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ARCA Menards West Series: 2025 Bakersfield II Race Preview

By Vincent Delforge, Staff Writer The fifth race of the 2025 ARCA Menards West Series season will take place this Saturday, June 14, at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (KHKR) 0.5-mile short-track, paved oval, located in Bakersfield, CA. The NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame will be the […]

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By Vincent Delforge, Staff Writer

The fifth race of the 2025 ARCA Menards West Series season will take place this Saturday, June 14, at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (KHKR) 0.5-mile short-track, paved oval, located in Bakersfield, CA.

The NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame will be the 17th race the West Series has held at this oval since 2013. The first race was won at the time by Greg Pursley. Note that the most successful driver in the history of the KCRP is Derek Kraus with four consecutive victories!

Kern logo

This will be the second time this season the oval has been used, as the first race of the 2025 championship took place there on January 25th. Trevor Huddleston won the race in a photo finish ahead of Kyle Keller.

After four races, the 2025 championship is more open than ever. Leader Huddleston (High Point Racing) has 161 points, two more than Tanner Reif (Central Coast Racing). Eric Johnson, Jr. (Jerry Pitts Racing) is third, just six points back. Jan’s Racing teammates Kyle Keller (-7 points) and Robbie Kennealy (-11 points) round out the Top 5.

Did you know? Let’s talk about siblings.

I want to clarify right away that I will only be talking about driver siblings here. There have been countless siblings in the West Series if you take into account mechanics, crew chiefs, spotters, etc.)

This race will be the first time Jan’s Racing Team will enter three cars in a championship race. Joey Kennealy, Robbie’s younger brother, will drive the No. 9 Ford. Having two brothers driving for the same team in a race is nothing new in the West Series. The most recent being the Reif brothers, Tanner and Tyler, at Phoenix last March. But the two brothers did not ride for the same team.

At KHKR, the most recent being the Nascimento brothers, Eric Jr. and Ethan, in October 2024. Before them, there were for example the Bassett brothers, Dillon and Ronnie Jr., in 2017, and the Ash brothers, Brandon and Eric, in 1998. However, the latter drove for the family team each time.

While Robbie and Joey Kennealy both drove for the family team last year, it wasn’t in the same races. This time they’ll be teammates, but not on the family team, as it will be for team owner Jan Qualkenbush.

But for the first time in the history of the West Series (since 1954), there will be no fewer than four members of the Kennealy family present at the KHKR, all in the same team but not in their family team. Robbie’s twin sister, Harley, will make her debut as co-crew chief for her younger brother Joey, under the guidance of the experienced Chris Greaney.

But Robbie, Harley, and Joey, that makes three, you might ask? So why did I write four? Well, because Kyle Keller, the team’s third driver, is Harley’s boyfriend and is considered a son-in-law by Fran, the Kennealy children’s mother.

In the history of the West Series, since 1954, there have been 32 siblings*. The first time two brothers rode in the same race was Tim and Fonty Flock in 1955 at Phoenix (the 10th race in history). Tim won the race while Fonty had to retire (28th). While many siblings have been able to compete in the same races, others haven’t had this opportunity, such as the recent Raz brothers, Gracin and Kole, who didn’t ride in the same years.

Andrew chapman 2024

In some cases, there were even three-brother families, such as the Wallaces (Rusty, Mike, and Kenny), the Reeders (Bo, Frank, and Nat), or the Beckers (Chuck Jr., Rick, and Randy). However, all three brothers never competed together in the same race.

*Note: I’m not including races combined with the NASCAR Cup Series if the drivers scored points only for the Cup Series, like Terry and Bobby Labonte, for example.

In addition to the Nascimentos (Eric, Jr. and Ethan), the Bassetts (Dillon and Ronnie, Jr.), and the Reifs (Tanner and Tyler), the pair of brothers with the best overall finish in a single race was the Krogh brothers in 1996 at Tucson Speedway. Mark won the race and Jeff finished third. Next came the Jefferson brothers in 1997 at Tri-City, with Jason winning and Jeff fifth.

What will the Kennealy brothers do in Bakersfield? And will we have the chance to see them together again in another race this season? These are questions that will already have some answers this Saturday, June 14th.

