Huddleston extends ARCA Menards West point lead with Star Nursery Classic 150 win Friday at The Bullring

It was a long night for Trevor Huddleston Friday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Bullring, but the California racer didn’t mind celebrating in the ARCA Menards West Winner’s Circle after capturing the “Star Nursery Classic” 150-lap feature at the 3/8-mile paved oval.

Heavy rainstorms hit the Las Vegas area and postponed the 11^th race of the 12-event ARCA Menards until 9 p.m. PDT and the second practice and qualifying were cancelled. The 21-car starting field was determined off the first Saturday practice times.

And Huddleston, the second-generation racer from Agoura Hills, Calif., had some trouble early in the day with the No. 50 High Point Racing/Racecar Factory Ford despite clocking the fast practice time and starting from the pole position when the green flag dropped.

“We did not unload good,” said Huddleston, who extend his ARCA Menards West Series point lead with one race remaining at Phoenix on Nov. 1. “My crew stuck to it, and they made it happen. That was a little rough, but it was an amazing battle with everybody.”

Huddleston’s path to victory lane late Friday night was not an easy one, as local Las Vegas racer Kyle Keller jumped to the lead early and North Carolina’s Conner Hall looked to be in control of the race in the late portion of the 150 laps. But Trevor took advantage of slower traffic to regain the lead and drive to his fourth win of the ARCA Menards West season.

Keller, a Bullring multi-time feature winner, jumped to the lead on the first lap with his No. 71 Jan’s Towing Ford with Huddleston following and Trevor was able to move to the front on lap ten in traffic. But action got tight on lap 22 with the two leaders side-by-side and contact occurred. Unfortunately for Keller, his car’s left front tire was cut, and he was forced to pit.

“We had some transmission issues,” said Huddleston. “I lost it into neutral, hit the rumble strips and got into Kyle. It was a bummer, and we were going to have great battle. People are going to be mad a little, but that’s part of racing.”

It was tough break for Keller, who is second in points, and he was hoping to close the gap on Huddleston. As No. 50 driver worked his way from the field, Hall was making a move with his Joe Farre’s No. 24 Sigma Performance Services Chevrolet. Hall, in his Bullring debut, was closing the gap by lap 50 and drove inside Huddleston for the lead on lap 54.

After a caution period on lap 70, Hall looked strong and held the margin until lap 88 when Dustin Hillenburg’s slowing car on the front straightaway caused Hall to hit the brakes and Huddleston dove to the inside line for the lead.

Traffic again posed a problem for Hall in his first Bullring appearance, and he couldn’t catch Huddleston, who won by 0.465 seconds at the checkered flag. Hall was impressive in the SPS Chevy and he’ll drive it again in Phoenix on Nov. 1.

“It’s unfortunate that we battled the weather and didn’t get to qualify,” Hall said. “We ran more laps under yellow than we got to under green, but we focused too much on our long run pace. I would have focused a little bit more on short runs. This was an incredible opportunity, and we’re going to show who is boss when it comes to Phoenix.”

Madera’s Robbie Kennealy fought his way back to round out the podium in his No. 1 Jan’s Towing Ford followed by Thomas Annunziata of Colts Neck, N. J., who drove the No. 15 Venturini Motorsports Toyota in the team’s final ARCA Menards event. Local Las Vegas competitor Tanner Reif was fifth in the No. 13 Central Coast Cabinets/Vegas Fasterner Toyota.

Completing the top ten in the 150-lapper were Andrew Chapman, young Gavin Ray, Blake Lothian, former Midget star Taylor Reimer and Eric Johnson Jr.

In the 100-lap Spears Cars Pro Late Model main event, Jace Hale, the talented 14-year-old fifth-generation driver from Manteca, Calif., put in an impressive performance in his No. 15 Berco Redwood/Hale Construction stock car by leading all 100 laps at the fast 3.8-mile Bullring oval.

It wasn’t easy for the teenager who fough off another 14-year-old in Taylor Mayhew, 13-year-old Keelan Harvick and the former NASCAR Cup champion Kevin Harvick.

