ARCA WEST: Raz first behind the wall in Race 1, Hillis takes LASTCAR championship lead in Race 2
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
LEFT: Raz’s car leaves behind a thin trail of smoke as he prepares to pull off into the infield. (Screenshot: Flo Racing)
RIGHT: Hillis on track Saturday (Photo: @fcrtteam27/X)
Kole Raz finished last for the 1st time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in Thursday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Irwindale Speedway when his No. 5 Apache Rental Group Toyota fell out with rear end issues completing 58 of 150 laps. The finish came in Raz’s 4th career West Series start.
Two days later, Bobby Hillis Jr. finished last for the 12th time in his ARCA West career in the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame 150 when his No. 27 First Impression Press / L&T Lawn Chevrolet retired with electrical issues after completing 4 of 152 laps. The finish came in Hillis’ 102nd career start.
The last name “Raz” should sound familiar to longtime West Series fans. Kole’s older brother, Gracin Raz, competed in the then-NASCAR K&N Pro Series West from 2014 to 2017, winning a race at Roseville towards the end of the 2015 season. Kole’s ARCA West career, meanwhile, began last season with a pair of third-place finishes at Shasta and Evergreen. Earlier this season, the younger Raz picked up a victory of his own at Kern in just his third career ARCA West start. Unfortunately, Raz would not get the chance to back up his victory in start number four, as he became the first DNF in race one after smoke began trailing his No. 5 Toyota, forcing him behind the wall.
Meanwhile, Hillis is at the opposite end of the West Series chart when it comes to experience. The 62-year-old veteran crossed over the 100-start milestone earlier this season, continuing to persevere as one of the last true independents of stock car racing. Hillis’ Fierce Creature Racing team has attempted to run two cars for much of the season: Hillis in the No. 27 and Tony Huffman in the No. 0. While Huffman indicated at Sonoma that he was hoping to make the Irwindale doubleheader, his entry was absent from the weekend. Hillis, meanwhile, was able to complete 111 laps on Thursday before fuel pickup issues ended his night — Racing-Reference lists his reason out as “handling.” On Saturday, Hillis only turned four circuits before pulling behind the wall with an electrical problem, likely stemming from requiring a push start to get off the grid.
A total of 19 cars appeared on the entry list for Thursday, while a 20th entry for Danica Dart was included in Saturday’s entry list. The entry lists were nearly identical; aside from Kennealy Keller Motorsports’ addition of Dart to the field for Race 2, the only other planned change involved Tim Goulet’s No. 31 Rise Motorsports entry. According to ARCARacing.com, Rick Goodale was scheduled to compete in Race 1, while Goulet himself would take over for Race 2.
However, both the Kennealy and Rise teams would have a change of plans due to “Did Not Start” results after Race 1. Although he placed 13th in Thursday’s practice session, Robbie Kennealy’s No. 1 car lost a motor, leaving him unable to start Race 1. Kennealy then withdrew from race two to focus on assisting the KKM team with preparing Dart’s No. 11. Dart would go on to finish 14th on Saturday, a much-welcomed result following an opening-lap crash at Phoenix and a DNS of her own at Kern. Goodale, meanwhile, shared on Facebook that he experienced a steering issue during practice, rendering his car unable to start as well. Goodale would ultimately remain in the No. 31 for Race 2 on Saturday, where he finished 16th.
After Raz and Hillis, David Smith, Jack Wood, and Michael Killen rounded out the Bottom Five in Race 1. In Race 2, Garrett Zacharias became the second DNF, only running five more laps than Hillis was able to complete before a crash ended his evening. A flat tire for Isabella Robusto led to the race’s third retirement, a heartbreaking turn of events for the Venturini Motorsports driver, who was leading the race with less than 30 laps to go at the time of the incident. Goodale and Smith rounded out the Bottom Five with 138 and 145 laps completed respectively.
At the front of the field, Sean Hingorani led all 150 laps in a 1-2-3 finish for Venturini in race one, with teammates Robusto and Jake Finch taking second and third place respectively. In Race 2, Hingorani again took the checkered flag first, though his weekend sweep was overshadowed by a controversial postrace non-interview following comments from track promoter Tim Huddleston. Hingorani also took over the lead in the points championship as he looks to continue his title defense despite driving for four different teams across the first six races.
RACE 1
DID NOT START
19) #31-Rick Goodale
18) #1-Robbie Kennealy
THE BOTTOM FIVE
17) #5-Kole Raz / 58 laps / handling
16) #27-Bobby Hillis, Jr. / 111 laps / rear end
15) #05-David Smith / 141 laps / running
14) #16-Jack Wood / 142 laps / running
13) #9-Michael Killen / 144 laps / running
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 12)
1st) Kennealy Keller Motorsports, Nascimento Motorsports, Central Coast Racing, Fierce Creature Racing, Jerry Pitts Racing (1)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 12)
1st) Toyota (3)
2nd) Chevrolet (2)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2024 ARCA season to view the full drivers’ standings for both the ARCA Menards Series and its East and West divisions. You can also find the manufacturers’ and owners’ standings for all three series HERE.
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 5 of 12)
RACE 2
THE BOTTOM FIVE
19) #27-Bobby Hillis, Jr. / 4 laps / electrical
18) #77-Garrett Zacharias / 9 laps / crash
17) #55-Isabella Robusto / 121 laps / flat tire / led 58 laps
16) #31-Rick Goodale / 138 laps / running
15) #05-David Smith / 145 laps / running
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 6 of 12)
1st) Fierce Creature Racing (2)
2nd) Kennealy Keller Motorsports, Nascimento Motorsports, Central Coast Racing, Jerry Pitts Racing (1)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 6 of 12)
1st) Toyota, Chevrolet (3)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 6 of 12)
