2023 Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100

Race details[1][2][3]
Race 12 of 12 of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West
Date	November 3, 2023
Official name	51st Annual Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100
Location	Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona
Course	Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance	100 laps, 100 mi (160 km)
Scheduled Distance	100 laps, 100 mi (160 km)
Average speed	89.175 mph (143.513 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	William Sawalich	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	27.096
Most laps led
Driver	William Sawalich	Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps	93
Winner
No. 18	William Sawalich	Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network	CNBC (Tape Delayed until November 11) FloSports (Live Stream)
Announcers	Charlie Krall and Phil Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN

The 2023 Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 was the 12th and final stock car race of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West season, and the 51st iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, November 3, 2023, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 100 laps to complete. William Sawalich, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would put on a blistering performance, winning the pole and leading a race-high 93 laps, earning his first career ARCA Menards Series West win.^[4] To fill out the podium, Dean Thompson and Sean Hingorani, both driving for Venturini Motorsports, would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Despite finishing in third, Sean Hingorani would claim the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West championship. This was Hingorani's first championship, and the first championship for Venturini Motorsports in the West Series.^[5]

Background

Phoenix Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

Phoenix Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and the last track on the schedule.

Practice

The first and only practice session was held on Thursday, November 2, at 6:00 PM MST, and would last for 60 minutes.^[6] William Sawalich, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.681, and an average speed of 130.053 mph (209.300 km/h).^[7]

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Thursday, November 2, at 7:10 PM MST. The qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap system with only one round. Whoever sets the fastest time in that round will win the pole.^[6] William Sawalich, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 27.096, and an average speed of 132.861 mph (213.819 km/h).^[8]

Race results

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Sean Hingorani 575 1 2 Tyler Reif 539 (-36) 1 3 Trevor Huddleston 527 (-48) 1 4 Bradley Erickson 522 (-53) 1 5 Tanner Reif 517 (-58) 2 6 Todd Souza 503 (-72) 7 Eric Nascimento 498 (-77) 8 Kyle Keller 496 (-79) 9 Takuma Koga 466 (-109) 10 David Smith 459 (-116) Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

References

External links