BMR Takes Top 5 at 2020 ARCA Gateway; Kraus Remains in Contention for Truck Series Playoff

At this past weekend’s ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown event, ARCA delivered a series within a series with the Dutch Boy Paints 150 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, IL. The ENEOS-sponsored Bill McAnally Racing team competes in select ARCA Series races while running the full ARCA Menards Series West schedule, and it was Jesse Love who fought his way to the front on the closing laps to take a top-five finish in the #19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry.

Starting 17th on the grid, Love steadily worked his way forward; by Lap 10 he was 15th, and then 11th by Lap 60, where he settled and remained before taking charge of the final 20 laps of the 120-lap race. He moved up to fifth with two laps to the finish. With the result, Love leads the ARCA West championship standings with three wins in the first seven races.

“It was a nail-biter,” Love explained. “I charged super-hard on the restart and pulled it off. It took me a little bit to figure out how to become better on the restarts, but once I finally got them down, it really helped us out.”

Gracie Trotter finished 12th in the #99 ENEOS Toyota Camry after starting 18th on the grid. She moved quickly to 13th early on, then gained an additional spot in the late stages. She remains third in the overall West standings.

NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOOR TRUCK SERIES

Meanwhile, during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series, ENEOS-sponsored driver Derek Kraus battled handling issues, working hard to stay in contention for a playoff spot in the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing #19 Gates Hydraulics/NAPA Belts & Hoses Toyota Tundra.  His 13th-place finish keeps him 11th in the championship standings, just 15 points below the cutoff line for the playoffs with two races remaining in the regular season.

Starting tenth on the grid, Kraus battled tight conditions around the oval, finishing the first stage in 15th at Lap 55, then 14th when stage two concluded on Lap 110. In addition to gaining track position, his crew was limited to making tire changes during Sunday’s stage breaks, eliminating strategy with off-sequence pit stops that can sometimes improve position.

By Lap 125, Kraus was able to get up to 11th, close enough for a top- finish, but a late-race restart shuffled him back, where he finished 13th. “The setup on the truck was off,” he said. “It made for a long day, but I’m looking forward to Darlington this weekend.”

NEXT RACE

While the dates for the remaining races in the ARCA Menards Series West have yet to be announced, Derek Kraus takes on the South Carolina Education Lottery 200 on September 6, 2020 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC.