There are days when everything goes right, and that is exactly how Sam Corry, driver of the Nitro Motorsports No. 25, had to feel on Friday (June 26). He was the fastest in practice, the fastest in qualifying, and the fastest in the ARCA Menards Series West race at Sonoma Raceway.
The race was not stress free for Corry, as teammate Mia Lovell mounted a late charge and even briefly passed him with eight laps to go, but at the end of the day, Corry’s superior speed won out.
Corry stated in a victory lane interview with FloRacing leading every lap “…was a testament of our patience for sure and I have no words right now. I’m so excited for this team.” He then shared a congratulatory hug from Mia Lovell.
Nitro Motorsports entered the season with high expectations. But after a slow start, several disappointing results, and more than its share of bad luck, Corry led the team to victory lane at Sonoma.
Both Nitro drivers were chasing their first ARCA victory, with Lovell also looking to become just the third female driver to win an ARCA race, joining Hailie Deegan and Gracie Trotter. When the checkered flag flew, it was Corry who came out on top.
The race began with implications for the championship battle, as points leader Trevor Huddleston was forced to start at the rear. After qualifying 10th, Huddleston began working his way through the field before the first caution came out on lap 9 for Eric Nascimento Jr., who suffered mechanical issues. The yellow temporarily halted Huddleston’s charge, but by lap 22 he had climbed back to his original starting position. He settled for a ninth-place finish on the day.
Huddleston entered the race with a 24-point lead over Mason Massey, and that advantage is set to grow. On lap 29, Massey suffered a rear gear failure that ended his day and brought out the race’s second caution. All was not lost for Bill McAnally Racing, though, as Patrick Staropoli was able to finish in fifth.
Corry built a comfortable lead early, but as the race approached the halfway break, Lovell began to close the gap. It was difficult to tell whether Lovell was simply faster or if Corry was saving his equipment. Following the halfway break and the caution that came shortly afterward, Lovell made several runs at Corry on the restarts. Each time, however, Corry was able to pull away. With 16 laps remaining, he remained firmly in control.
The script looked as if it would flip with eight laps remaining, as Lovell turned up the pressure on Corry. Lovell was able to catch him and make a pass, but Corry crossed her back over and regained the lead. Shortly after the move, the caution came out for David Smith, who could not get his car refired and stalled on track. This set up an important restart, changing the complexion of the race.
Unfortunately, it was a dramatic restart that many watching at home did not see, because Sonoma lost power before the finish of the race.
However, the restart did happen, without incident, and capped a dominant day for Nitro Motorsports as Corry was able to hold on and power his way to victory.
Along with Corry and Lovell, Eric Johnson Jr., Cole Denton, and Patrick Staropoli rounded out the top-five finishers.
ARCA West Race Results from Sonoma
Next up for the ARCA West Series is another road course as the series heads to Portland International Raceway. The race is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, at 9 p.m. ET, with coverage available on FloRacing.
Post-Race Coverage
Winner’s Press Conference
Discover more ARCA videos on the Frontstretch Grassroots YouTube channel
Thanks for the recap! Couldn’t watch the end last night with Flo going down. Great article