2018 Round 20: Phoenix

Cory Williams earned Kurtis Racing his second victory of the season, as well as his career, at Mexico City. Having earned the pole and leading a lot of the race, he had been challenged by Blaze McKinney, who lead throughout the first and second half of the race. The Fisher Motorsports entry showcased a bunch of speed, but would end up short due to strategy and tire management. The win for Cory Williams has catapulted him up to 5th in the points. Jake West and TJ Martin started near the midpack, but West would salvage a 6th place finish, with Martin having a bad stop near the end, dropping him to 16th. It has pulled them closer in points, and with a lot of drivers not able to capitalize on the qualifying runs they had, it has made their chances even slimmer than before.

Now, the drivers head to Phoenix International Raceway, where it's blazing temperatures can overcook the drivers in terms of endurance and mentality. With only a handful of races to go, many drivers are becoming desperate, and the battle for the top 30 in owner's points is as close as ever. Jake West and TJ Martin are tied for the points lead, with West leading due to the amount of wins he has. With a double header with the Cup series, Cup regulars will attempt to try and obtain victory in order to boost their self esteem for the Sony Cup race on Sunday, and that itself can interfere with the championship fight with the top 2.

Entry list for Phoenix (HNS):

#0 - Hannah Allen (R)
#2 - Matt Daleo
#4 - Jake West
#5 - Sean Harple
#6 - Sean Angel (R)
#7 - Caleb Farrell (R)
#8 - Alex Benyacko (R)
#9 - Chris Louviere
#05 - Alexander Rowe
#07 - Emmett Juckem
#12 - Blaze McKinney
#14 - Cory Williams
#15 - Jake Rogers (R)
#16 - Eric Demax
#17 - James Richardson
#22 - Jeffrey White (R)
#26 - Hayden Kline
#27 - Bobby Jones
#29 - Max Ludger (R)
#34 - Cody Llamas
#36 - Kyle Keith (R)
#39 - Daniel Olson (R)
#40 - James Shelly
#51 - Rob Evans (R)
#53 - Jon Bunnell
#59 - Jack Hallec (R)
#60 - Aidan Shepherd (R)
#61 - Bradley Bishop Jr.
#62 - Samet Ozkan
#65 - Patrick Smith (R)
#66 - Anthony Marchesi (R)
#69 - Paul Jackson (R)
#70 - Carlie McDowell
#71 - TJ Martin
#74 - Robert Harrison
#81 - Elisheva Stolarz
#82 - Jonathan Wong
#86 - Kyle Basaglia
#88 - John Arndt
#92 - Will Lewis
#94 - Nick Samon
#95 - Jek Porkins (R)
#96 - Eric Monaco (R)
#99 - Vance Caldwell (R)

Porkins fastest, looking to try and extend his top 10 streak

Jek Porkins has been on a hot streak of finishes, and it's helped him gain a ton of ground and momentum from the past couple of races. The #95 qualified on pole over Jake West, who is tied with Martin. Blaze McKinney, the runner up at Mexico City, struggled in qualifying as he ended up in the 26th starting position.

Phoenix is a bit of a wild card track, in which straight line speed isn't as much of a priority compared to the suspension and chassis the car offers. Teams are going to have to adjust their cars in order to adapt to the hot temperatures, as well as the amount of wear the tires have on their cars. It will be a variable that will have to be considered throughout the weekend.

P # DRIVER TIME
1 95 Jek Porkins 26.330
2 4 Jake West 26.376
3 5 Sean Harple 26.405
4 88 John Arndt 26.416
5 17 J Richardson 26.422
6 92 Will Lewis 26.423
7 14 Cory Williams 26.427
8 16 Eric Demax 26.464
9 71 TJ Martin 26.470
10 0 Hannah Allen 26.513
11 86 Kyle Basaglia 26.522
12 66 A Marchesi 26.540
13 60 Aidan Shepherd 26.544
14 34 Cody Llamas 26.588
15 6 Sean Angel 26.591
16 94 Nick Samon 26.597
17 2 Matt Daleo 26.614
18 7 Caleb Farrell 26.629
19 8 Alex Benyacko 26.634
20 26 Hayden Kline 26.691
21 22 Jeffrey White 26.691
22 40 James Shelly 26.710
23 05 Alexander Rowe 26.712
24 27 Bobby Jones 26.756
25 62 Samet Ozkan 26.771
26 12 Blaze McKinney 26.805
27 51 Rob Evans 26.832
28 9 Chris Louviere 26.855
29 07 Emmett Juckem 26.913
30 29 Max Ludger 26.914
31 70 Carlie McDowell 26.918
32 15 Jake Rogers 26.919
33 99 Vance Caldwell 26.933
34 81 E Stolarz 26.962
35 61 B Bishop Jr. 26.964
36 39 Daniel Olson 26.987
37 82 Jonathan Wong 26.993
38 53 Jon Bunnell 26.997
39 69 Paul Jackson 26.998
40 74 Robert Harrison 27.000
41 36 Kyle Keith 27.016
42 59 Jack Hallec 27.347

DNQ: #65 - Patrick Smith, #96 - Eric Monaco

37th for Hallec

Blew the motor VERY early on.