Jesse Love came away with a third-place finish in the Bill McAnally Racing No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry and his rookie teammate Cole Moore was 12th in the No. 99 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota Camry, after a strong performance by both ended with a chaotic final restart in the ARCA Menards Series West race at Portland International Raceway on Saturday.
Love – the 16-year-old defending series champion – and Moore were running second and third, respectively, on the winding 1.967-mile road course; when a late-race caution set up a one-lap dash to the finish.
Both drivers got shuffled back on the restart, as multiple cars went off-line at the chicane, including several that cut the corner and were later penalized. While Love was able to battle back, Moore struggled to the finish with a broken left front spindle. It was a wild finish to what had been a wild race, in which both BMR drivers led laps and were in contention for the win.
Moore had started fifth on the grid, with Love just behind him in seventh. In the first lap, Moore was up to third, with Love close behind in fourth. Moore continued to charge and led for several laps following a Lap 13 restart. Love made a quick pit stop during a subsequent caution and then began working his way back to the front.
After holding down the runner-up spot, Moore dashed back into the lead after a Lap 32 restart. Love briefly gained the top spot a few laps later, before slipping back to second, with Moore behind him. The duo appeared headed for a 2-3 finish, until the caution came out – which led to overtime and extended the race distance to 58 laps.
With his third-place finish, Love extended his lead in the championship standings to a 19-point advantage – with three races remaining. Moore is third in the overall standings, one point behind second, and second in the rookie standings.
BMR welcomed a special group of NAPA guests to the track on Saturday. They were treated to a VIP experience that included a pit tour, a meet-and-greet with the BMR drivers and the opportunity to view the race from suites. Rich Williams, owner of Cascade Motors NAPA AutoCare in The Dells area, served as the NGK VIP Guest Crew Member for the event.
In honoring and remembering 9/11, members of the BMR NAPA team wore special 9/11 Memorial hats at the track on Saturday.
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