during the General Tire 150 for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 26, 2020. (Miranda Alam/ARCA Racing)
Gracie Trotter, driver of the #99 ENEOS Toyota, after winning the General Tire 150 for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 26, 2020. (Miranda Alam/ARCA Racing)

Gracie Trotter Rakes In Awards With Historic Win At Las Vegas

www.arcaracing.com September 29, 2020

To date in the 2020 season, the ARCA Menards Series West has been a battle between Blaine Perkins and Jesse Love, leaving little room for any other drivers to join them at the front of the field.

On Saturday, though, a new face emerged from the crowd to end the six-race winning streak of Perkins and Love: Gracie Trotter (No. 99 ENEOS Toyota), who became just the second woman to win an AMSW race with her victory at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Trotter joined Hailie Deegan in that very exclusive club and picked up the majority of ARCA’s special awards in the process.

RELATED: Gracie Trotter Makes History With Las Vegas Victory

The afternoon appeared to start no different than usual for the 2020 season when Jesse Love (No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota) turned in a lap at 90.355 mph to score his third General Tire Pole Award of the season. Love equaled the mark of main adversary Blaine Perkins (No. 9 Four Star Fruits Ford) with his third pole, making them the only drivers that have started first on multiple occasions this season.

Upon the drop of the green flag, Love treated the General Tire 150 like it was business as usual by jumping out to an early lead. On lap 34, Trevor Huddleston (No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Eibach Ford) passed Love to become the leader, the second time Huddleston has led a race this season. Huddleston’s time at the front ended after just 14 laps when he cut a tire and smacked the turn 3 wall, ending his day and turning the lead back over to Love.

Love tangled with Huddleston’s Sunrise Ford teammate of Blaine Perkins on the ensuing restart and allowed Gracie Trotter to take advantage, inheriting a lead that she never relinquished for more than a lap at a time for the remainder of the race. Trotter’s 95 laps led earned her the Valvoline Lap Leader honors at LVMS as well as the Richmond Water Heaters Halfway Leader award. Love still leads the yearlong lap leader standings with 339 laps led, pacing Perkins with 282 laps led.

Trotter was the Bounty Rookie of the Race with her victory, coming in just her eighth career AMSW start. Bill McAnally Racing teammate Jesse Love still leads the Bounty Rookie of the Year standings by 16 points over Trotter.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Trotter’s winning run was the fact that she had only qualified ninth-fastest in the field and had to pick her way to the front of the field to score the win. Gaining nine positions over the course of the race, Trotter was the K&N Filters Hard Charger for the General Tire 150.

The ARCA Menards Series West will return to action with their third doubleheader race week of the season on the weekend of October 23-25. The NAPA 150 from Roseville, California’s All American Speedway will kick things off at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, October 23. The weekend will be capped off by the NAPA ENEOS 125 at Kern County Raceway Park beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 25.

Both races will be streamed live on NBC Sports Gold TrackPass and re-aired at a later date yet to be announced on NBCSN.