The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR Camping World West Series, NASCAR West Series, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series, NASCAR Winston Transcontinental Series, NASCAR Grand National West, and NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model Division, is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series was first formed in 1954 as a proving ground for drivers from the western United States who could not travel to race in the more traditional stock car racing regions like North Carolina and the rest of the southern United States.
Races are held at oval tracks ranging from in length and on two road courses, in length. Most races are stand-alone events (i.e. not in conjunction with other NASCAR touring series), but there are four race weekends that are in combination with the NASCAR Cup Series.
Many of the ARCA Menards Series West drivers on the series are gaining experience with the hopes of moving up to one of the major NASCAR series, however some of the drivers are right at home in the series and have no plans of moving on. Notable drivers who participated in the series include Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Brendan Gaughan, Derrike Cope, Chad Little and David Gilliland.
The other regional division at the Grand National level of ARCA is the Menards Series East.
History
The Menards Series West began in 1954 as the Pacific Coast Late Model Division. Nine races were in held in the first year, many of which were held in California, in cities such as Oakland, San Diego, San Mateo and Gardena. The inaugural series championship was won by Lloyd Dane driving a 1953 Hudson Hornet.
Afterward, the series became known as the Grand National West Series, then the Winston West Series. At first, the series sanctioned races on dirt tracks and paved tracks, but as the series developed, more races were held on paved tracks, with the final race on a dirt track being held in 1979 until the series returned to dirt in 2018. Though the series primarily sanctions races in the United States, the series has also traveled to Australia in 1988 and Japan from 1996 to 1998 for exhibition races. The series became the first series to sanction a championship race outside the United States in 1999, when the final race was held at Twin Ring Motegi.
In 2003, the Busch North Series was consolidated into the series forming the modern day series. For the 2008 season, Camping World bought naming rights of the series, renaming it the Camping World West Series. Two years later, K&N Engineering, Inc. replaced Camping World as the title sponsor.
In 2020, the series became part of the ARCA Menards Series banner and was renamed to the ARCA Menards Series West. Tracks
Television broadcasting Races were held on NBC Sports. Since 2024, the races have been streamed on FloRacing.
ARCA Menards Series West cars
General As part of NASCAR's unification of the two Camping World Series in 2003, the cars can be either a 105-inch (2,700 mm, which had been used in the former Busch Grand National East) or 110-inch (2,800 mm, which had been used in the former Winston West) wheelbase. Cambered/off-set rear ends are not allowed.
The car bodies are typically a hand-built steel body, however teams may also use a one-piece composite body. The composite body is a "common" item that may be run as any manufacturer branded car (i.e. only one style of composite body for all four car manufacturers [Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota]). Teams then "brand" the composite body by the grill opening, quarter window openings and the vehicle decal package (head lights, tail lights, etc.). Due to the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, many of the vehicles on the series are old Sprint Cup cars. Another popular way to get a complete body is to buy a "cut-off" body from a Nationwide series team and mount it on a chassis.
Teams have an option of building their own engines or they may run a specification engine, similar to what is used in many short tracks. Both engines are V8, pushrod, 12:1 compression motors. "Built" motors are built to team specifications using any configuration of pieces as long as it still meets NASCAR specifications. The spec engine is built using NASCAR-Approved pieces that may be purchased from an approved supplier. The engines may be purchased as a kit or pre-assembled. All of the spec pieces are individually encrypted with a barcode for verification and tracking purposes and can be checked during the inspection process with an encryption reader.
When the series first started, the cars ran a V6 engine with a maximum displacement and no compression limit . In the early/mid 1990s the V8 engine with a 9.5:1 compression and maximum displacement was introduced to the series as an alternative to the V6 engines. Due to the decrease in popularity of the V6, it was phased out for the 1999 season. When the East and West series rules were combined, the compression ratio changed to 12:1.
Cars may use leaded or unleaded fuel. However, when running in conjunction with one of the three national touring (Truck, Xfinity, Cup) series, unleaded fuel must be used.
On November 4, 2014 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NASCAR president Mike Helton unveiled a new body style for the K&N Pro Series based on the Sprint Cup Series Gen 6 models. The new body, developed with Five Star Race Car Bodies, is constructed of a composite laminate blend and designed with easily replaceable body panels, expected to shrink the costs of fabrication dramatically. The body style is eligible for use in both Menards Series competition and ARCA Racing Series competition, replacing the old Gen 4-style steel bodies after 2015, and the current one-piece composite body after 2016. The Chevrolet SS, Ford Fusion, and Toyota Camry bodies used in Sprint Cup are the basis of the new bodies. No Dodge option is available with this car.
Along with all of ARCA and NASCAR's international series, the Menards Series have General Tire as their exclusive tire supplier.
Specifications Engine displacement: 358 cu in (5.8 L) Pushrod V8. Transmission: 4 speed Manual. Weight: 3,300 lb (1,497 kg) Minimum (without driver). Power output: ~650 hp (485 kW) unrestricted. Fuel: Sunoco Leaded or Unleaded gasoline. Fuel capacity: 22 U.S. gallons (83.2 L). Fuel delivery: Carburetion. Compression ratio: 12:1. Aspiration: Naturally aspirated. Carburetor size: 390 cu ft/min (184 L/s) 4-barrel. Wheelbase: 105 in (2667 mm)/ 110 in (2794 mm). Steering: Power, recirculating ball.