The Race Procedure 

The race will be 150 laps (75 miles) and all activities will be concentrated on the single day of Saturday with the single practice from 3 to 4 p.m. PT. The General Tire Pole Qualifying will be from 4:20 to 4:40 p.m. PT and finally, the race will be at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET), which will be broadcast live on FloRacing.

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field is limited to 22 starters plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2025 ARCA Menards Series West rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Starting positions will be set by the fastest recorded lap in qualifying per the Timed Session Qualifying Procedure, plus provisionals.

RACE PIT STOP: Break pitting procedure. Break at / or near lap 75. Teams can change 2 tires at the break. No adding or moving tires to or from the pit box once the race has started.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, a maximum tire usage requirement for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is 10.

ARCA West quick stats at KHKR

-72nd season in history.   

-Race No. 1033 since the inception of the West Series in 1954.              

-2025 race No. 5 of 12.     

-696th paved oval race in history. 

-17th race at KHKR since 2013. 

-Among the manufacturers Toyota leads the dance at KHKR with 9 wins ahead of Ford (6) and Chevrolet (1). The all-time most successful manufacturer is Ford with 293 wins.

The all-time most successful owners in history are Bill McAnally (76), Fred Elder (45), Bob Bruncati (42) and Ernie Conn (41).

-The all-time most successful teams in history are Bill McAnally Racing (100), McCoy Racing (54), The Racing Farmers (47), Bruncati Racing (42) and Gene Price Motorsports (26).

-The most successful team at KHKR is Bill McAnally Racing with 6 wins.

-Derek Kraus is the most successful pilot at KHKR with 4 wins. In all, 10 different drivers have won at least one race.

-Bill McAnally Racing is the most successful team with seven poles at KHKR.  

-The most successful team in history is Bill McAnally Racing with 82 poles.

-The most successful owner in history is Bill McAnally with 55 poles.  

-Among the manufacturers, Toyota leads with 10 poles ahead of Ford (4) and Chevrolet (2).

-The all-time most successful manufacturer is Chevrolet with 263.  

-The pole sitter has won the race six times. Whoever started second has won four times.

-The driver who won the race from the worst starting position was Dylan Lupton with the ninth position in 2014.

-The track record is owned by Gray Gaulding at 100.514 mph achieved in 2013.   

-As far as yellow flags are concerned, the record is 8 (three times). The 2015 race holds the record for the number of yellow flag laps with 43.  

-The record for the fewest cautions is 1, this year. The previous record was 3 (the previous four races). With just 8 laps behind the pace car, the 2025 race holds the record for fewest laps under yellow flags.

-The most leader changes occurred in 2016 with 9. The fewest leader change is zero in 2019 and 2024.

-The largest starting field was in 2013 with 28 cars.

-The smallest starting field was in 2025 with 12 cars (the previous smallest field in 2019 with 13 cars).

-The driver with the most races is Takuma Koga (11).

-The driver with the most wins is Derek Kraus (4)

-The driver with the most poles is Todd Gilliland (3)

-The driver with the most Top 5is Trevor Huddleston with 6.

-The driver with the most Top 10 are Trevor Huddleston, David Mayhew and Todd Souza with 9. 

-The driver with the most laps is Takuma Koga (1462). Trevor Huddleston is second with 1380 laps.

-The driver with the most laps lead is Derek Kraus (368).

-Four times the race has been extended by overtime (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019).

It’s time to take a detailed look at the list of  15 drivers who are registered for this race. In addition to the regular drivers, we’ll welcome a newcomer in Andrew Chapman. It will also be an opportunity to see P.J. Pedroncelli, Jr., Jaron Giannini, and Buddy Shepherd for the first time this year.

The Drivers

No. 05 David Smith (Shockwave Racing) 

The first race of the season in Bakersfield allowed David Smith to earn a Top 10 finish. He drove a cautious race, making the most of his car. Since then, the 2025 season has been more complicated for the Canadian veteran. There will be more cars this time than last January. But opting for the same strategy could pay off if some of his rivals struggle. Brandon Carlson will be his crew chief.

