Kole Raz returns to Evergreen in search of another big win, this time in West Series

The last time Kole Raz visited Evergreen Speedway, he returned home $25,000 richer.

Although the triumph came by disqualification after Preston Peltier failed post-race inspection in Evergreen’s prestigious Summer Showdown, Raz was still honored to earn a major win at a track that was instrumental to his development as a driver growing up.

With a stellar 2023 at Evergreen that also includes a win in the Mark Galloway Shootout in June, Raz has his focus set on his next big accomplishment at the facility, an ARCA Menards Series West victory in Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts ARCA 150.

“I feel like I’ve got the most laps out of anybody around [Evergreen] within the ARCA [Menards Series West],” Raz said. “Obviously things are going to be a little different in an ARCA car, but we got settled into the car pretty well at Shasta [Speedway], and had a shot to win that race.

“Evergreen is one of my favorite tracks with how wore out it is, so I’m looking forward [to Saturday].”

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A regular in Super Late Model competition on the West Coast since the turn of the decade, Raz made is West Series debut at California’s Shasta Speedway in July. He believed he had a minor advantage heading into that weekend since no driver on the entry list competed in the most recent ARCA Menards Series West event at Shasta back in 2015.

Despite this, Raz knew he still had a lot to learn when it came to figuring out the heavier cars.

The unique layout of Shasta also provided Raz plenty to study as he worked alongside his Jerry Pitts Racing crew during the pre-race practice. By the time the session concluded, Raz felt optimistic he had gathered enough knowledge to at least contend for a top-five finish.

Raz felt right at home when the green flag was displayed for the Shasta 150. Starting in the fifth position, Raz patiently bided his time in traffic before charging his way toward the front, where he ended up securing a third-place finish.

Among the drivers Raz defeated in his debut were Tanner Reif and current ARCA Menards Series West points leader Landen Lewis. Raz is no stranger to stellar competition, having regularly raced against Super Late Model veterans like Peltier, Garrett Evans and defending Snowball Derby champion Derek Thorn.

Without those drivers to lean on for advice, Raz did not think he would have been as prepared for his first West Series start.

“With the caliber of drivers I’ve been racing in the Late Model ranks, that’s helped me prepare for this opportunity,” Raz said. “Obviously I’m at a disadvantage when it comes to seat time in the ARCA car, but at the end of the day, racing is racing, and I feel like race craft is similar between the two cars.”

A successful weekend at Shasta with Jerry Pitts has left Raz with plenty of confidence as heads to one of his favorite tracks in Evergreen.

The strategy for Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts ARCA 150 for Raz is going to be much different compared to his approach for an Evergreen Super Late Model event. With a different roll center and minimal tire falloff, Raz plans to be slightly more aggressive every lap to obtain solid track position.

Even though he only has one West Series start to his name so far, Raz considers himself a contender with the resources behind him. He’s ready to build upon the strong impression he made at Shasta a few weeks ago.

“We’ve got to shoot for the stars,” Raz said. “Any driver would be lying to you if they said they weren’t going into a weekend looking for a win. I’ve got the team behind me to do it and the experience around [Evergreen] to have a shot at it. As long as we keep ourselves in the hunt, everything will fall into place. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out on Saturday.”

If Raz were to pull off a victory at Evergreen in his second start, he would join his older brother Gracin as a West Series winner. Gracin earned his lone checkered flag in the series back in 2015 at All American Speedway, where he won on a last-lap pass.

Like his brother, Gracin has also found success at Evergreen with a Mark Galloway Shootout victory in 2019. The younger Raz carefully observed and leaned on Gracin during his early years to figure out how to get around Evergreen so efficiently.

The history shared between the brothers at Evergreen and now the West Series would make a victory on Saturday evening a highlight in Raz’s own burgeoning career.

“My brother being able to get [an ARCA Menards Series West] win in his first year at [All American] was very special for my family back then,” Raz said. “It’d mean even more for both of us to have wins in the West Series, so it’d be awesome to do it in the Pacific Northwest around all our friends and family.”

A talented field of drivers stands in the way of a victory for Raz, but he is determined to keep a stellar 2023 season going by bringing home another trophy from Evergreen.