ARCA Menards rewind: Takeaways from Portland International Raceway

www.arcaracing.com June 6, 2022

The stars of the ARCA Menards Series West could probably do without rain for a little while after Saturday’s Portland 112 at Portland International Raceway.

The race on the 1.947-mile road course, the fourth event of the 2022 West Series season, started and ended in wet conditions as Jake Drew emerged to claim his maiden West Series victory aboard Bob Bruncati’s No. 6 Ford.

Drew overcame a mishap on the opening lap that saw him overshoot Turn 1 and end up in the grass. He drove back through the field and ultimately took the lead on Lap 12 and held it for the remainder of the race.

MORE PORTLAND: Results | Highlights

It was a victory a year in the making for Drew, who started from the pole and dominated last year at Portland before a penalty for skipping the frontstretch chicane on the final lap ended his chances at victory.

Below are the key takeaways from Saturday’s Portland 112 at Portland International Raceway.

Jake Drew dances in the Portland rain

Jake Drew, driver of the #6 Irwindale Speedway-Stilo USA-Molecule, celebrates his victory in the Portland 100 for the ARCA Menards Series West at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon on June 4, 2022. (Brian Hayes/ARCA Racing)
(Photo: Brian Hayes/ARCA Racing)

If there was an appropriate place for Drew to get his first ARCA Menards Series West victory, it was Portland International Raceway.

One year ago, Drew arguably had the car to beat at Portland, leading a race-high 29 laps from the pole. However, when he skipped the chicane during a restart on the final lap amid a multi-car incident, all the work he’d done up to that point disappeared in an instant.

ARCA officials penalized Drew for skipping the frontstretch chicane, which handed the victory to Taylor Gray that day.

It would be a full year before Drew would have the chance to make up for the mistake, but on Saturday he did exactly that.

Drew qualified second alongside Daniel Dye and, despite overshooting Turn 1 and ending up in the grass on the opening lap, the driver from Fullerton, California, was in his own league.

He was back at the front of the field by Lap 12 and led the rest of the race despite the wet conditions caused by a storm system that moved through the area Saturday. The race was ultimately called after 42 laps because of the poor weather conditions, and Drew crossed the finish line more than 18 seconds clear of second place.

Drew’s recovery and race back to the front of the field was voted the Reese’s Sweet Move of the Race.

The victory gives Drew a 14-point advantage ahead of teammate Tanner Reif for the lead in the championship standings as the West Series travels to Sonoma Raceway this Saturday for the running of the General Tire 200.

Mosack comes up one position short

At first, it appeared as though Saturday was going to be Connor Mosack’s day.

Mosack, making his first ARCA Menards Series West start, took the lead on the second lap of the race and drove out to a lead of more than five seconds before the first caution flag of the race waved for Andrew Tuttle stalled in the frontstretch chicane.

The driver from Charlotte, North Carolina, hit pit road during the caution period so his crew could perform service on his car and clean his windshield so he could see better on the soggy road course.

Mosack went right to work on the ensuing restart, going from sixth to third before the field made it to Turn 1. He eventually made it to second, but that was the best he was going to do Saturday afternoon as Drew was long gone at the front of the field.

The runner-up result came on the same day Mosack made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing. Mosack raced in the top five for much of the event before retiring from the race after 62 laps due to a crash.

Cars drive through turn eight during a caution during the Portland 100 for the ARCA Menards Series West at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon on June 4, 2022. (Brian Hayes/ARCA Racing)
Todd Souza, driver of the No. 13 Central Coast Cabinets Toyota, drives through turn eight during the Portland 112 for the ARCA Menards Series West at Portland International Raceway on June 4, 2022. (Photo: Brian Hayes/ARCA Racing)

A good day for underdogs

It was a good day to be an underdog Saturday at Portland International Raceway.

Todd Souza, who recently made his 100th ARCA Menards Series West start, raced in the top five throughout the Portland 112 and came away with a third-place finish.

It was his best finish since a runner-up result at All-American Speedway in Roseville, California, during the 2020 season.

Takuma Koga, who commutes to the United States from Japan to compete in the ARCA Menards Series West, also raced within the top five for most of the Portland 112. He eventually finished fifth, which matched his career-best result that came last year at Portland.

Bridget Burgess also found herself racing within the top five for most of the race before missing the frontstretch chicane and falling back to seventh. Despite missing out on a top-five finish, the seventh-place finish equaled her career-best West Series result that came in 2020 at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NOTES:

  • Daniel Dye made his maiden road course start Saturday. He earned the pole in the combined practice/qualifying session, but like race winner Jake Drew, he overshot the first corner and ended up in the grass. He rebounded to finish fourth.
  • Tanner Reif led the first lap of the race and overcame a spin on the backstretch to finish sixth.
  • The Portland 112 is the first of two visits for the ARCA Menards Series West at Portland International Raceway this year. The series returns for its second visit this season on Sept. 3.