Starts               Wins               Top5               Top10               Pole               Best result               At Bakersfield
32            0             0               3              0               10th (3x)              4 starts, best result 10th

No. 1 Robbie Kennealy (Jan’s Racing Team) 

Fourth last January, Kennealy has since finished in the top 10 in every race. But he hasn’t managed to re-enter the top 5. And yet, it’s not for lack of showing his speed. He’s just been a little unlucky. With his crew chief Chris Greaney, the goal will be to do at least as well as he did in January.

Starts          Wins          Top5          Top10          Pole          Best result          At Bakersfield
16 (2 DNS) 0 2 6 0 4th 2 starts, best result 4th

No. 3 Todd Souza (Central Coast Racing)

Souza wasn’t behind the wheel of the No. 3 car last January, as CCR’s young Spaniard Adrian Ferrer was entered. But Souza has extensive KHKR experience, as this will be his 11th race here. He has seven top-10 finishes on the half-mile oval, his best result being a fifth-place finish in 2019. Gilbert Munoz will be his crew chief.

Starts                Wins                Top5                Top10           Pole              Best result                At Bakersfield
133               1                23               76               0                1st (1x)                10 starts, best result : 5th 

No. 5 Eric Johnson, Jr. (Jerry Pitts Racing) 

Fifth in January for the 2025 season opener, Eric Johnson, Jr. has since confirmed his position with two more top-five finishes. He finished second and fourth respectively in his last two races. He is firmly established in third place in the championship. He has been testing this week and will be more than ever a contender for victory. A first career victory could definitively relieve him of this pressure and allow him to consider a championship title. Dustin Ash will be his crew chief.

Starts             Wins             Top5             Top10             Pole             Best result             At Bakersfield
20 0 4 11 0 2nd 3 starts, best result 5th

No. 6 Buddy Shepherd (Jerry Pitts Racing) 

For his only race last year, Shepherd had obviously chosen his home track since he lives in Bakersfield. But while he had a good start to the race, driving in third place, he would later fall victim to a broken suspension. He’s back with Jerry Pitts Racing and will have RJ Johnson as his crew chief. With no championship pressure, his sole objective will be to win the race.

Starts             Wins             Top5             Top10             Pole             Best result             At Bakersfield
11 0 3 7 0 3rd 3 starts, best result : 7th

No. 9 Joey Kennealy (Jan’s Racing Team) 

For his second career race last year and his first at KHKR, young Joey finished 14th. This time he will drive a third car for Jan Qualkenbush. And his big sister Harley Kennealy will be his crew chief, under the guidance of Chris Greaney. It’s a safe bet that Joey will get his first career top 10 this Saturday. Note that the last time two brothers both finished in the top 10 of a race was last year at Roseville with Eric Nascimento, Jr. second and his little brother Ethan sixth.

Starts               Wins               Top5               Top10               Pole               Best result               At Bakersfield
2 0 0 0 0 11th 1 start, best result 14th

No. 13 Tanner Reif (Central Coast Racing)

His third-place finish in January at KHKR is his best result on this oval. He led the race during the early laps before finally having to yield to Huddleston and Keller. But Tanner will be keen to secure his second victory of the season after the one obtained in Tucson. Michael Munoz will of course be his crew chief.

Starts           Wins           Top5           Top10           Pole           Best result           At Bakersfield
29  12  19  1st (3x) 3 starts, best result 3rd

No. 19 Jake Bollman (Bill McAnally Racing)

Bollman has competed in the KHKR West Series once. It was in 2023, and he finished seventh for the High Point Racing team. He is the latest winner this season at Colorado. A historic victory, as it was the 100th for his Bill McAnally Racing team. As for Jake, it was his first, but certainly not his last, career win. Cayden Lapcevich will be his crew chief.

Starts             Wins             Top5             Top10             Pole             Best result             At Bakersfield
7 1 2 4 2 1st (1x) 1 start, best result 7th

No. 23 Jaron Giannini (Clark Racing) 

In his only race at KHKR, Giannini finished seventh last October. He already drove the No. 23, but it was for Sigma Performance Services. This time it will be for Clark Racing. That said, he will use the same car since T.J. Clark is busy continuing in the West Series what he had created with Joe Farrè. SPS is now focused on the East Series with Tyler Reif as driver. Chris Bray was already Giannini’s crew chief last year. The team will be making its second race of the season. Indeed, Eric Rhead drove the Toyota in Colorado.

