ARCA WEST: Mechanical issues leave Cody Dennison last at the Las Vegas Bullring
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Cody Dennison finished last for the first time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in Friday’s Star Nursery 150 at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when his No. 72 ODA Ventures Chevrolet fell out with mechanical issues after 66 of 150 laps.
The finish came in Dennison’s fifth career West Series start.
Prior to his racing career, Dennison was (and perhaps still is) best known for his CAMELOT331 YouTube channel, where he shared his experience as an 11-year GameStop employee. He then started providing commentary on GameStop’s decline in the late 2010s.
In May 2020, Dennison first hinted at a desire to pursue a career in stock car racing when he uploaded a video revealing he had purchased a 2007 NASCAR Dodge Charger, a car wrapped in the No. 12 Alltel Wireless paint scheme originally driven by Ryan Newman. Two years later, he competed in four races in the Grand National Super Series, driving the ex-Newman Dodge to a best finish of fifth at Dillon Motor Speedway. He expanded his 2023 series schedule to 18 races, improving his career-best to fourth at Tri-County Motor Speedway.
The 2007 Ryan Newman Dodge that helped launch Dennison’s career (SCREENSHOT: @CAMELOT331/YouTube)
Dennison made his first appearance in ARCA competition in 2024, though large car counts at Daytona and Phoenix saw him fail to qualify for each of the first two races of the season. He drove for four different teams across the full 20-race schedule and scored a best finish of seventh at Salem for Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing.
This season, Dennison returned to Fast Track Racing but scaled back to a part-time national ARCA schedule, expanding his stock car commitments with partial schedules in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Reaume Brothers Racing and the ARCA Menards Series West with Strike Mamba Racing. His 2025 season began with an eighth-place finish in the West Series race at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, though a mechanical issue left Dennison unable to replicate such a performance on Friday. Dennison’s car came to a stop on the backstretch, bringing out the first caution of the race and ending his night after 66 laps completed.
21 cars appeared on the initial entry list - due to an issue after qualifying for Michael Maples, only 20 started the race. Despite a decent car count by West Series short track standards, one team was noticeably absent from the entry list. After Jake Bollman lost an engine and finished last at Madera, Bill McAnally Racing announced that they would forego competing in the final two ARCA West races of the season. McAnally, who co-owns McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the Truck Series, has two trucks competing in the Round of 8 in the Truck Series playoffs and is the only team owner with multiple trucks still eligible for the series championship. The team did, however, make it clear that they plan to return to ARCA West competition in 2026.
Another major name in ARCA was in the news this week for similar reasons. Venturini Motorsports, who earlier this year announced the sale of their race team to Nitro Motorsports for 2026, competed in their last race after 43 years of competition with Thomas Annunziata, Taylor Reimer, and Jade Avedisian, who finished fourth, ninth, and 12th respectively. The transition of the team to Nitro has already begun this season, with Nitro’s social media pages highlighting Annuziata’s strong finish on Friday night.
Following Dennison up the running order was Fast Track Racing’s Bryce Haugeberg, who at one point appeared set to clinch the last-place finish, but ultimately returned to the track to overtake Dennison by completing a total of 85 laps. Dustin Hillenburg, driving another Fast Track car, also completed 85 laps, but failed to finish the race after having a tire go down and pulling behind the wall shortly thereafter. Hillenburg’s exit coincided with that of Nick Joanides, whose race ended after bringing out the caution and hitting the wall due to a tire issue of his own. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Spencer Gallagher, who finished 11 laps down after spending time in the pits.
At the front of the field, Trevor Huddleston once again took the checkered flag for his fourth victory of the West Series season. JR Motorsports CARS Tour driver Connor Hall placed second, while Robbie Kennealy rounded out the top three finishers. Huddleston’s closest championship rival, Kyle Keller, finished 13th after a flat tire, allowing Huddleston to extend his advantage to a near-lock - 34 points entering the season finale at Phoenix.
DID NOT START
21) #99-Michael Maples
THE BOTTOM FIVE
20) #72-Cody Dennison / 66 laps / mechanical
19) #11-Bryce Haugeberg / 85 laps / running
18) #12-Dustin Hillenburg / 85 laps / mechanical
17) #77-Nick Joanides / 88 laps / crash
16) #23-Spencer Gallagher / 139 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 11 of 12)
1st) Strike Mamba Racing (3)
2nd) Performance P-1 Motorsports (2)
3rd) Cook Racing Technologies, Brad Smith Motorsports, Rise Motorsports, Jerry Pitts Racing, Fierce Creature Racing, Bill McAnally Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 11 of 12)
1st) Chevrolet (6)
2nd) Toyota (4)
3rd) Ford (1)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2025 ARCA season to view the full drivers’ standings for both the ARCA Menards Series and its East and West divisions. You can also find the manufacturers’ and owners’ standings for all three series HERE.
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 11 of 12)
