Despite Madera Speedway’s absence from the ARCA Menards Series West schedule for more than a decade, the facility has played a vital role in developing the next generation of talent on the West Coast.
Saturday night’s 51FIFTY Jr. Homecoming ARCA 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame at Madera will live up to its namesake, as many drivers currently in the West Series have developed their race craft through the facility’s Jr. Late Model division.
Kenny Shepherd, a former driver who now owns Madera, said the idea for the Jr. Late Model Series came from an epiphany he had after finishing second to a young Kurt Busch in the 1999 NASCAR Southwest Tour championship.
“The sport was getting younger and younger as far as drivers go, so we needed a better training platform,” Shepherd said. “I envisioned this program which takes the top 10 14-year-olds from all over the United States, but we’ve also pulled drivers from Canada, Mexico and England. It’s an absolute pressure-cooker that trains kids on the marketing aspect and how to represent brands.
“When these kids get to ARCA, the feedback I get from them is that they’ve been [in this environment] before.”
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Since 2016, the Jr. Late Model Series has catered to the large influx of young development drivers into stock car racing by giving them a proper first step in full-bodied stock cars. The series also provides drivers an opportunity to work with many crew chiefs that are already a part of the ARCA platform.
One of the more notable alums to come from Madera’s Jr. Late Model Series is current ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love. Between 2017 and 2018, Love accumulated nine victories and two titles in the division before building on that efficiency in the West Series, where he earned two additional championships.
Leading the Jr. Late Model Series alumni in Saturday’s West Series event at Madera is current points leader Sean Hingorani. A two-time winner in the Jr. Late Model Series, Hingorani has been efficient in his rookie West Series campaign this year with four victories, two poles and 385 laps led.
The entry list for Saturday’s race also includes four previous champions from the Jr. Late Model Series that include Bradley Erickson and Joey Iest, along with several drivers who have visited Victory Lane in the division such as Tyler and Tanner Reif.
A key part in the success of the Jr. Late Model Series stems from Shepherd scouting at tracks around the country to find talented drivers he believes can excel in the division. Having so many of those kids now thriving in ARCA and beyond highlights the importance of preparing them for the physical and mental stress prevalent at the top.
With so many Jr. Late Model Series alumni returning to Madera on Saturday night, Shepherd is eager to see them put on a great show for the West Series’ return to the facility before they continue embarking on the next phase of their careers.
“What you want to see is everything come together,” Shephered said. “That’s why this race is called the 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Homecoming, because the sport’s future stars are coming back to the track where they turned their first laps in a full-sized stock car.
“We know what we’re going to see, and it’s very probable that one of the kids who wins this race is a past winner from the Jr. Late Model Series.”
A talented field of young prospects and experienced veterans are heading to Madera Speedway on Saturday for the 51FIFTY Jr. Homecoming ARCA 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame, which will go green at 8 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Brody Armtrout all set for West Series debut
Among the previous Jr. Late Model Series champions competing in Saturday’s event at Madera Speedway is Brody Armtrout, who is making his West Series debut.
Armtrout made a name for himself against many of the top West Coast prospects during the 2021 Jr. Late Model Series season. A dominant campaign saw Armtrout take home five victories and cruise to a title.
For Saturday’s race, Armtrout is teaming up with long-time West Series owner Joe Nava in the No. 77 with sponsorship from REX MD, Fiddler on the Roof and Jan’s Towing. Nava has previously worked with Mariah Boudrieau and veteran Nick Joanides in 2023, the latter of whom has scored three top 10s in the No. 77.
Even though Armtrout is new to the West Series, inexperience has not proven to be a disadvantage for drivers this year. Tyler Reif earned his first victory in just his third West Series start at Phoenix Raceway. Last week’s winner Dylan Cappello had not run with the division since 2015.
With plenty of experience at Madera on his side, Armtrout looks to carry over the momentum from the Jr. Late Model Series into a strong debut performance this weekend.
Kaden Honeycutt eager to bounce back from rough weekend at Las Vegas
After winning in his debut West Series event at All American Speedway, expectations were high for Kaden Honeycutt heading into The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Mechanical issues plagued Honecyutt and MMI Racing throughout the Star Nursery 150. Honeycutt managed to climb inside the top five after being forced to start at the rear of the field before another problem forced him to limp the No. 17 home in ninth.
Despite the shortcomings that hindered Honeycutt, his perseverance ended up paying dividends. A brake failure for Sean Hingorani in the closing stages enabled Honeycutt to put the No. 17 atop the West Series owner’s point standings at the end of the night.
Honeycutt, who has won on both dirt and paved short tracks, brought versatility and experience to MMI following the sudden departure of Landen Lewis. Although they can not win the West Series driver’s championship together, Honeycutt and MMI find themselves in an ideal position to claim the owner’s title with two races remaining.
There will be a very small margin of error for Honeycutt to deal with as he and Hingorani take their owner’s points battle to Madera Speedway on Saturday evening.
NOTES:
- Robbie Kennealy has found a comfort zone in the West Series through his first three starts, with his best performance being a fifth at Irwindale Speedway in July. Fresh off a runner-up finish in the 2022 Jr. Late Model Series season, Kennealy looks to improve upon that showing on Saturday at Madera Speedway.
- Following a prolonged absence from racing, Joey Iest returned to the West Series at All American Speedway with Naake-Klauer Motorsports last month, scoring an impressive fourth-place run. Iest is teaming back up with Naake-Klauer at Madera with the goal of earning his second career West Series victory.
- Saturday’s race at Madera Speedway will see Ryan Philpott make his fourth start of the 2023 season. Philpott’s best finish this year was a 13th that he obtained at Shasta Speedway, but the West Series veteran will chase his first top 10 performance since placing sixth at Portland International Raceway last year.
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