Starts             Wins             Top5             Top10             Pole             Best result             At Bakersfield
6 0 1 5 1 5th 1 start, best result 7th

No. 50 Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing) 

Championship leader since the first race of the season, here at KHKR last January, thanks to his victory, Huddleston will be one of the favorites to take the checkered flag. Especially since at KHKR he has impressive stats with nine top 10 finishes in nine races! Who can beat that? No one! Jeff Schrader will be his crew chief as usual.

Starts            Wins            Top5            Top10            Pole            Best result            At Bakersfield
81         6            33         65            3            1st (6x)          9 starts, best result 1st  

No. 51 Blake Lothian (Strike Mamba Racing)

The young rookie continues to learn and improve race after race. As evidenced by these last two races, he earned his first two top-10 finishes, finishing ninth (Tucson) and eighth (Colorado) respectively. This is the first time he will be driving in the West Series on a track he already knows. In his first career race last January, he finished 11th. Al Lebert will be his crew chief for the first time. Until now, it was John Reaume, who remains as the car chief of the No. 51.

Starts            Wins            Top5            Top10            Pole            Best result            At Bakersfield
4 0 0 2 0 8th 1 star, best result 11th

No. 55 Andrew Chapman (High Point Racing) 

On his home track, High Point Racing owner Tim Huddleston is fielding a second car for the first time this season. A West Series rookie will be driving the No. 55 entry: Andrew Chapman of Pasadena, CA. The 19-year-old has been a development driver for HPR since 2023 and drives in Spec Late Model and Late Model in the Zmax Cars Tour West Series since the last ywo seasons. He is familiar with the KHKR. He is also a mechanic for HPR and is currently an engineering student at UC Santa Cruz. He is also the CEO of Chapman Software Solutions INC. Experienced Travis Thirkettle will be his crew chief.

Starts            Wins            Top5            Top10            Pole            Best result            At Bakersfield
n/a

No. 68 P.J. Pedroncelli, Jr. (Rodd Racing)For his only race in 2024, P.J. was seen here in April at KHKR. Already driving for Rodd Racing, Rodd Kneeland’s team, he finished eighth. His best result at KHKR was a fifth place in 2022 from the pole position. Suffice to say that Pedroncelli is comfortable on this oval. Ty Joiner will be his crew chief. Note that following the sale of his cars (Pedroncelli Motorsports), P.J. is not sure he will be able to race in Sonoma unless he finds another team. Indeed, at Sonoma, Rodd Kneeland himself will drive his car.

Starts             Wins             Top5             Top10             Pole             Best result             At Bakersfield
30 1 6 10 2 1st 2 starts, best result: 5th

No. 71 Kyle Keller (Jan’s Racing Team) 

Last January, Keller achieved his best career result by finishing second. So close to his first victory. He just finished second for a second time this season, this time in Colorado at the end of May. He wants his first victory, and he has all the cards in hand to get it this Saturday. Brian Kizer will obviously be his crew chief.

Starts               Wins               Top5               Top10               Pole               Best result             At Bakersfield
37     0         11         24         0         2nd (2x)         6 starts, best result 2nd

No. 72 Jonathan Reaume (Strike Mamba Racing)

The Canadian will be competing in his second race of the season after Phoenix, where he finished 25th. This will also be his first race at KHKR. Cody Denison and Holly Clark both achieved top-10 finishes in the No. 72. Reaume will have to do as well. Al Lebert will be his crew chief, who will manage both of the team’s cars.

Starts                Wins                Top5                Top10                Pole          Best result                At Bakersfield
1 0 0 0 0 25th n/a

Final notes

-Rodd Kneeland will drive the No. 68 himself at Sonoma. He has two chassis, one for short track and one for road track. His crew chief will be either Ty Joiner or Mike Naake. Naake Motorsports will assist Rodd Racing with car preparation and logistics.

-Performance P-1 Motorsports is not present at Bakersfield but will be at Sonoma with a driver to be announced soon.

-Fearce Creature Racing, Bobby Hillis, Jr.’s team, will not be present at Sonoma. The car was damaged during testing at a club race. It will be serviced, including the engine, at Ed Ash’s workshop in preparation for the Portland race.

