PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Series West Championship Battle Going Back To Cali

The ARCA Menards Series West will race twice in the span of three days this weekend with a doubleheader feel that has become familiar in 2020.

The question is whether familiar names will rise to the top in the series’ ninth and 10th races of the season ahead of the Nov. 7 finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Until Gracie Trotter earned her historic win at Last Vegas the last time the ARCA Menards Series West was in action, points leader Jesse Love and second-place Blaine Perkins were the only full-time West drivers who had won races in 2020. Those three will be the ones to watch again this weekend.

Friday night’s NAPA Auto Parts 125 presented by CashInTheCan.com (7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET on TrackPass) will be the West’s 22nd at All-American Speedway in Roseville, California, and first under the ARCA banner. Sunday’s NAPA ENEOS 125 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET on TrackPass) will be the series’ 11th at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California.

FRIDAY: NAPA Auto Parts 125 presented by CashInTheCan.com

SUNDAY: NAPA ENEOS 125 presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Just three races remain in the 2020 ARCA Menards Series West season.

Love, the 15-year-old rookie running the No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing, holds a 16-point lead in the championship standings over the 20-year-old Perkins, who’s racing the No. 9 Sunrise Ford for Bob Bruncati.

Now Trotter, the 19-year-old rookie who had earned five top-five finishes in seven West races prior to her victory at Las Vegas, is a factor in the standings, as well.

Trotter enters the California doubleheader weekend 31 points behind her BMR teammate Love in the standings, but she is just 15 points behind Perkins for second.

Gio Scelzi (44 points behind Love) and Trevor Huddleson (51 points behind Love) round out the top five heading into Friday night’s first leg.

The fact that this weekend’s races at All American and Kern County form a doubleheader seems to be a good omen for Love and Perkins.

The events on Friday and Sunday will mark the third time in 2020 that the ARCA Menards Series West has raced multiple times on a weekend.

The first was a same-day doubleheader at Utah Motorsports Campus in June, which was split by Love and Perkins, both of whom earned their first career series victories.

The second was in early August at Evergreen Speedway and Douglas County Speedway, both won by Perkins.

Love and Perkins are tied with a series-high three wins this season, but Love enters the weekend with edges over his rival in top-five finishes (8-6), top-10 finishes (8-7), poles (3-2), laps led (339-282) and average finish (2.1-4.1).

Trotter, meanwhile, is the only driver who has matched Love’s series-high 889 laps completed this season. They are the only two who have completed 100 percent of ARCA Menards Series West laps in 2020.

Scelzi and Holley Hollan are third and fourth with 877 and 876 laps completed, respectively. Perkins is fifth with 855.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous West races at All American
• West drivers at All American
• Previous West races at Kern
• West drivers at Kern
• ARCA Menards Series West Standings

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the NAPA Auto Parts 125 presented by CashInTheCan.com is limited to 16 plus provisional positions. This event will be run under the 2020 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Starting positions will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap in the qualifying session.

RACE PIT STOP: No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started. A maximum four (4) crew members may service car. Pitting during this event will be for making repairs and adjustments and/or adding fuel only; no tires can be changed without ARCA approval.

The NAPA Auto Parts 125 presented by CashInTheCan.com will be 125 laps (41.25 miles) and is to be run in one (1) segment.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is eight (8).

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the NAPA ENEOS 125 presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame is limited to 16 plus provisional positions. This event will be run under the 2020 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Starting positions will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap in the qualifying session.

All cars must be inspected before raceday qualifying. Inspection headquarters at the Speedway will open at 4 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 24, and cars checked in for inspection after 4:50 p.m. will be penalized if allowed to compete. All cars will be subject to ARCA control from the time they pass inspection until they are officially released after the race. ARCA reserves the right to impound and/or confiscate any part, equipment and/or race car that is altered in violation of Rule Book.

RACE PIT STOP: No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started. A maximum four (4) crew members may service car. Pitting during this event will be for making repairs and adjustments and/or adding fuel only; no tires can be changed without ARCA approval.

The NAPA ENEOS 125 presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame will be 125 laps (62.5 miles) and is to be run in one (1) segment.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is eight (8).