AVONDALE, Ariz. — Youth wasn’t wasted on the young Friday night at Phoenix Raceway.
Tyler Reif, a 15-year-old from Las Vegas, outlasted the competition in a tumultuous and entertaining General Tire 150.
Reif, making just his third start on the ARCA platform for Lowden-Jackson Motorsports, won the annual ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West combination race after a pair of green-white-checkered restarts.
The race wasn’t without setbacks for Reif, who was involved in a crash on Lap 11 that damaged the rear of his car. Quick work by the Lowden-Jackson Motorsports crew kept him in the race, work that would pay dividends later with a trip to Victory Lane.
“Got in a racing incident at (lap 11), got turned, no big deal,” said Reif, who is racing full-time in both the ARCA Menards Series West and ARCA Menards Series East this year. “Kept our heads straight and fought back to the lead. This team is so good to get this car hooked up. I’m happy, there are just no words to describe this.”
Landen Lewis led at the white flag but couldn’t hold off Reif on the final lap. Bradley Erickson, a 16-year-old from Phoenix, finished third, while Frankie Muniz, making his second ARCA Menards Series star, finished sixth.
The finish:
Tyler Reif, Landen Lewis, Bradley Erickson, Andres Perez de Lara, Kyle Keller, Frankie Muniz, Conner Jones, Leland Honeyman, Trevor Huddleston, Greg Van Alst, Todd Souza, Tanner Reif, William Sawalich, Eric Nascimento, Tony Cosentino, Sean Hingoraini, David Smith, Alex Clubb, Takuma Koga, Jon Garrett, A.J. Moyer, Toni Breidinger, Christian Rose, D.L. Wilson, Bobby Hillis, Ethan Nascimento, Jesse Love, Jack Wood, R.J. Smotherman, Brad Smith, Tim Monroe, Bryce Haugeberg.