Joey kennealy
ARCA Menards West Series: 2025 Bakersfield II Race Preview 4



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Weather cancels qualifying at Dover Motor Speedway – Speedway Digest

Practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway was cancelled due to inclement weather Saturday afternoon. Through a metric established by NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott was awarded pole position for Sunday’s […]

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Practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway was cancelled due to inclement weather Saturday afternoon.

Through a metric established by NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott was awarded pole position for Sunday’s race. He’ll start out front in the No. 9 Hendrick Chevrolet alongside Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Toyota.

NASCAR combines owners’ points, a driver’s finishing position in the preceding race, and his fastest lap time in that race to rank the teams and establish a lineup when qualifying is not possible.

Championship points leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron will start fifth Sunday sharing the third row with Trackhouse Racing rookie Shane van Gisbergen, who has won the last two races (road course events at Chicago and Sonoma, Calif.) coming into the Dover 400-lapper.

Defending Dover winner, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will roll off 13th. Three-time Dover winner, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch will start 10th.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, a three-time race winner in 2025 who leads NASCAR’s Playoff Standings, will start 25th. The 2019 Dover winner has only a single top-five (fifth place at Michigan) and three top-10s in the eight races since his last victory at Kansas in May.

With a new tire compound for cars this weekend, drivers were hoping for some laps on track. “Brand new tire or not, practice is always important,’’ Larson said, acknowledging he is hopeful his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team can return to early-season form this week at the famed, “Monster Mile.”

“I wouldn’t deny that we’re in a slump, results kind of show that,’’ Larson said. “But I think some of it has been a little bit out of our control and some of it execution with a car that’s been a little bit off on speed. But confidence in our 5 team is strong and hopefully we can turn it around at Dover.



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NASCAR race at Dover stopped as car bursts into flames in terrifying f – Motorsport – Sports

Brent Crews’s run in the General Tire 150 at Dover Motor Speedway ended unexpectedly. A rampant fire left him unable to compete just a quarter of the way into the race. The rising Arca Menards star has also competed in NASCAR’s Truck Series.  On lap 44, who recently drove the new electric car at the […]

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Brent Crews’s run in the General Tire 150 at Dover Motor Speedway ended unexpectedly. A rampant fire left him unable to compete just a quarter of the way into the race. The rising Arca Menards star has also competed in NASCAR’s Truck Series. 

On lap 44, who recently drove the new electric car at the Chicago Street Race,caught fire after making contact with the wall around a turn. The front right tire immediately ignited, and the car spun nearly sideways, sliding down the track and trailing thick clouds of black smoke.

Caution flags flew as the orange JBL No. 18 Camry came to a stop with the entire right front engulfed in flames against the wall. Crews missed out on the final 106 laps of the race but still finished ahead of Tony Cosentino, Blaine Donahue, and Matt Kemp.

Several tense seconds passed before Crews was able to exit the car and move to safety, even as other cars continued to race past the scene. Motorsports fans were critical online of how long it took for Crews to escape and for the safety crew to respond.

One fan commented, “The safety crew must have been parked a mile away.” Another added, “That was a big hit for him. I’m glad he got out of the car, but it took a while for the safety team to put the fire out.”

A third person tweeted, “It took them forever to extinguish the fire. They need to have a better plan and execution.” Cameras later showed the charred remains of Crews’s car, with extensive damage to the rear frame and tires.

The commentary team remarked that the damage likely meant the car was a total loss. Crews had finished second in qualifying and was considered a top contender to win heading into Friday’s race.

Through 10 races of the 2025 schedule, Crews has earned one win, which came in the second race of the season at Phoenix. He beat Brenden Queen in a one-lap shootout in Turn 3 at Phoenix Raceway, and noted how special it was to defeat the driver he was familiar with during their CARS Tour time.

DON’T MISS

“I raced Brenden [Queen] the whole year last year,” Crews said. “We raced him for CARS Tour wins, and then coming here to the ARCA Menards Series at a track like Phoenix to race for the win was really special. A great job to [Pinnacle Racing Group]. They had a winning car today, so I’m grateful for the caution at the end.”

