years, 4 months, 21 days

Most wins in a season = 12 – Hershel McGriff in 1972

Most consecutive wins in a season = 5 – Jack McCoy in 1969 and Hershel McGriff in 1972

Most consecutive wins in history = 6 – Parnelli Jones (the last four in 1958 and the firs two in 1959)

Most different race winners in a season = 13 in 1956 and 1977

Fewest race winners in a season = 3 in 1958, 1959, 1990 and 1992

Fewest pole winners in a season = 3 in 1983

Most different pole winners in a season = 13 in 1956

Most poles in a season = 12 –Hershel McGriff in 1972

Most consecutive poles in a season = 5 – Jack McCoy in 1968

Most consecutive starts = 121 – Ray Elder (01/10/1971 – 01/18/1976)

Most top five finishes in a season = 22 – Hershel McGriff in 1972

Most top 10 finishes in a season = 27 – Ray Elder in 1972

First race winner = Dick Rathman (03/28/1954 = race No. 1)

100th race winner = Gary Collins (04/24/1994 = race No. 625)

200th race winner = Jake Drew (06/04/2022 = race No. 997)

First pole winner = Hershel McGriff (03/28/1954 = race No. 1)

100th pole winner = Lance Wade (09/03/1994 = race No. 634)

200th pole winner = Sam Mayer (11/09/2019 = race No. 973)

Best starting position winning a race = 1th (pole and draw) = 303

Worst starting position winning a race = 26th = one time in the first ever race (03/28/1954), the oldest record that still stands!)

Father-Son-Grandson race winners: Butch Gilliland (13) – David Gilliland (5) – Todd Gilliland (13)

Father-Son-Grandson pole winners: Butch Gilliland (15) – David Gilliland (5) – Todd Gilliland (13)

Most race by a race team = 568 – Kieper Racing

Most top fives by a race team = 369 – Bill McAnally Racing

Most top 10s by a race team = 596 – Bill McAnally Racing

Most consecutive race by a race team = 328 – Bill McAnally Racing (since Tucson 05/10/1997 = race n°672)

Most entries by a race team = 915 – Bill McAnally Racing

Most DNQs by a driver = 27 – St. James Davis

Number of female drivers = 34

First female driver = FiFi Scott-McGillicuddy (10/10/1954 = race No. 9)

First top 10 by a female driver = Sharon Bishop (09/08/1979 = race No. 473)

First top five by a female driver = Nicole Behar (04/11/2015 = race No. 906)

First pole by a female driver = Hailie Deegan (09/13/2018 = race No. 956)

First win by a female driver = Hailie Deegan (09/29/2018 = race No. 957)

Most female drivers in a single race = 5 – Amber Balcaen, Mariah Boudrieau, Bridget Burgess, Amber Slagle and Jolynn Wilkinson (09/23/2021 = race No. 991)

Most races by a female driver = 34 – Nicole Behar

Most top 10s by a female driver = 23 – Nicole Behar, Hailie Deegan

Most top fives by a female driver = 13 Hailie Deegan

Most poles by a female driver = 5 – Hailie Deegan

Most wins by a female driver = 3 – Hailie Deegan

Best driver standings by a female driver = 3^rd – Hailie Deegan in 2019

Number of foreign drivers = 106

First foreign driver = Allen Heath (Canada) (05/30/1954 = race No. 2)

First top 10 by a foreign driver = Allen Heath (Canada) (01/01/1957 = race No. 56)

First top five by a foreign driver = Norm Ellefson (Canada) (06/30/1973 = race No. 344)

First pole by a foreign driver = Roy Smith (Canada) (06/30/1976 = race No. 408)

Most poles by a foreign driver = 12 – Roy Smith (Canada)

First win by a foreign driver = George Stuart (Canada) (06/29/1977 = race No. 428)

Most wins by a foreign driver = 15 – Roy Smith (Canada)

Most top fives by a foreign driver = 48 – Roy Smith (Canada)

Most top 10s by a foreign driver = 67 – Roy Smith (Canada)

Most races by a foreign driver = 109 – Roy Smith (Canada)

Most foreign drivers in a single race = 6 – Multiple times

Most different nationalities in a single race = 5 Multiple times

Best driver standings by a foreign driver = Champion – Roy Smith (Canada) (4 times in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1988)

Number of different nationalities represented = 16 (Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, England, Finland, France, Italia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Sweden)

First West Series race run outside of the USA = Victoria, B.C. Canada (09/07/1970 race No. 278)

First NASCAR series race counting for a championship run outside of the North American continent = Motegi, Japan (11/20/1999 race No. 710)

Rookie of the Year and Champion in the same year = 4 drivers with: Lance Hooper (1996), Scott Lynch (2003), Todd Gilliland (2016) and Jesse Love (2020)

Driver who won in their first career start = 25 drivers with: Dick Rathman (1954), Tim Flock (1955), Norm Nelson (1955), Chuck Stevenson (1955), Dempsey Wilson (1956), Dan Gurney (1964), Cale Yarborough (1977), Tim Williamson (1978), Geoffrey Bodine (1991), Andy Houston (1998), Jerry Nadeau (1999), Johnny Benson, Jr. (2000), C.T. Tavo Hellmund (2001), Frank Kimmel (2001), Jason Jefferson (2003), Brian Vickers (2006), Joey Logano (2007), Andrew Ranger (2010), Ryan Blaney (2011), Kyle Larson (2014), Christian PaHud (2014), Todd Gilliland (2015), Dalton Sargeant (2015), Ty Gibbs (2019), Landen Lewis (2022).

The history of NASCAR’s Western division, the ARCA Menards Series West, continues to be written with the 1,000th race this weekend.

Featured Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of Doug McGriff via Vincent Delforge.