ARCA Menards rewind: Takeaways from Kern County Raceway Park

www.arcaracing.com April 25, 2022

After a month-long break, the regulars of the ARCA Menards Series West returned to action on Saturday evening for the Salute to the Oil Industry NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California, with the goal of building momentum heading into the summer.

But as has been a common occurrence in the West Series, an invader from the east took center stage on Saturday with Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, native Landen Lewis taking home a victory in his first career start.

COMPLETE RESULTS: NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kern County

Lewis maintained track position inside the Top 3 until five laps after the halfway break, when he pounced on Jake Drew and pulled away with the win, which also served as the first for Cook Racing Technologies as an organization.

Below are some key takeaways from Saturday’s Salute to the Oli Industry NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kern County Raceway Park.

Landen Lewis makes a name for himself

It was just seven months ago when Landen Lewis surprised everyone in the ARCA Menards Series garage area by leading wire-to-wire at the DuQoin State Fairgrounds in just his second start.

Lewis proved on Saturday evening that he could be just as efficient on asphalt tracks. It took Lewis until the second half of the race to finally pass Drew for the Reese’s Sweet Move of the Race and was untouchable once he had the benefit of a clear track in front of him.

In his post-race interview, Lewis admitted that the victory at Kern County would not have been possible without his sturdy support system that includes four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. as well as car owner and former crew chief Bruce Cook.

Since starting his team, Cook has assisted many young, talented drivers like Lewis. This list includes Parker Retzlaff and Kyle Sieg, who both now compete on a part-time basis with RSS Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Lewis feels confident that the equipment provided by Cook and his crew will enable him to win more races, and he intends to make more trips out west before 2022 concludes.

Jake Drew a bridesmaid once again

Despite his best efforts on Saturday night, Jake Drew could not shake the ‘P2 Drew’ nickname that has followed him throughout his time in the West Series.

Since entering the division back in 2021, Drew has yet to find Victory Lane in the West Series. He managed to finish second twice last year but ended up losing the title to Jesse Love, who won in a tiebreaker with two victories.

Drew felt confident that Saturday’s Salute to the Oil Industry NAPA Auto Parts 150 would finally be his night, but he ended up matching his career-best finish of second yet again after being passed by Landen Lewis with 65 laps to go.

Even though he came up one spot short of a win, Drew still left Kern County with plenty to be happy about. He still holds the lead in the West Series standings over his teammate Tanner Reif, with the margin now standing at five points.

“I feel pretty confident since we still have the points lead,” Drew said. “It’s a lot better feeling compared to last year when we were chasing it the whole time. Having the points lead definitely helps out, especially on nights where we don’t win but still increase the gap.”

Jake Drew (6) gives chase to Landen Lewis (42) during the closing stages of the Salute to the Oil Industry NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kern County Raceway Park on Apr. 23, 2022 (Ruby Wallau/ARCA Racing)

Now that he has three consecutive top fives to open 2022, Drew is feeling extra motivated heading into the next West Series event at Portland International Raceway. Drew nearly broke through for that elusive first win at Portland last year but was relegated to 10th following a penalty on the final restart.

Paul Pedroncelli Jr. comes home fifth after leading most laps from the pole

Paul Pedroncelli Jr. put together the best statistical performance of his West Series career during Saturday’s Salute to the Oil Industry NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kern County.

After claiming his second West Series pole, Pedroncelli proceeded to lead a race-high 71 laps before fading during the second half of the race. Despite this, Pedroncelli still managed to match his best finish on the 2022 season with a fifth-place run.

Pedroncelli’s top five was his sixth in the West Series since returning on a full-time basis last year. In the 13 combined starts he made between 2008 and 2019, Pedroncelli’s best finish was a 12th that he got at Douglas County Speedway back in 2009.

With more experience on his side, Pedroncelli emerged as a dark horse contender for the West Series title after earning his first victory at All American Speedway last year and currently finds himself on the right track by sitting fourth in the standings after three races.

Pedroncelli will look to keep his top five streak going on June 4 at Portland International Raceway, where he ended up finishing second to Taylor Gray in a chaotic conclusion last year. 

NOTES:

  • With his victory, Landen Lewis became the seventh different driver to win a West Series race at Kern County, joining names that include former champions like Greg Pursley, Derek Kraus and Todd Gilliland.
  • In her first start on the 2022 season at Kern County, Amber Slagle matched her career-best finish of 10th that she obtained at All American Speedway last year. Slagle qualified inside the top five; only one spot behind her previous best effort at Irwindale Speedway in 2021.
  • Todd Souza made his 100th career West Series start at Kern County on Saturday. He finished sixth after starting on the outside pole.
  • The Salute to the Oil Industry NAPA Auto Parts 150 was slowed by three caution flags for 12 laps. It also featured two lead changes amongst three drivers.