The ARCA Menards Series West concluded the doubleheader weekend Sunday afternoon at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, CA, for the NAPA / ENEOS 125. Qualifying took place earlier in the day, and Jesse Love won the pole with a lap time of 18.159 seconds at 99.124 mph. Taylor Gray qualified second with a lap time of 18.173 seconds at 99.048 mph. Sixteen cars competed in this race.
We're 🟢 at @KernRaceway! … and immediately 🟡@Ryan_Repko14 gets loose and collects @JackWood_18 💻 @_TrackPass #ARCAMenards | West pic.twitter.com/3soLNNzhk2 — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) October 25, 2020
Just as the race got underway, the caution came out when Ryan Repko hit Jack Wood at turn one. Jesse Love led the field back to green on lap four. He would lose the lead a lap later to Mason Diaz. Love stayed with Diaz for a couple of laps before the second caution came out for Holley Hollan sideways on the backstretch. Love had regained the lead at the time the caution came out.
The race resumed on lap 12 with Love in the lead. Taylor Gray passed Gracie Trotter for third place. Trotter stayed with Gray to reclaim third a lap later. Ryan Repko’s troubles continued when he suffered a right front flat to bring out the third caution. His day would end due to suspension damage, and finished in last place.
Lap 17/125: Tire trouble for @Ryan_Repko14 brings out the third caution at @KernRaceway 👀 @_TrackPass #ARCAMenards | West pic.twitter.com/4GEn4pyKTj — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) October 25, 2020
Love got off to a great jump on the restart at lap 21. Five laps into the restart, Taylor Gray once again passed Gracie Trotter for third place. On lap 32, Mason Diaz passed Love on the inside of turn four for the lead. Gray caught Love and passed him to take over second place, and by lap 54, Gray passed Diaz for first. During his run, Gray tried going around Takuma Koga and hit him, sending debris onto the track to bring out the fourth caution. Gray suffered damage to the left front of the car.
Just a flesh wound for our leader @TaylorGray17_?#ARCAMenards West | @_TrackPass pic.twitter.com/8Li2TxZ8X2 — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) October 25, 2020
The race resumed on lap 61 with Gray first, Diaz second, Perkins third, and Love fourth. The restart lasted nine laps before Joey Iest slammed the outside wall on turn three to bring out the fifth caution. Gray got a great jump on the restart at lap 75. Diaz and Love fought for second place, and then Diaz gets sideways and made slight contact with Love. Jesse Love lost three positions after that contact.
Championship points leader @JesseLoveRacing gets shuffled back after some contact with @masondiazracing 👀#ARCAMenards West | @_TrackPass pic.twitter.com/ajWteQEfW4 — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) October 25, 2020
Holley Hollan would again bring out the caution for the sixth time after hitting the outside wall, exiting turn four damaging the car’s right side. Her day was done, and she would finish in 15th place.
Gray once again got another great jump on the restart at lap 97. With 26 laps to go, Blaine Perkins passed Gracie Trotter for fourth. Trotter was sitting in fifth as she was now defending the position from her teammate Jesse Love. With 20 laps to go, Love tried to stick his nose in the inside lane but would instead go sideways at turn one to bring out the seventh caution.
Teammates tangle at @KernRaceway 😬@JesseLoveRacing keeps it out of the wall after contact with @gracietrotter11#ARCAMenards West | @_TrackPass pic.twitter.com/pimoorFAD7 — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) October 25, 2020
The race resumed with fifteen laps to go, with Gray getting ahead of Diaz for first. Diaz did challenge Gray for the lead, but the outside lane was strong for Gray, and he started to pull away. Gray would lead the most laps and get his first career win by 1.643 seconds over Mason Diaz.
✅ First career start at @KernRaceway ✅ First career ARCA Menards win What a day for @TaylorGray17_!#ARCAMenards | West pic.twitter.com/xevY6OOAMJ — ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) October 25, 2020
The rest of the top ten finishers were Blaine Perkins third, Trevor Huddleston fourth, Gracie Trotter fifth, Kyle Keller sixth, Todd Souza seventh, Jesse Love eighth, Gio Scelzi ninth, and Jack Wood tenth. There were seven cautions for 29 laps and four lead changes.
Jesse Love is fourteen points ahead of Blaine Perkins with one race remaining. The last race of the season happens in one week on Saturday, November 7th, from Phoenix Raceway for the Arizona Lottery 100 at 2 pm on NBC Sports Gold Track Pass.
Comments