ARCA WEST: Robbie Kennealy becomes first repeat last-place finisher since 2022
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Robbie Kennealy finished last for the 2nd time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in Saturday’s West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame 150 at Madera Speedway when his No. 11 American Swim Academy / Coverease Chevrolet fell out with brake issues after completing 4 of 150 laps.
The finish came in Kennealy’s 12th career West Series start.
The 2023 ARCA West season saw 12 different drivers finish last across the series’ 12 races, a notable departure from the previous couple of seasons in which Paul Pedroncelli was frequently the only start-and-park driver at the track on any given weekend. In 2024, the West Series has seen a similar trend emerge, as eight different drivers took last-place finishes across the first eight races.
This streak was broken on Saturday night as Shasta last-place finisher Robbie Kennealy was again the first driver behind the wall, making him the first repeat last-place finisher in the series in nearly two years. According to Kickin’ the Tires’ Vincent Delforge, Kennealy’s effort this past weekend was a planned start-and-park.
Tragically, the new week began with very sad news regarding Robbie’s father, Gary. Robbie confirmed in a Facebook post on Monday that Gary had passed away from a heart attack in the early hours of the morning. We at LASTCAR.info extend our condolences to the entire Kennealy family in their time of grief.
Following Kennealy up the running order was Eric Nascimento, who was sidelined by an ignition issue after 21 laps. While Racing-Reference currently lists Kennealy as having also completed 21 laps, this appears to be a typo, as the official ARCA website confirms the original timing and scoring page by listing Nascimento as 17 laps ahead of Kennealy. Series debutant Kyle Whisner was the next behind the wall, sidelined with crash damage after running into Jack Wood with 53 laps to go. Tyler Reif, who entered the race as the series points leader, fell out after 107 laps with an ignition problem of his own. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Tri-City last-place finisher David Smith, who finished under power despite a spin on Lap 84.
At the front of the field, Trevor Huddleston dominated the evening, taking the lead from polesitter Jaron Giranni on Lap 8 and leading all but one lap the rest of the way to score his fourth career victory. Sean Hingorani, who claimed that one other lap led by nosing ahead of Huddleston coming to the white flag, had to settle for second, though he did take over the championship points lead due to Reif’s DNF. Finishing third was Ethan Nascimento, by far a career-best finish in his 2024 season debut. Fourth-place was Bill McAnally Racing’s Eric Johnson Jr., who had started the race from 17th and last position after being unable to set a qualifying time. Rounding out the top five was the Kennealy team’s main entry, the No. 12 driven by Kyle Keller.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
17) #11-Robbie Kennealy / 4 laps / brakes
16) #4-Eric Nascimento / 21 laps / ignition
15) #77-Kyle Whisner / 98 laps / crash
14) #13-Tyler Reif / 107 laps / ignition
13) #05-David Smith / 147 laps / running
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 9 of 12)
1st) Kennealy Keller Motorsports (3)
2nd) Fierce Creature Racing (2)
3rd) Nascimento Motorsports, Central Coast Racing, Jerry Pitts Racing, Shockwave Motorsports (1)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 9 of 12)
1st) Chevrolet (5)
2nd) Toyota (4)
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 9 of 12)
