NOTEBOOK: West Series at the Las Vegas Bullring

Connor Hall has never been anywhere west of the Mississippi River, let alone for a motorsports event.

That will change this weekend when he makes his ARCA Menards Series West debut inside The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he will pilot the No. 24 for Sigma Performance Services in Friday’s Star Nursery 150. Although there are plenty of unknowns for Hall, he is eager to apply his short track knowledge to the West Coast.

“I feel really good,” Hall said. “Just from watching [older races], [The Bullring] looks like it has pretty good grip. I don’t really know [what track] out here on the East Coast you can compare it to, but I’m excited to go out there, feel it for myself and throw my own logic in there to determine what was the truth and what was a lie.”

During the 2020s, Hall has established himself as one of the best short track competitors in the southeast. Not only does Hall possess two NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championships in 2023 and 2024, but he is also fresh off obtaining a title in the prestigious Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.

Hall is no stranger to the ARCA Menards Series platform. Along with contesting four events in the ARCA Menards Series East, he also has three appearances in the national series to his name, two of which came at Daytona International Speedway. Hall’s first Daytona start remains his best finish in the series, as he came home 11^th.

Despite his familiarity with the ARCA Menards Series chassis, Hall considers Friday’s Star Nursery 150 at The Bullring to be a formal introduction to the platform. He said the East Series cars from the late 2010s featured plenty of differences from the modern car, which he has not raced since 2020 at Daytona, a drafting track.

The Bullring is going to be a learning experience for Hall as he acclimates himself to all the intricacies of the heavier cars. Hall also wants to help SPS bolster their program and develop chemistry with everyone on the team, especially since he will be back in their car for the West Series finale at Phoenix Raceway in a few weeks.

Hall is set to go up against plenty of talented West Series competitors and a handful of national programs for his first appearance, yet he remains confident about contending for a victory on Friday night.

“I’m a fan of trying to win in every series I’ve ever raced in,” Hall said. “I haven’t gotten an ARCA [Menards Series] win yet, so it’d be cool to tack that on some of the other cool accomplishments I’ve been fortunate enough to get in my career.”

Hall’s pursuit for a West Series checkered flag will begin at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET on Friday at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with FloRacing providing coverage of all the on-track action.

Trevor Huddleston enters The Bullring with comfortable points lead

The 2025 ARCA Menards Series West season has been nearly everything for which veteran Trevor Huddleston could have hoped.

With two races remaining, Huddleston holds an 18-point advantage over Kyle Keller in the standings. A wire-to-wire performance from Huddleston in the most recent West Series outing at Madera Speedway gave him his third win of the year, eclipsing his previous best number in a single season.

Huddleston has been one of the West Series’ most loyal competitors since making his debut at Irwindale Speedway in 2016, possessing 87 starts in total. During that time span, Huddleston has amassed eight career victories and a season-best points finish of third twice, both of which came over the past two West Series campaigns.

The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is an ideal location for Huddleston to further consolidate his points lead over Keller. Although he has yet to win there, Huddleston has successfully finished inside the top five during his last three visits to The Bullring, the most recent of which in 2023 saw him place second.

Two more solid performances from Huddleston at The Bullring and Phoenix Raceway are all he needs to join a long list of notable names that have earned a West Series championship, which includes Ray Elder, Bill Schmitt, Kevin Harvick, Derek Thorn and others.

Venturini Motorsports prepares for one last ride

After four decades of competing in the ARCA Menards Series and countless accolades to their name, Venturini Motorsports will participate in their final race Friday inside The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In April, Venturini announced they would be selling off their equipment to Nitro Motorsports, which is owned by veteran driver Nick Tucker. Nitro will assume full ownership of the team beginning on Oct. 15, with Billy Venturini remaining on board as the program’s general manager until the end of 2026.

Since the team was founded in 1982, Venturini has earned six championships between the national ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West. Among the drivers who have won in a Venturini car include Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Erik Jones, Todd Gilliland, Christian Eckes, Corey Heim and Jesse Love.

For their final race as a program, Venturini is bringing a three-car armada to The Bullring that comprises Thomas Annunziata, Jade Avedisian and Taylor Reimer. Annunziata is the only one of the trio with a previous West Series start on his resume, having finished second with Nitro at Portland International Raceway earlier this year.

Annunziata, Avedisian and Reimer will look to Fly the V for Venturini one last time in Friday’s Star Nursery 150 before the organization concludes a proud legacy of success on the ARCA Menards Series platform.

Monty Tipton eyes strong showing with Nascimento Motorsports

After his season debut at Madera Speedway ended after 10 laps due to a mechanical failure, Monty Tipton is ready to shake off the frustration ahead of Friday’s race inside The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Tipton will drive for the same organization he was with at Madera in Nascimento Motorsports, piloting the team’s No. 4 Toyota, a partnership that will extend into the ARCA Menards Series West finale at Phoenix Raceway. Bare Bones Broth is coming onboard Tipton’s car for The Bullring to promote their Passion Fruit Elevated Drink Mix.

The Bullring is one of the tracks where Tipton, a native of Mill Valley, California, honed his skills as a competitor alongside Madera. Tipton’s solid season at The Bullring in 2023 enabled him to finish third in the Nevada State Championship of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.

During that same year, Tipton elected to venture into the ARCA Menards Series West at The Bullring to see how he would perform against the series regulars. Driving the No. 49 Chevrolet for Robbie Kennealy in the event, Tipton qualified 17^th but ended up settling for a disappointing 18^th due to a transmission failure.

Now armed with more experience and confidence, Tipton is ready to tackle a West Series race at The Bullring once again this weekend, looking to build some crucial momentum heading into 2026.

NOTES:

Joining Trevor Huddleston as a teammate for the Star Nursery 150 inside The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is Andrew Chapman in the No. 55 Ford. Chapman has made three ARCA Menards Series West starts so far in his rookie season, with a third at All American Speedway being the best of those.
Spencer Gallagher returns to the ARCA Menards Series West for his second appearance of 2025, once again piloting the No. 23 Toyota owned by T.J. Clark. Gallagher competed in six West Series events in 2011 before eventually progressing up the NASCAR ladder, with his lone top 10 coming at Portland International Raceway.
Bryce Haugeberg has enjoyed a solid 2025 on the ARCA Menards Series platform, as he placed inside the top 10 at both drafting tracks in Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Haugeberg will pursue another top 10 inside The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway driving the No. 11 Ford for Andy Hillenburg.