The General Tire 150 was eventually won by Queen, who earned his fourth season win and claimed three poles. Queen now leads the ARCA Menards Series by 26 points over Lawless Alan, while Crews sits 19th out of 115 drivers who have competed at least once this season.

The next race on the ARCA schedule is the LiUNA! 150 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 25.



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Connor Zilisch wins the Monster Mile

Credit: Sean Gardner / Getty Images Connor Zilisch wins at Dover after the second half of Stage 3 was rained out.  Post-race, Zilisch said that his team didn’t consider his Pocono win a real oval victory because, technically, Pocono is a triangle. In response, Zilisch fired back: “They’ve got nothing against me,” pointing to his […]

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Credit: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Connor Zilisch wins at Dover after the second half of Stage 3 was rained out. 

Post-race, Zilisch said that his team didn’t consider his Pocono win a real oval victory because, technically, Pocono is a triangle. In response, Zilisch fired back: “They’ve got nothing against me,” pointing to his dominant win on Dover’s traditional oval layout.

The top three were all rookies with Taylor Gray on the pole, Nick Sanchez alongside him and Zilisch behind Gray.

Gray had the better spot and easily cleared for the lead while Zilisch and Brandon Jones stayed side by side through the opening laps. Zilisch cleared for third on Lap 3.

Jesse Love also had a good start, passing Jeb Burton for eighth on Lap 5.

On Lap 9, Justin Allgaier jumped up to 25th from starting in the back after a small crash in qualifying.

On Lap 16, Jones caught up to Zilisch and began challenging him for third again. Aric Almirola also joined the battle on Lap 18. Jones passed Zilisch on Lap 27 and Almirola passed Zilisch on Lap 28.

Jones immediately passed Sanchez on Lap 29 after narrowly missing contact between the two. Sanchez continued falling back out of the top 5.

Almirola took second from Jones with 10 Laps to go in the stage.

On Lap 40, Allgaier broke into the top 10, and by Lap 42, he was already up to eighth.

Gray wins the stage after leading every lap of Stage 1.

  1. No. 54 – Taylor Gray (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  2. No. 19 – Aric Almirola (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  3. No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  4. No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)

  5. No. 9 – Ross Chastain (JR Motorsports)

  6. No. 48 – Nick Sanchez (Big Machine Racing)

  7. No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)

  8. No. 18 – William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  9. No. 2 – Jesse Love (Richard Childress Racing)

  10. No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)

After a cycle of pitstops, Jones and Zilisch come off pit road first. Gray had a problem during the stop and was not in the top 10 off pit road.

Jones and Zilisch led the way on Lap 55. Allgaier gave a push to Jones, but Zilisch had the better start and cleared for the lead. 

Jake Finch was penalized for speeding in the pit lane and had to drop to the rear.

Almirola easily swept around the inside of Jones on Lap 68.

By Lap 70, Zilisch had built a gap between him and Almirola to over a second.

  1. No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)

  2. No. 19 – Aric Almirola (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  3. No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  4. No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)

  5. No. 39 – Ryan Sieg (RSS Racing)

  6. No. 9 – Ross Chastain (JR Motorsports)

  7. No. 2 – Jesse Love (Richard Childress Racing)

  8. No. 18 – William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  9. No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)

  10. No. 21 –  Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing) 

Another cycle of pit stops had Zilisch and Jones off pit road first once again. Almirola fell three places.

Quite a few drivers were penalized for issues on pit lane. Sammy Smith for speeding, Parker Retzlaff for an uncontrolled tyre, and Jeremy Clements for equipment interference. Ross Chastain also had to go back on pit lane with a lugnut issue on Lap 97 to retire.

Kyle Sieg stayed out and was on the inside for the restart alongside Zilisch with 100 laps to go. The drivers that pitted immediately surged passed K. Sieg. Zilisch and Jones to the front again.

Sanchez pits on Lap 107 with a power steering issue and retires.

Almirola passed Jones again on Lap 130 just before the caution came out for the rain on Lap 132.

The caution was upgraded to a red flag on Lap 134.

After 45 minutes, the race was called, and Connor Zilisch is the winner. His fourth of the season, second in a row and second on an oval.

