NOTEBOOK: Joey Iest returns to ARCA Menards Series West at All American Speedway

It has been nearly a year since the last time Joey Iest competed in any form of racing, let alone the ARCA Menards Series West.

Iest’s wait will come to an end on Saturday evening when he reunites with Naake-Klauer Motorsports to pilot the No. 88 at All American Speedway. Despite being out of the car for so long, Iest is optimistic his familiarity with Naake-Klauer and All American will translate into a strong performance.

“It feels really good to be back,” Iest said. “We’ve been wanting to do something like this all year, but we’ve been struggling with sponsors, but we finally got some help and a spot opened for the weekend. I really like [All American] so this should be a fun weekend.”

As Iest searched for the necessary funding to make his return, he kept himself occupied by working at his family’s dairy farm while simultaneously driving the hauler for Shockwave Motorsports, which has an alliance with Naake-Klauer.

Iest’s patience was finally rewarded when he found out Bradley Erickson would be departing Naake-Klauer after the most recent West Series event at Evergreen Speedway. After securing sponsorship, Iest was called upon by Naake-Klauer to help finish out the West Series season and obtain the highest finish possible in owner points.

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For Iest, All American is a perfect track for him to get reacclimatied to the West Series. He nearly picked up his second career victory at the facility in 2021 after leading in the closing stages, but lost the lead and the race to Paul Pedroncelli Jr. on the last lap.

The short, abrasive layout of All American has suited Iest’s driving style since he started racing Late Models there a few years ago. With the event also serving as Naake-Klauer’s home race, Iest feels motivated to excel in Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150 and show that he is still capable of winning races.

“We’re going to try our hardest,” Iest said. “A top-three or top-five would be awesome, but I do think we can win. It has been a while since I’ve been in the car, but Naake-Klauer Motorsports has great cars, so I know the car will be capable.”

Iest has finished in every podium position at All American except for first. He will try to find his way to Victory Lane on Saturday evening when the NAPA Auto Parts 150 commences at 10:45 p.m. ET.

Bradley Erickson joins Sigma Performance Services

There will be a new team on the grid at All American Speedway in the form of Sigma Performance Services.

Piloting the No. 23 L&S Framing Chevrolet on Saturday will be Bradley Erickson, who moves over to the start-up ARCA Menards Series West operation after running the first eight races of the season with Naake-Klauer Motorsports.

Erickson’s first full-time West Series season has been filled with plenty of highs and lows. He nearly won the season-opening event at Phoenix Raceway in March, but has only amassed one top-five since then, which came at Kern County Raceway Park.

Now set to close out 2023 with a new team, Erickson will be surrounded with plenty of help at Sigma Performance Services. T.J. Clark, a former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver who was also a former owner of GMS Racing, s serving as Erickson’s crew chief at All American.

With Clark on top of the pit box, Erickson is looking to improve upon his 12^th-place showing at All American in 2022.

Buddy Shepherd making first start of 2023 with Jerry Pitts Racing

Buddy Shepherd has been a fixture in both Super Late Model and Pro Late Model competition on the West Coast for several years.

Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150 at All American Speedway will see Shepherd make an infrequent appearance with the ARCA Menards Series West. He is set to drive the No. 5 H&S Body Shop Toyota owned by Jerry Pitts Racing.

Shepherd has made a combined total of nine West Series starts since the 2015 season. He has scored three top-five finishes during that period, including a career-best run of third at Meridian Speedway with Jeff Jefferson in 2015.

This will not be the first time Shepherd has teamed with Pitts’ operation. The duo has teamed up three times before, with a sixth-place run at Douglas County Speedway in 2017 being Shepherd’s best performance in a car prepared by Pitts.

Expectations are high for both Shepherd and Pitts as they chase their first victory together at All American on Saturday night.

NOTES:

• Kyle Keller brings some momentum into All American Speedway after recording back-to-back top 10s at Shasta Speedway and Evergreen Speedway. Although he has not finished inside the top-five since Phoenix Raceway, Keller returns to the track where he scored one of his three top-five finishes during the 2022 season.
• R.J. Smotherman is back with the ARCA Menards Series West after opening 2023 driving a second car for Lowden Jackson Motorsports. For Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150, Smotherman will be driving the No. 38 for John Wood, which is the same team that he scored his lone top-10 with at All American last year.
• High Point Racing is bringing two cars to All American Speedway for Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150, with Jake Bollman in the part-time No. 55. Bollman has found some consistency in his limited starts with High Point, scoring consecutive seventh-place runs at Kern County Raceway Park and Irwindale Speedway.
• Robbie Kennealy will make his second career ARCA Menards Series West appearance on Saturday night at All American Speedway. Kennealy impressed with a fifth-place performance in his West Series debut at Irwindale Speedway and is looking to improve upon that in the NAPA Auto Parts 150.