Jesse Love, driver of the #19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota, wins the pole award at the ENEOS 125 presented by NAPA Auto Parts as part of the ARCA Menards Series West held at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, Calif. on July 4, 2020.
Jesse Love, driver of the #19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota, won the General Tire Pole Award at the ENEOS 125 presented by NAPA Auto Parts as part of the ARCA Menards Series West held at Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, Calif. on July 4, 2020.

Jesse Love Piles Up Contingency Awards In Irwindale Win

www.arcaracing.com July 8, 2020

One week after picking up his first career ARCA Menards Series West victory in the first half of a doubleheader at the Utah Motorsports Campus road course, Jesse Love (No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota) did it again in the ENEOS 125 at Irwindale Speedway. Unlike at Utah, where he had to split the spoils with second race winner Blaine Perkins (No. 9 Four Star Fruit Ford), the trophy and special awards were all Love’s to keep after the fourth of July shootout from Irwindale.

The General Tire Pole was awarded based off of fast laps from a brief pre-race practice session. Of the drivers that took a time, nobody else made fewer laps than the four that Love turned. It was for a good reason: his best speed of 99.673 mph was enough to top the charts by more than a tenth over the nearest competitor. It was Love’s first pole of the season. Blaine Perkins started from the pole in both Utah races, the only multi-time polesitter so far in 2020, and Sam Mayer – an ARCA Menards Series East regular – has one pole.

Love had little trouble retaining the lead throughout the event, ceding the spot only briefly to Irwindale expert Trevor Huddleston (No. 6 Sunrise Ford) late in the going. Love clinched the Valvoline Lap Leader award with 119 laps led on the afternoon. Huddleston led the other 6 laps. Love has now led 154 laps on the season and leapfrogged Sam Mayer – who ran a one-off at Las Vegas earlier in the season – for the most laps led to date. Mayer sits second with 138 laps led. Blaine Perkins holds third with laps led and teammate Huddleston is fourth with 6 laps led. Love was also the Richmond Water Heaters Halfway Leader for the second time in 2020, also claiming the award in the first race at Utah.

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Making just his fourth ARCA Menards Series West start, Love was named the Bounty Rookie of the Race as he collected his second win. Love leads the Bounty Rookie of the Year standings with 170 points, opening up a gap of 15 points back to teammate Gracie Trotter (No. 99 ENEOS Toyota) with 155 points. Gio Scelzi (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota), a third Bill McAnally teammate to Love and Trotter, rounds out the podium with 145 points. Scelzi was taken out in an accident at Irwindale and had to retire 10 laps early, finishing 14th in the process.

Returning to the series for the first time in just over three years, driver Johnny Borneman III (No. 8 BTI Heavy Haul Ford) found himself back in action at Irwindale, qualifying 14th. Borneman III, who has won three ARCA Menards Series West races but none since 2006, shook off the early rust by picking up two free passes and rallying late in the going to finish sixth. The improvement of eight positions made Borneman III the recipient of the K&N Filters Hard Charger award. Borneman III is no stranger to making charges through the field in his AMS West career – of the 10 times he has started 20th or worse on the grid, Borneman III has navigated his way to top-10 finishes in six of those races.

A replay of the ENEOS 125 from Irwindale Speedway will be broadcast by NBCSN on Sunday, July 12 at midnight ET. Stay tuned to ARCAracing.com for further updates regarding the ARCA Menards Series West schedule.