PIT BOX: West Series roars back to life with a trip to Portland International Raceway

After a break of more than two weeks, the ARCA Menards Series West season resumes Friday evening (4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET on FloRacing) with the running of the Portland 112 at Portland International Raceway.

Friday’s event marks the 11th time the West Series has visited Portland International Raceway dating back to 1986. The series’ inaugural visit to the road course in Portland, Oregon took place in 1986, when NASCAR Hall of Famer Hershel McGriff scored one of his 34 West Series wins.

The West Series didn’t return until 2009, when Jim Inglebright emerged victorious. Other winners at Portland through the years include Patrick Long, Luis Martinez Jr., Greg Pursley, Taylor Gray, Jake Drew, Landen Lewis and the most recent winner, William Sawalich.

Tickets to Friday’s Portland 112 at Portland International Raceway are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the eighth race of the 2025 ARCA Menards Series West season.

Portland 112 at Portland International Raceway

Anybody who wants to win the Portland 112 on Friday evening likely will have to go through William Sawalich or Thomas Annunziata.

Sawalich, a rookie in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, returns as the defending Portland 112 winner. Last year, Sawalich piloted the No. 18 Toyota to victory after a spirted battle with veteran Xfinity Series competitor Brandon Jones.

On top of that, Sawalich already has a road-course win on the West Coast this year thanks to his thrilling victory at Sonoma Raceway a few months ago. His experience at Portland and success on road courses makes Sawalich the obvious favorite, but Annunziata could have something to say about that.

Annunziata is a veteran of the Trans Am Series and, thus, an experienced road racer. Driving for Nitro Motorsports, Annunziata bagged his first ARCA Menards Series win earlier this year at Lime Rock Park, a popular road course in Connecticut. He’ll be back in the No. 70 Toyota for Nitro Motorsports Friday and will give Sawalich everything he can handle after the green flag drops.

Elsewhere in the field, the battle for the West Series championship continues to be close. Trevor Huddleston enters the weekend with a seven-point edge on Kyle Keller through seven of 12 events.

Keller is coming off his first West Series win in the most recent event held at Tri-City Raceway in Washington, and Huddleston has two wins this year, both at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.

Joining the field for the second time this season will be NASCAR Cup Series veteran Greg Biffle, who will again drive for Joe Farre and Sigma Performance Services. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Christian Eckes will also be in the field driving the No. 19 Chevrolet for Bill McAnally.

Alon Day will make his fourth ARCA platform start of the season aboard Venturini Motorsports’ No 25 Toyota as he continues his pursuit of a maiden ARCA triumph. Veteran Dale Quarterley will also make the trip to Portland to compete in his own No. 32 Chevrolet.

Other notable entrants include series regulars Tanner Reif, Eric Johnson Jr., Robbie Kennealy, Blake Lothian and David Smith, as well part timers Caleb Shrader and Davey Magras.

One driver, Spain’s Fernando Navarette, is scheduled to make his West Series debut aboard the No. 3 Toyota for Central Coast Racing.

The complete entry list for Friday’s Portland 112 will be available later this week.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series West races at Portland
• ARCA Menards Series West drivers at Portland

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 26 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2025 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap per the Timed Session Qualifying Procedure, plus provisionals.

RACE PIT STOP: Modified Live pitting procedure, with the following two exceptions: Fuel may not be added prior to the completion of lap 20; Tire changes for emergency use only, any change must be approved by ARCA. There will be a scheduled caution at or near lap 28.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is 8 plus wets. In the event of wet conditions, General Tire SC wet radial may be used on all four corners. Any tire changes must be approved by ARCA officials.