Love Knocked Out Of Contention For Vegas Win
• Sees Sizeable Lead Cut In ARCA West Championship Chase
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Sept. 23, 2021) – A flat right front tire knocked Jesse Love out of contention for the win in the Star Nursery 150 at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday night, cutting into what had been a sizable lead in points for the defending ARCA Menards Series West champion.
The driver of the Bill McAnally Racing No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry was going for his third win of the season and aiming to extend his 19-point lead in the championship standings.
A few laps after charging into the lead on Lap 69, Love began to fall off the pace. During subsequent cautions, he made multiple stops for repairs and returned to competition four laps down. He gained a few spots in the remaining laps and finished 13th.
His rookie BMR teammate, Cole Moore, was in the heat of the battle throughout the night. He charged from 10th on the grid in the No. 99 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry and fought to gain a top-five spot – getting to fifth by Lap 100. He continued in a fierce dogfight for each spot, before slipping back to finish sixth.
BMR had two additional entries in Thursday’s race, with Jolynn “JoJo” Wilkinson in the No. 1 Instacoat Premium Products Toyota Camry and Amber Balcaen in the No. 19 Icon Technologies Unlimited Toyota Camry. Wilkinson ran a stead race early, after starting 16th. She was up to 13th by the midway point of the race, before getting tangled up in an incident and eventually finishing 17th. Balcaen ran into trouble early and finished 22nd.
Despite his problems, Love retained his lead in the standings – with an unofficial seven-point advantage going into the final two events of the year. Moore remains third in the overall standings, 14 points out of the lead and seven points behind second. He is second in the rookie standings.
Prior to the event, Moore and Wilkinson visited NAPA AutoCare shops in the Las Vegas market. BMR welcomed special guests from NAPA Los Angeles and the Las Vegas district stores to the track. Sponsor activation also included a NAPA VIP Guest Crew Member.
ARCA Menards Series West Event:
Race: Star Nursery 150 (Race 7 of 9) Sept. 23, 2021
Location: The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nev. (3/8-mile oval)
Television: NBCSN on Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. PT
BMR Drivers:
Jesse Love
No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry
Age: 16
Hometown: Menlo Park, Calif.
Practice/Qualified: 3rd
Finished: 13th (Running, completed 146 of 150 laps)
Laps led: 3
2021 season series stats:
Races: 7 starts, 2 wins, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s
Laps completed: 836/862
Laps led: 177
Series standings: 1st
Cole Moore
No. 99 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry
Age: 24
Hometown: Granite Bay, Calif.
Practice/Qualified: 10th
Finished: 6th (Running, completed 150 of 150 laps)
2021 season series stats:
Races: 7 starts, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s
Laps completed: 860/862
Laps led: 35
Series standings: 3rd
Rookie standings: 2nd
Jolynn “Jo Jo” Wilkinson
No. 1 Instacoat Premium Products Toyota Camry
Age: 17
Hometown: Hueytown, Ala.
Practice/Qualified:
Finished: 17th (Completed 127 of 150 laps)
2021 season series stats:
Races: 2 starts, 1 top 10
Best series finish: 8th – Colorado (7/31/21)
Amber Balcaen
No. 19 Icon Technologies Unlimited Toyota Camry
Age: 29
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Practice/Qualified:
Finished: 22nd (Completed 20 of 150 laps)
2021 season series stats:
Races: 3 starts
Best series finish: 11th – Irwindale (8/21/21)
Race winner: Taylor Gray
Next Race:
ARCA Menards Series West
NAPA AUTO PARTS 150, Oct. 9, 2021, All American Speedway, Roseville, Calif. (1/3-mile oval)