  1. No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)

  2. No. 19 – Aric Almirola (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  3. No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing) [FL]

  4. No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)

  5. No. 2 – Jesse Love (Richard Childress Racing)

  6. No. 39 – Ryan Sieg (RSS Racing) 

  7. No. 54 – Taylor Gray (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  8. No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)

  9. No. 18 – William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  10. No. 16 – Christian Eckes (Kaulig Racing)

  11. No. 25 – Harrison Burton (AM Racing) 

  12. No. 41 – Sam Mayer (Haas Factory Team)

  13. No. 21 –  Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing) 

  14. No. 99 – Matt DiBenedetto (Viking Motorsports)

  15. No. 1 – Carson Kvapil (JR Motorsports)

  16. No. 26 – Dean Thompson (Sam Hunt Racing)

  17. No. 17 – Jake Finch (Hendricks Motorsports) 

  18. No. 24 – Ryan Truex (Sam Hunt Racing) 

  19. No. 4 – Parker Retzlaff (Alpha Prime Racing) 

  20. No. 27 – Jeb Burton (Jordan Anderson Racing) 

  21. No. 10 – Daniel Dye (Kaulig Racing)

  22. No. 32 – Rajah Caruth (Jordan Anderson Racing)

  23. No. 42 – Anthony Alfredo (Young’s Motorsports)

  24. No. 8 – Sammy Smith (JR Motorsports)

  25. No. 44 – Brennen Poole (Alpha Prime Racing)

  26. No. 51 – Jeremy Clements (Jeremy Clements Racing) 

  27. No. 11 – Josh Williams (Kaulig Racing)

  28. No. 45 – Lavar Scott (Alpha Prime Racing) 

  29. No. 70 – Leland Honeyman (Cope Family Racing) +1 lap

  30. No. 71 – Ryan Ellis (DGM Racing + JIM) +3 laps

  31. No. 5 – Kaz Grala (Our Motorsports) +3 laps

  32. No. 31 – Blaine Perkins (Jordan Anderson Racing) +3 laps

  33. No. 07 – Nick Leitz (SS-Green Light Racing) +3 laps

  34. No. 91 – Josh Bilicki (DGM Racing x JIM) +3 laps

  35. No. 14 – Garrett Smithley (SS-Green Light Racing) +3 laps

  36. No. 28 – Kyle Sieg (RSS Racing) +3 laps

  37. No. 48 – Nick Sanchez (Big Machine Racing) [DNF]

  38. No. 9 – Ross Chastain (JR Motorsports) [DNF]

  39. No. 53 – David Starr (Joey Gase Motorsports) [DNS]

  40. No. 35 – Glen Reen (Joey Gase Motorsports) [DNS]

Next week, NASCAR Xfinity heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 26, at 15:30 EST (20:30 BST). Be there, or be square.



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Chase Elliott wins NASCAR pole as rain washes out qualifying

Jul 19, 2025, 03:23 PM ET DOVER, Del. — Chase Elliott took advantage of heavy rain at Dover Motor Speedway to earn the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race. Elliott and the rest of the field never got to turn a scheduled practice or qualifying lap on Saturday because of rain that pounded the […]

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DOVER, Del. — Chase Elliott took advantage of heavy rain at Dover Motor Speedway to earn the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.

Elliott and the rest of the field never got to turn a scheduled practice or qualifying lap on Saturday because of rain that pounded the concrete mile track. Dover is scheduled to hold its first July race since the track’s first one in 1969.

Elliott has two wins and 10 top-five finishes in 14 career races at Dover.

Chase Briscoe starts second, followed by Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and William Byron. Shane van Gisbergen, last week’s winner at Sonoma Raceway, Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch complete the top 10.

Logano is set to become the youngest driver in NASCAR history with 600 career starts.

Logano will be 35 years, 1 month, 26 days old when he hits No. 600 on Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway. He will top seven-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Richard Petty by six months.

The midseason tournament that pays $1 million to the winner pits Ty Dillon vs. John Hunter Nemechek and Reddick vs. Gibbs in the head-to-head challenge at Dover.

The winners face off next week at Indianapolis. Reddick is the betting favorite to win it all, according to Sportsbook.

All four drivers are winless this season.



