ARCA WEST: Robbie Kennealy takes last in caution-free Shasta race
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
PHOTO: Diego Alvarado via Vincent Delforge.
Robbie Kennealy finished last for the 1st time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in Saturday’s Shasta 150 at Shasta Speedway when his No. 11 Setting the Stage / American Swim Chevrolet fell out with mechanical issues completing 5 of 150 laps.
The finish came in Kennealy’s 11th career West Series start.
Kennealy’s racing career began in quarter midgets on the West Coast before moving up to Junior Late Model competition at Madera Speedway. His first win at that level came at the end of 2021 while driving for Kyle Keller. In 2022, Kennealy ran for a championship and won two more races, finishing the season tied for the points lead but losing the title to Ethan Nascimento on a tiebreaker.
Last season, Kennealy made his debut in ARCA West competition for his family team, 3K Motorsports, the “3K” representing Robbie, his twin sister Harley, and his younger brother Joey. Kennealy’s best finish came in his first ever West Series race, placing fifth at Irwindale. After running a total of five West Series races in 2023, Kennealy announced plans to go full-time in ARCA West in 2024 as the Kennealy and Keller families merged their programs to form Kennealy Keller Motorsports.
When the West Series was last in action at Irwindale, Kennealy was forced to withdraw his No. 1 car from the race weekend following an engine failure in practice, allowing the team to prepare his teammate Danica Dart’s No. 11. This weekend was Kennealy’s turn in the No. 11, but with KKM still dealing with the effects of losing a motor, the team elected to start-and-park. It was a bit of a surprise Kennealy made it to the track at all, as a Facebook post from the team earlier in the week appeared to indicate Keller would be their “lone representative” at Shasta. Due to the short field of only 13 cars, however, Kennealy still collected 13th-place points and avoided losing too much ground in the championship points standings. Keller, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong run on Saturday night, bringing the team’s No. 12 Ford home with a fifth-place finish.
Following Kennealy up the results sheet was Eric Johnson Jr. The Bill McAnally Racing driver was forced to start last after not turning a lap in practice or qualifying due to a recurring mechanical issue. Johnson eventually lost several laps behind the wall during the race, though he was able to return to the track in the closing laps to finish 29 laps down. His lap total was matched by Jaron Giannini, who went behind the wall with brake issues after completing 121 laps. Series regulars David Smith and Takuma Koga rounded out the Bottom Five, with the Canadian and Japanese drivers completing 138 and 147 laps respectively.
Up front, Tyler Reif led all 150 laps to give Todd Souza’s Central Coast Racing team their first West Series win since Souza’s 2008 victory at Miller Motorsports Park. Reif also retook the points lead from second-place finisher Sean Hingorani, while Trevor Huddleston finished third as the final car on the lead lap.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
13) #11-Robbie Kennealy / 5 laps / mechanical
12) #19-Eric Johnson Jr. / 121 laps / running
11) #23-Jaron Giannini / 121 laps / brakes
10) #05-David Smith / 138 laps / running
9) #7-Takuma Koga / 147 laps / running
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 7 of 12)
1st) Fierce Creature Racing, Kennealy Keller Motorsports (2)
2nd) Nascimento Motorsports, Central Coast Racing, Jerry Pitts Racing (1)
2024 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 7 of 12)
1st) Chevrolet (4)
2nd) Toyota (3)
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 7 of 12)
