Landen Lewis, driver of the #2 19th Green Toyota, looks on during practice for the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Lucas Oil for the ARCA Menards Series at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois on September 5, 2021. (Jeff Curry/ARCA Racing)
(Photo: Jeff Curry/ARCA Racing)

NOTEBOOK: Landen Lewis heading West, excited for debut at Kern County

www.arcaracing.com April 22, 2022

For Landen Lewis, the time to head West is now.

Lewis, who stunned the ARCA Menards Series field by winning in his second start at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois, last summer, will make his ARCA Menards Series West debut Saturday night at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California.

The driver from Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, is teaming up with Cook Racing Technologies to wheel the No. 42 Chevrolet in the Salute to the Oil Industry NAPA Auto Parts 150. It’ll be his first start on the ARCA platform since he finished 13th at Indiana’s Salem Speedway last October.

Kern County Raceway Park
West Series racing at Kern County Raceway Park (Photo: Meg Oliphant/ARCA Racing)

“I’m very excited to get out to the West Coast,” said the 16-year-old Lewis. “That’s where my mentor, Ron Hornaday, is from and where he grew up racing. He’s really big out there. I’m really looking forward to going and seeing all the fans I have out there. I’m really excited to get back in an ARCA car.”

As noted by Lewis, the Bakersfield region is where NASCAR Hall of Famer Hornaday made a name for himself before he traveled to the East Coast to compete in the upper echelons of NASCAR. Hornaday honed his skills at California tracks like the defunct Mesa Marin Raceway, also located in Bakersfield.

Hornaday has been working closely with Lewis for the last few years, helping the young racer develop his skills while also helping lock down opportunities for Lewis to go racing.

“He’s been huge in my career. Not just in ARCA, but in life in general,” Lewis explained. “About five years ago now I met Ron and his family, and since then, he has become family to me and my family. He’s just been a huge help to my career. Teaching me the ins and outs of auto racing and how to be a better person.”

Ironically, Lewis will be working with one of Hornaday’s former crew chiefs, Bruce Cook, when he makes his West Series debut. Cook owns Cook Racing Technologies, the team Lewis will be driving for Saturday night.

For Lewis, it’s important to have a strong performance in the same region where his mentor achieved most of his grassroots success.

“It’s going to be really important to go out there and run good,” Lewis said. “We always want to win, but going out there and having fun and just learning is going to be huge.”

Amber Slagle back in the saddle

After making three West Series starts last season for Cook Racing Technologies last year, Amber Slagle is back for more this weekend at Kern County Raceway Park.

Slagle, 25, will be back aboard McGowan’s No. 17 MMI Services Chevrolet this weekend for her first start this year. The driver from Michigan is hoping to better her best result of 10th, which came at All American Speedway in Roseville, California, last year.

When not driving a race car, Slagle doubles as a full-time graphic installer for Petty GMS Racing and GMS Motorsports. She also has worked as a crew member on occasion and served as the crew chief on the No. 17 entry when it was driven by Josh Berry at Phoenix Raceway in March.

Tripp Gaylord making West Series debut

Dirt racer Tripp Gaylord is going to try something totally different Saturday evening at Kern County Raceway Park.

Gaylord will make his West Series debut aboard the No. 77 Toyota for Performance P-1 Motorsports, a team with extensive racing history on the West Coast.

The 26-year-old driver from Colorado comes from a racing family. His father, Scott Gaylord, is a veteran of the West Series with 161 starts, 35 top-five and 84 top-10 finishes. His father also competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series and even made the trip to Japan to compete in the NASCAR Thunder Special events at the Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi in the mid-1990s.

His mother, Donna, and his two brothers, Ryan and Chase, have also taken turns behind the wheel of race cars.

Tripp Gaylord’s season got off to a great start, as the Colorado native found Victory Lane during an IMCA Dirt Modified event at Arizona’s Cocopah Speedway on Jan. 15.

Notes:

  • Trevor Huddleston returns for his second straight West Series race, once again aboard his father Tim Huddleston’s No. 50 High Point Racing Ford.
  • Bill McAnally Racing will look to continue its history of strong performance at Kern County this week. The team has won six of the 11 races contested at the track, all consecutively from 2016-19. Austin Herzog and Cole Moore will represent the team this Saturday night.
  • Jake Drew enters Saturday’s race as the West Series championship leader by two points ahead of his Sunrise Ford Racing teammate and Irwindale Speedway victor Tanner Reif. Cole Moore is four points back in third, with Austin Herzog and Todd Souza completing the top five in the series standings early in the year.