Seasons Ray Elder has scored the most championships with six, while Bill Schmitt and Roy Smith each have four. Year Champion Most Popular Driver Rookie of the Year 1954 Lloyd Dane 1955 Danny Letner 1956 Lloyd Dane (2) 1957 Lloyd Dane (3) 1958 Eddie Gray 1959 Bob Ross 1960 Marvin Porter 1961 Eddie Gray (2) 1962 Eddie Gray (3) 1963 Ron Hornaday Sr. 1964 Ron Hornaday Sr. (2) 1965 Bill Amick Ray Elder 1966 Jack McCoy Ray Elder (2) 1967 Scotty Cain Marshall Sargent 1968 Scotty Cain (2) Ray Elder (3) 1969 Ray Elder Ray Elder (4) 1970 Ray Elder (2) Ray Elder (5) 1971 Ray Elder (3) Ray Elder (6) Dick Kranzler 1972 Ray Elder (4) Ray Elder (7) Carl Adams 1973 Jack McCoy (2) Ray Elder (8) Richard White 1974 Ray Elder (5) Ray Elder (9) Markey James 1975 Ray Elder (6) Ray Elder (10) Don Puskarich 1976 Chuck Bown Jimmy Insolo Gary Johnson 1977 Bill Schmitt Chuck Bown Pat Mintey 1978 Jimmy Insolo Jimmy Insolo (2) Rick McCray 1979 Bill Schmitt (2) Jimmy Insolo (3) Tim Williamson 1980 Roy Smith David Pearson Don Waterman 1981 Roy Smith (2) Hershel McGriff Jim Bown 1982 Roy Smith (3) Hershel McGriff (2) Jim Reich 1983 Jim Robinson Hershel McGriff (3) Ron Esau 1984 Jim Robinson (2) Hershel McGriff (4) Derrike Cope 1985 Jim Robinson (3) Hershel McGriff (5) Glen Steurer 1986 Hershel McGriff Hershel McGriff (6) Chad Little 1987 Chad Little Hershel McGriff (7) Roman Calczynski 1988 Roy Smith (4) Hershel McGriff (8) Bob Howard 1989 Bill Schmitt (3) Hershel McGriff (9) Bill Sedgwick 1990 Bill Schmitt (4) Hershel McGriff (10) Mike Chase 1991 Bill Sedgwick Hershel McGriff (11) Billy Jac Shaw 1992 Bill Sedgwick (2) Hershel McGriff (12) Rick Carelli 1993 Rick Carelli Rick Carelli Dirk Stephens 1994 Mike Chase Ron Hornaday Jr. Doug George 1995 Doug George Ernie Cope Ernie Cope 1996 Lance Hooper Larry Gunselman Lance Hooper 1997 Butch Gilliland Butch Gilliland Gary Smith 1998 Kevin Harvick Scott Gaylord Austin Cameron 1999 Sean Woodside Butch Gilliland (2) Jason Small 2000 Brendan Gaughan Bobby Dotter Mike Duncan 2001 Brendan Gaughan (2) Brendan Gaughan Mark Reed 2002 Eric Norris Scott Gaylord (2) Mike David 2003 Scott Lynch Austin Cameron Scott Lynch 2004 Mike Duncan Austin Cameron (2) David Gilliland 2005 Mike Duncan (2) Sarah Fisher Andrew Lewis 2006 Eric Holmes Austin Cameron (3) Peyton Sellers 2007 Mike David Mike Duncan Jason Bowles 2008 Eric Holmes (2) Moses Smith Jeff Barkshire 2009 Jason Bowles Moses Smith (2) Paulie Harraka 2010 Eric Holmes (3) Moses Smith (3) Luis Martinez Jr. 2011 Greg Pursley Moses Smith (4) Dylan Kwasniewski 2012 Dylan Kwasniewski Cassie Gannis Austin Dyne 2013 Derek Thorn Cameron Hayley Dylan Lupton 2014 Greg Pursley (2) Brandon McReynolds James Bickford 2015 Chris Eggleston Nicole Behar Noah Gragson 2016 Todd Gilliland Salvatore Iovino Todd Gilliland 2017 Todd Gilliland (2) Derek Kraus 2018 Derek Thorn (2) Hailie Deegan 2019 Derek Kraus Jagger Jones 2020 Jesse Love Jesse Love 2021 Jesse Love (2) Jake Drew 2022 Jake Drew Tanner Reif 2023 Sean Hingorani Sean Hingorani 2024 Sean Hingorani (2) Eric Johnson Jr. 2025 Trevor Huddleston Robbie Kennealy
Bold and italicized driver indicates he/she has won at least 1 of both NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O'Reilly Series championships.
All-time win table A total of 213 different drivers have scored wins in the series with Jack McCoy having the most with 54, followed by Ray Elder who has 47 wins.
All figures correct as of the Kyle Busch Classic at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October 2, 2026). +Key*ARCA Menards Series West champion#Driver is competing full-time in the 2026 season°Driver is competing part-time in the 2026 season^Driver has been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame RankDriverWins1*542*473* ^344*255*216*207*197*199*179*17111511*151115141415*1315*1315*1318*1218*12201120*1120*11201120*11201120* #1127*1027*1029929*929*929*929*934834*834*834838738738*738738738*738* °745645645*645*645*650550550550550550550*550550*550550550*550550564*464464464*464464464*464 #472372 ^372372372372*372372 ^372 ^371372372*372372372372372372372391 ^291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291291 #291 #213011301130113011301130 ^1130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130 ^1130 ^11301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130 °1130113011301130113011301130 °11301130113011301130113011301130113011301130113011301130 °1130113011301130113011301130 °1130 °1130 #1130 °1130 °1130 °1130 °1
See also ARCA Menards Series ARCA Menards Series East List of NASCAR series List of auto racing tracks in the United States West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame, a stock car hall of fame featuring many of the series' champions.
References
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series 2006 Media Guide. Daytona Beach, FL: NASCAR PR, 2006.
External links