MADERA, Calif. — Kaden Honeycutt won his second ARCA Menards Series West race out of the last three rounds, winning the return of the series to Madera Speedway in Saturday night’s 51FIFTY Jr. Homecoming 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame.
The NASCAR-backed series made its first appearance at the one-third-mile speedway at the Madera Fairgrounds since 2009.
Nine drivers in the field were race-winning graduates of the 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Series and one of them stood tall after time trials, with Bubba Nascimento leading General Tire Pole Qualifying. Nascimento slotted alongside Honeycutt for the 150-lap feature event. Incoming points leader Sean Hingorani, himself a two-time Jr. winner, started at the rear after unapproved adjustments.
Honeycutt swooped around the outside of Nascimento lead lap one. The race was slowed for the first time on lap nine for Monty Tipton slowing on the backstretch.
When action resumed, a tussle for the third position began between brothers Tyler and Tanner Reif, 2020 Short Track Shootout winner Trevor Huddleston and veteran driver Todd Souza. Three-wide action in lapped traffic saw Tanner Reif take the spot on lap 28.
Nascimento hounded Honeycutt for the lead while Huddleston dueled with Reif for third. Hingorani slowly entered the busy battle for third as well. Lapped traffic allowed Reif to try to get third back from Huddleston.
Once the leaders were clear of traffic, Nascimento began to gain ground on Honeycutt. Nascimento had a run up the inside of Honeycutt in turn two but the race was halted on lap 76 for Reif slowing into turn three.
Hingorani charged into fifth on the restart while Souza looked to the outside of Huddleston for third. Hingorani and Huddleston jockeyed for fourth, with Hingorani’s sideways car collecting Dustin Ash into the frontstretch wall for a caution flag.
The ensuing restart was not favorable for Nascimento, allowing Huddleston to look outside for second. Hingorani and 2022 Madera Pro Late Model champion Kyle Keller collided for a spin, relegating both to the rear of the field.
Souza soared past both Nascimento and Huddleston on the restart to take second. Hingorani lost a panel off the rear end with 27 laps to go to require a caution flag. Nascimento had his most sluggish restart of the night, collecting brother Ethan Nascimento, 2007 Altamont champion Ryan Philpott, Tipton and several others. After an extended red flag for clean-up, the race restarted with 20 to go.
Honeycutt dominated the final 20 laps while Souza held second. Tyler Reif and Huddleston boiled over for third with a collision and a spin coming to the checkered flag, allowing 2019 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Series champion Joey Iest to finish in the third position. Bradley Erickson and Hingorani rounded out the top-five.
Kenna Mitchell broke through with her first Madera Pro Late Model win, taking the 100-lap Pumpkin Cup in a non-stop effort.
Tyler Ridley scored a great win in the Mini Super Toyota 30-lap race.