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Dale Earnhardt Jr. strolls to Victory Lane after Connor Zilisch win at Dover

No one knows how to party like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Another win for his JR Motorsports Xfinity Series team today at Dover has the Busch Lights out. Connor Zilisch wins his second race in a row and his first-ever NASCAR Xfinity race at Dover. What a win for Connor Zilisch. This race was shortened by […]

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No one knows how to party like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Another win for his JR Motorsports Xfinity Series team today at Dover has the Busch Lights out. Connor Zilisch wins his second race in a row and his first-ever NASCAR Xfinity race at Dover.

What a win for Connor Zilisch. This race was shortened by rain, and had 66 laps left to go. However, Zilisch had firmly taken control of the race by that point, led 77 laps total, and looked like the best driver on the track.

Four wins this season, Zilisch is showing why he’s at JR Motorsports. Yes, he’s ultimately going to end up at Trackhouse Racing, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. is enjoying his time as the team owner for the young phenom.

After the race was called, Dale Jr. was spotted on The CW broadcast. It was like he spawned on pit road with two Busch Lights in his hands. This screenshot from Steven Taranto of CBS Sports captured the moment.

I mean, this is a hilarious image. Dale Jr. is more or less a beer Santa, spawning wherever celebrations are to hand out cold ones to those around. While the cans look like Busch Light, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t drinking some kind of Budweiser. After all, he’s still pretty tight with the beer brand.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. scores another win in 2025

JR Motorsports has won 11 of the first 20 races of the season. That is four wins for Connor Zilisch, three for Justin Allgaier, and one for Sammy Smith. Carson Kvapil is still searching for that first win in his rookie season. Then there are wins from Daniel Suárez, Shane van Gisbergen, and Kyle Larson as well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has an embarrassment of riches at his Xfinity Series organization. All four of his drivers are top-10 in points. Zilisch, Kvapil, and Smith are likely going to all end up in the Cup Series at some point or another. Allgaier is one of the best Xfinity drivers ever and the defending champion.

Right now, JRM can do no wrong. I fully expect Allgaier or Zilisch to win next week at Indy. Maybe Kvapil finds his speed at Indy and finds his first-career win. It is hard to tell. There is so much talent in the Xfinity Series right now. Top to bottom, fantastic drivers.

Things are going well for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Will one of his drivers claim the Xfinity Series championship for the second year in a row?



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Connor Zilisch wins rain-shortened NASCAR Xfinity race at Dover

It was a surprisingly clean NASCAR Xfinity race at Dover Motor Speedway, and it never made it to the scheduled distance. When the rain arrived, Connor Zilisch was out front of the field. With more rain around daylight fading at a track without lights, NASCAR was forced to call it. Driving the No. 88 JR […]

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It was a surprisingly clean NASCAR Xfinity race at Dover Motor Speedway, and it never made it to the scheduled distance. When the rain arrived, Connor Zilisch was out front of the field. With more rain around daylight fading at a track without lights, NASCAR was forced to call it.

Driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Zilisch collected his fifth career Xfinity win and his fourth of the 2025 season. He surpasses Kyle Busch as the youngest driver to reach five career wins, doing it all before his 19th birthday.

Aric Almirola finished second, Brandon Jones third, Justin Allgaier fourth, and Jesse Love fifth. Ryan Sieg, Taylor Gray, Sheldon Creed, William Sawalich, and Christian Eckes filled out the remainder of the top ten

Gray led the race from pole position, winning the opening stage without issue. However, a messy pit stop cost him a lot of his track position with Zilisch emerging as the new race leader. 

Zilisch dominated Stage 2 and while Almirola got close near the very end, he was not able to mount a true challenge.

At the start of the third stage, both Ross Chastain and Nick Sanchez fell out of the race with mechanical issues. Chastain said “the gear broke” when asked by The CW what happened. Chastain ended up finishing last (38th) in his worst NXS result since 2017.

Kyle Sieg stayed out for the final stage, but he was quickly swallowed up by those who chose to pit at the end of the stage.

Zilisch continued to lead as rain approached, forcing a yellow flag with 69 laps to go. NASCAR chose to red flag the event a few laps later, bringing the entire field down pit road.

This is the first NASCAR Xfinity race to be shortened by rain since the Chicago Street Course in 2023.

Photos from Dover – Race

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