NOTEBOOK: Defending West Series champion Jake Drew returns for Shasta 150

Jake Drew’s 2023 season has been vastly different from the championship campaign he enjoyed in the ARCA Menards Series West last year.

Most of Drew’s time has been spent networking within the motorsports industry as opposed to being behind the wheel. Although he is still searching for a full-time ride, Drew is eager to return to the ARCA Menards Series West this weekend during the Shasta 150 at Shasta Speedway driving the No. 41 for Lowden-Jackson Motorsports.

“It’s been different for sure,” Drew said. “I want to be racing more, but it’s still been a good year with moving to Mooresville, North Carolina, meeting a lot of great people and seeing a lot of different race shops. I’m just trying to make whatever I can happen. It’s a grind, but I’m going to keep at it until I hit the jackpot.”

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The only start Drew has made in any racing series this year came at Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Driving for ThorSport Racing, Drew ran inside the top-10 for most of the evening before earning a solid 12^th place finish.

Being consistent and clean were qualities that enabled Drew to claim four ARCA Menards Series West victories and a title in 2022. He hopes for a similar outcome in his one-race opportunity with Lowden-Jackson, who earned their first victory as an organization earlier this year with Tyler Reif at Phoenix Raceway.

Despite this, Drew said everyone is going to be on an even playing field at Shasta Speedway on Saturday evening. No one on the preliminary entry list participated in the most recent Shasta ARCA Menards Series West event in 2015, which Drew believes will result in more drivers making mistakes throughout the night.

The goals Drew has for the Shasta 150 are to build cohesion with his Lowden-Jackson crew members and learn as much as possible about the .375-mile facility heading into Saturday. If everything goes as planned, Drew knows he can maintain track position at the front and be in contention for the win.

A new group of ARCA Menards Series West title contenders like Landen Lewis and Sean Hingorani stand in the way of Drew, who is ready to recapture the magic from his stellar 2022 and make another strong impression for NASCAR teams searching for a competitive driver.

“Winning would mean a lot to me, especially since I haven’t raced as much this year,” Drew said. “With the success we had last year, I know there’s going to be a target on our backs, but there’s no reason to add any pressure. I’m just going to do the best I can like I always have and I’m sure everything will work out in the end.”

Drew will chase his fifth overall victory in the ARCA Menards Series West when the green flag waves for the Shasta 150 at 8:30 p.m. PT/11:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night.

Tyler Reif moves to Central Coast Racing for Shasta 150

A change of scenery is in store for Tyler Reif ahead of Saturday’s race at Shasta Speedway.

After competing in the first six events of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West season with Lowden-Jackson Motorports, Reif will now pilot Central Coast Racing’s flagship No. 13 entry while owner and driver Todd Souza moves to a second No. 3 car.

Reif caught the attention of many in the garage area by winning the ARCA Menards Series West season-opener at Phoenix Raceway, which also served as a combination event with the ARCA Menards Series. He accomplished this after overcoming a bad final restart to overtake Landen Lewis on the last lap.

The following races for Reif have not reached the heights of his victory at Phoenix. He did follow up that performance with a third-place run at Irwindale Speedway, but Reif has not finished inside the top-five since.

Reif is looking to replicate his early-season success driving the No. 13, which Souza recently piloted to his first top-five finish of the year at Irwindale on July 1.

Kole Raz set for West Series debut with Jerry Pitts Racing

One of the most promising auto racing prospects on the West Coast in recent years has been Lake Oswego, Oregon, native Kole Raz.

Fresh off a victory in the prestigious Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway, he is now set to make his ARCA Menards Series West debut on Saturday evening at Shasta Speedway, where he will drive the No. 5 Toyota for Jerry Pitts Racing.

The younger brother of Gracin Raz, who earned his lone ARCA Menards Series West victory at All American Speedway in 2015, Kole has built a solid resume of his own that includes multiple track championships at Tucson Speedway.

Kole has plenty of experience to lean on for his ARCA Menards Series West debut. Pitts has helped develop several drivers like current NASCAR Cup Series competitor Noah Gragson, while Kole’s teammate Takuma Koga is a veteran that has competed semi-regularly in the series since 2002.

Like everyone else on the entry list, Kole will have a lot to learn about Shasta Speedway in a short amount of time as he pursues a top-five finish in his maiden ARCA Menards Series West appearance.

NOTES:

• Eric Nascimento put together the best performance of his young career in the most recent ARCA Menards Series West race at Irwinale Speedway by finishing second to Trevor Huddleston. With momentum on his side, Nascimento will look to earn his first win at Shasta Speedway on Saturday.
• Tim Spurgeon is back with the ARCA Menards Series West this weekend after earning a 12th-place finish in his first start of the year at Sonoma Raceway. For the Shasta 150, Spurgeon will serve as a teammate to Eric Nascimento.
• Derek Copeland will be behind the wheel of Brian Kaminsky’s No. 80 Toyota this Saturday. Making his ARCA Menards Series West debut, Copeland has competed in many different types of cars along the West Coast and will be looking for a strong performance Shasta Speedway on Saturday.