BMR Aims To Continue Winning Trend At Irwindale
• Love, Moore Lead Charge In ARCA West On Saturday
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (Aug. 17, 2021) – Bill McAnally Racing has dominated recent NASCAR K&N Pro Series West/ARCA Menards Series West competition at Irwindale Speedway – winning all but one of eight races there over the past 10 years.
BMR’s 2021 driver lineup of Jesse Love and Cole Moore aim to continue that dominance when the ARCA West circuit returns to the Southern California half-mile oval for the NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 presented by Sunrise Ford on Saturday.
Love, driver of the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, won the past two series events at Irwindale – an event last year and a race last month when he dashed into the lead in the closing laps. Moore, a series rookie, also had a strong performance in the July race – driving the No. 99 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry to a fifth-place finish.
They will be joined on Saturday by Amber Balcaen and Sebastian Arias. Balcaen, set for her second series start with BMR in the No. 19 Icon Technologies Unlimited Toyota Camry, made her series debut in last month’s Irwindale race with a 15th-place finish. Arias will be making his first series appearance, driving the No. 5 BradyIFS Toyota Camry.
Love, the defending series champion, leads the series standings in his quest for a second straight title. If he’s successful, he would match back-to-back championships won by two other BMR drivers in the NAPA-sponsored No. 16 – Brendan Gaughan (2000 & 2001) and Todd Gilliland (2016 & 2017).
Moore is second in the overall standings, two points behind Love, and leads in the chase for this year’s rookie title.
BMR has won 15 of 29 regular season series races at Irwindale since the track opened in 1999. Drivers who won with BMR at Irwindale include Gaughan, Gilliland and Austin Cameron, each with three wins; Love, with two wins; and Steve Portenga, Brian Ickler, Patrick Staropoli, Chris Eggleston, each with one win.
The NAPA brand will again be front and center at Irwindale – serving as the event sponsor. Derek Sasabuchi, the District Sales Manager from the NAPA Distribution Center in Los Angeles, will have a group of special guests from NAPA LA in attendance at Saturday’s race.
David Simms, store owner of NAPA AUTO PARTS – Farm and Supply, will be the NGK VIP Guest Crew Member for the event.
ARCA Menards Series West Event:
Race: NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 (Race 5 of 9) Aug. 21, 2021
Location: Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, Calif. (1/2-mile oval)
Television: TRACKPass on NBCSports Gold (Live) Aug. 21, 7 p.m. PT/ NBCSN on Aug. 29, 1:30 p.m. PT
BMR Drivers:
Jesse Love
No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry
Age: 16
Hometown: Menlo Park, Calif.
Career series starts: 15
Career series wins: 4 (Utah1 6/27/20, Irwindale 7/4/20, Colorado 8/22/20, Irwindale 7/3/21)
Career series poles: 4 (Irwindale 7/4/20, Colorado 8/22/20, Las Vegas 9/26/20, Bakersfield 10/25/20)
Most recent series finish: 2nd – Colorado (7/31/21)
Last series finish at Irwindale: 1st (7/3/21)
2021 season series stats:
Races: 4 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s
Laps completed: 479/501
Laps led: 107
Series standings: 1st
Cole Moore
No. 99 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry
Age: 24
Hometown: Granite Bay, Calif.
Career series starts: 12
Best career series finish: 4th – two times (Sonoma 6/5/21, Colorado 7/31/21)
Most recent series finish: 4th – Colorado (7/31/21)
Last series finish at Irwindale: 5th (7/3/21)
2021 season series stats:
Races: 4 starts, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s
Laps completed: 499/501
Laps led: 25
Series standings: 2nd
Rookie standings: 1st
Amber Balcaen
No. 19 Icon Technologies Unlimited Toyota Camry
Age: 29
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Career series starts: 1
Previous series finish: 15th – Irwindale (7/3/21)
Sebastian Arias
No. 5 BradyIFS Toyota Camry
Hometown: Bogota, Columbia
Career series starts: ARCA West debut