On Wednesday, Bill McAnally Racing announced that 16-year-old Landen Lewis will replace Austin Herzog in the No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS for the remainder of the ARCA Menards Series West season.
Lewis has contested five ARCA-sanctioned events over the last two seasons, notching a pair of victories at DuQuoin in the ARCA Menards Series last year, and Kern County Raceway Park earlier this season in ARCA West.
Having run for multiple different teams throughout his ARCA tenure, Lewis now finds himself with some stability, as he’ll drive the same entry, with the same team, for the next six races in the ARCA Menards Series West.
“I am extremely excited for this amazing opportunity to run the number 16 NAPA Chevy for BMR and to be able to work with Charlie Wilson and the guys,” Lewis said in a team release. “I have always watched the McAnally cars and it has been a dream of mine to be able to drive for Bill. I also find it pretty awesome that my biggest mentor, Ron Hornaday, drove the number 16 NAPA truck. So it’s pretty neat to have NAPA on the car and it being the number 16 is icing on top of the cake. I am looking forward to getting out to the West Coast and working with the team.”
Hornaday – a NASCAR Hall of Famer — has been a mentor to Lewis throughout his young career and was in attendance for his first ARCA West victory for Cook Racing Technologies in his series debut, at Kern County Raceway Park.
?@landenlewis99 | @FloRacing pic.twitter.com/IpNLU3VLsW
— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) April 24, 2022
“This is a pretty cool opportunity for Landen,” Hornaday said. “I have known Bill for a long time and I think this is a perfect fit for Landen. I look forward to seeing him carrying my old colors and number with NAPA. Landen is a type of driver when put to the test he always exceeds our expectations. I am excited to see what Landen can do with this team and these new tracks he will be going to.”
Bill McAnally – owner of Bill McAnally Racing — knows it’s been a struggle for the organization in the ARCA West Series this season, and hopes that the addition of Lewis to the team’s driver lineup can help them get back into winning form.
Bill McAnally – owner of Bill McAnally Racing — knows it’s been somewhat of a struggle for the team this season and says he hopes to visit victory lane for the first time in 2022 with Lewis
“We’re very excited to have Landen join BMR,” said McAnally. “Ron Hornaday (Jr.) brought him to our attention and we have been very impressed with what we’ve seen. We will work hard to help Landen reach his full potential. I’m confident that he will put the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevy in Victory Lane.”
The upcoming race weekend at Irwindale Speedway is a big one for the organization’s long-term partner, NAPA Auto Parts, the title sponsor for Saturday’s 150-lap event. The company is also set to bring 200 customers to the track for a VIP experience.
As of the time of publishing, there was no direct reason given for Herzog’s dismissal from Bill McAnally Racing. Having scored one top-five and four top-10 results this season, the 19-year-old sat fifth in points, only one point behind teammate Cole Moore.
The NAPA Auto Parts 150 from Irwindale Speedway is scheduled to take place at 10:00 pm ET on FloRacing.
