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Ken Schrader (left) and Brandon Jones started on the front row of the 2014 ARCA Menards Series race at Indiana's Winchester Speedway. (Jay Alley/ARCA Racing)

Setting The Scene: 2014 ARCA at Winchester

www.arcaracing.com April 23, 2020

When the ARCA Menards Series rolled into Indiana on Sunday, July 6, the Herr’s Chase The Taste 200 marked the halfway point for the 2014 campaign.

A few notable trends had developed in the series’ 62nd season as they headed to the historic high banks of Winchester Speedway.

Grant Enfinger was coming off his fourth win of the season, leading 211 laps Elko Speedway in the No. 90 Triple K Construction Ford for car owner Howard Bixman. That allowed him to retake the championship points lead in what was then known as the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards.

RACING-REFERENCE: 2014 Schedule / Results

The then 29-year-old had been a journeyman to that point, making 51 starts over the span of six seasons. He had finished fourth in the championship in his only prior full season (2011). But the Fairhope, Alabama, driver also had a pair of runner-up finishes in the Super Late Model showcase, the Snowball Derby (2008 and 2013).

Enfinger opened the season with three straight wins and had collected five top fives and eight top 10s heading to the “World’s Fastest 1/2 mile.”

On the other side of the coin was Mason Mitchell. The 20-year-old from West Des Moines, Iowa, was yet to visit Victory Lane, but he had nine top top 10s, incuding three runner-up finishes in the family owned No. 98 Thermal Technology Services Ford.

RACING-REFERENCE: Grant Enfinger | Mason Mitchell

The ARCA slate also saw interlopers take home the top race prizes. Canadian road-course ace Andrew Ranger grabbed the win at New Jersey Motorsports Park, ad Kyle Larson dominated the following week at Pocono Raceway.

Brandon Jones was making his ARCA Menards Series debut as a 17-year-old. The Atlanta, Georgia, driver was running a full NASCAR East schedule in addition to select NASCAR Truck and ARCA starts. Jones already a pair of Truck races, including a fourth at Dover International Raceway.

His East campaign for Turner Scott Motorsports was more uneven. He had at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and second at Five Flags Speedway; but also was 24th on the short track at Daytona International Speedway and 23rd at South Carolina’s Greenville Pickens Speedway.

On the veteran racer side, Ken Schrader was making his fifth start of the season. The 59-year-old had won two of his four starts the previous season. And Frank Kimmel was the defending race winner – collecting his sixth win there in 2013 en route to his 10th series title, as a 51-year-old.

RACING-REFERENCE: Brandon Jones | Ken Schrader | Frank Kimmel

Winchester, the historic high-baked track that opened in 1916 had been on and off the ARCA schedule since 1982.