ARCA WEST: One-and-done for Jake Bollman as engine expires on McAnally Chevy
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Jake Bollman finished last for the first time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in Saturday’s Madera 150 at Madera Speedway when his No. 16 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet fell out with mechanical issues after 1 of 150 laps.
The finish came in Bollman’s 11th career West Series start.
According to the homepage of his website, Bollman was introduced to motorsports when he received a go-kart as a present on his third birthday. The California native made his competitive racing debut in 2016, winning races in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series and claiming the J-1 Class championship in 2018. After progressing through Bandoleros and Late Model divisions for the next several years, Bollman made his ARCA West debut for Tim Huddleston’s High Point Racing in 2023. In three starts, his best result was seventh, which he achieved twice at Kern and Irwindale.
While Bollman only made one West Series start in 2024 - he finished 31st after a crash in the Phoenix spring race - his big break came in 2025 when he signed with Bill McAnally Racing to run the majority of the season in the team’s No. 19 Chevrolet. While BMR has an impressive history in the West Series with 11 total championships, the team has struggled to find the same level of success since switching from Toyota back to Chevrolet in 2022. This move coincided with the expansion of McAnally’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Cole Moore picked up his first (and to date only) West Series win for BMR at All American Speedway that season, but the team entered 2025 on the heels of two consecutive winless seasons.
Bollman, however, put an end to that winless streak earlier this year, scoring the team’s 100th victory in West Series competition at Colorado in May. Unfortunately, his fortunes reversed Saturday night, as a promising fifth-place qualifying run (literally) went up in smoke with an apparent engine failure, though both Racing-Reference and The Third Turn list “mechanical” as his official reason out.
Following Bollman up the running order were three other drivers whose nights ended early. After the first caution for Bollman’s engine, Monty Tipton stopped on track to bring out the second, ending his night after just 10 laps. Nick Joanides and Cody Dennison retired from the race after 66 and 68 laps respectively - both drivers were caught up in an incident on Lap 70. Rounding out the Bottom Five was David Smith, the 12th and final driver to finish under power, completing 142 laps total.
At the front of the field, Trevor Huddleston continued his championship charge, leading every lap en route to his eighth career ARCA West win and third of the season. Huddleston’s closest challenger for the title, Kyle Keller, placed second, while Eric Johnson Jr. finished third.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
16) #19-Jake Bollman / 1 lap / mechanical (engine?)
15) #21-Monty Tipton / 10 laps / mechanical
14) #77-Nick Joanides / 66 laps / mechanical
13) #72-Cody Dennison / 68 laps / mechanical
12) #05-David Smith / 142 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 10 of 12)
1st) Performance P-1 Motorsports, Strike Mamba Racing (2)
2nd) 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 10 of 12)
1st) Chevrolet (5)
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 10 of 12)
