wo-time ARCA Menards Series West winner Dylan Lupton has teamed up with Bill McAnally Racing (BMR) for Saturday afternoon’s General Tire 200 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway hoping to propel him back to Victory Lane in the series for the first time since 2014.
Lupton, 27, will drive the No. 4 Lupton Excavation Toyota Camry in the 50-lap event scheduled for June 5, 2021.
A native of Wilton, Calif., Lupton will make his third ARCA West start at Sonoma and eyes his third straight top-10 at the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course.
In his most recent ARCA West start at Sonoma more than six years ago, Lupton finished third after starting fourth for Sunrise Ford Racing and car owner Bob Bruncati. In his other start in 2013, he finished eighth after qualifying sixth.
Sonoma is also the home to Lupton’s NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2016 where he earned a lead-lap finish in a third entry fielded by BK Racing.
“I’m excited to get to Sonoma which I consider my home track and have a blast on Saturday afternoon,” said Lupton. “I’m thrilled to race for Bill McAnally Racing as well and I think we have a shot as anyone to contend for the win.”
The former NASCAR Next driver has often been touted as a gifted road course racer and feels like his craft of turning left and right will pay off in his 33rdcareer ARCA West start. “I’ve been racing on road courses for a long time, and I enjoy the technical challenges they present,” added Lupton. “Sonoma isn’t a very fast racetrack but for a couple of corners, but it can be technical and has some elevation too.
“We have a short practice on Saturday, and I hope that we can dial in our No. 4 Lupton Excavation Toyota and lay down a good lap that will put near the front of the field. I think track position will be important for the race, so we need to do everything we can to stay at or near the front.”
Lupton who has experience in all three of NASCAR’s national divisions is working hard to further solidify additional NASCAR races this season.
“We’re hoping to race a handful of races in NASCAR this season,” added Lupton. “We have some conversations ongoing and hope to announce something soon. There’s a little pressure to perform this weekend because this will be the best car I’ve ever had at Sonoma, so I just need to go out there and stay focused and hopefully our finish on Saturday afternoon will help for whatever is next for me.”
Sonoma Raceway, located about 87 miles west of Lupton’s hometown will host nearly 100 guests and fans of his on Saturday afternoon.
Lupton’s most recent ARCA Menards Series West race occurred nearly six and a half years ago at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway where he finished fifth for Sunrise Ford Racing.
In 32 previous ARCA Menards Series West races, Lupton, 27, has delivered two wins, 13 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes and a runner-up championship finish during his 2014 season.
JR Norris will serve as crew chief with Rich Woodland handling the primary spotting duties.
The General Tire 200 (50 laps | 126 miles) is the second of nine races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series West schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session begins on Sat., Jun. 5, with an hour session from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on NBC Sports Gold’s TrackPass (subscription required). A tape-delayed version will air on NBCSN on Wed., Jun. 9 at 1:00 p.m. All times are local (PT).
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