After the lap 53 caution period, the two Harvicks made great restarts to move into second and third and challenge Hale for the lead. Keelan and Kevin fought for the runner up spot later in the feature, but the 13-year-old Harvick made contact with a lapped car and spun into the turn one wall. No one was injured, but Keelan’s strong charge came to an end. Kevin Harvick resumed the challenge on Hale with an inside move in turn one, but yellow flag appeared again and Hale regained the top spot.

On lap 98, Mayhew, who won three USLCI Legend Cars main events last weekend at the Bullring, slid by K. Harvick for second and the finish was Hale, Mayhew and Harvick.

“This is a great win with all of my family here, and I can’t thank them enough as well as my spotter and sponsors,” said Hale, the current point leader in the Spears Cars Pro Late Models. “I t was big to win here in Las Vegas after the rain delay. This win was important for the point lead too with just a few races left (two events at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway). It’s my third Spears Pro Late Model win this year.”

The 75-lap Spears Car Limited Pro Late Model finale saw a familiar driver in the Bullring Winner’s Circle with former Bullring Pro Late Models track champion Jeffrey Peterson taking his No. 51 Tri-City Towing machine to the victory. But it was tough afternoon as the team had to switch engines for the main event.

Peterson, a multi-time Bullring race winner, started seventh in the field and consistently moved his car towards the front and played the waiting game. By lap six, the Grand Terrace, Calif., racer sat fifth and took fourth by lap 15. On lap 20, he was third and closing on the leaders Dylan Zampa and teenager Vito Cancilla.

On the lap 26 restart, Peterson made his patented outside line to jump to the leader over Zampa and opened up the margin by lap 45. Another restart saw Peterson extend his advantage. By lap 70, Cancilla was able to close in on Peterson with two racers nearly nose to trail. But the veteran held his inside line for the last five circuits and scored his second consecutive Spears Limited Pro Late Model feature.

At the checkered flag, it was Peterson followed by Cancilla, Zampa, Parker Malone, Christian Bazen, Chase Burgeson, Ethan Cheek, Cam Carraway, Nash Youngren and Las Vegas’ Amileo Thomson.

“I was so stoked when I grabbed the lead on the outside and they called it back due to another yellow,” said Peterson, who also won last month at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. “I asked my spotter if you wanted to see me do it again. So that is exactly what we did. Hats off the Clay, Linny, Josh, Lindsay and Ron. We swapped motors after practice today. We were down on power this weekend and, after the final practice, I said we had to put in the other bullet. Thanks to Venturini Motorsports and Tractor came through to make it easier. I’m really happy to be back in the winner’s circle at the Bullring.”

Mayhew returned in the 30-lap MMI Cars Legends Tour West presented by Frank’s Radio Service event to hold off many challengers including former NASCAR Cup champion and Bullring legend Kyle Busch to score another Bullring feature in his No. 17 machine. Another former Bullring race winner, Brenden Ruzbarsky, started on the pole and took the lead immediately with Mayhew on his bumper. Taylor slid inside Brenden on lap 3 and the two California drivers put on a solid battle throughout most of the 30 laps.

Busch, a multi-time champion at the Bullring, and his son, Brexton, fought through the strong field to battle into the top five, and Kyle was contending with Mayhew and Ruzbarsky for the lead by lap 20. But at the finish, Mayhew scored another trip to victory lane at the Bullring.

NEXT RACE: “Championship and Fan Appreciation Night” is the finale for the regular Bullring schedule, the Round 10 of the 10-race season, with the racing set for Saturday, Oct. 18, including the Pro Late Models, 602 Modifieds, USLCI Legend Cars, Super Stock, Factory Outlaws, Skid Plates, Mini Stocks and Bandoleros. Adult general admission is $11.83 with children 12 & under free. For more information, please contact the LVMS ticket office at 800-644-4444 or online at LVMS.com. For stockyard passes, please call 800-644-4444, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. PST.

Star Nursery Classic 150

Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 (Starting position in [ ])

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