ARCA Menards Series West race at Portland International Raceway begins at 4 p.m. PT today
PORTLAND, Ore. (May 31, 2024) – The third annual Pacific Office Automation 147 has begun at Portland International Raceway (PIR). This year's race weekend will feature star-studded lineups for both the ARCA Menards Series West race today at 4:00 p.m. PT and then NASCAR Xfinity Series starting field tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. PT.
Today fans can enjoy a jam-packed schedule featuring PRO3 BMW E30 racing plus an autograph session, qualifying and racing from ARCA Menards Series West. When the green flag drops on the race, NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran Marco Andretti and the rest of the ARCA Menards Series West drivers featuring an entry list of 24 cars will battle for 57 laps on the 1.97-mile, 12-turn track.
Tomorrow the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes the track for qualifying, autographs and the final 75-lap race on the weekend schedule. The 2024 Pacific Office Automation 147 will boast a competitive field of 38 cars with a number of notable drivers including three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen (Kaulig Racing), the past two Portland race winners A.J. Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing) and Cole Custer (Stewart-Haas Racing), and former television actor Frankie Muniz (Joey Gase Motorsports). In 2022, Allmendinger won the inaugural Pacific Office Automation 147 after coming from the very back of the field to take the lead on lap 72 of 75. In 2023, Cole Custer beat Justin Allgaier to the finish line by 0.142 seconds after taking the lead late after an overtime restart.
“Anything can happen, and you’re never out of the race,” said Allmendinger. “I technically spun out and crashed twice before I completed a lap (in 2022), was a lap down in the race, went off (the track) two more times and still had an opportunity to win the race. As long as we’re on the race track and we’re going the right direction, we still have a chance to win the race.”
“We’re excited to come back (to Portland),” said Custer. “I think there are a lot of NASCAR fans in the Pacific Northwest, and to bring NASCAR back to the Pacific Northwest and be able to put smiles on people’s faces and see everybody out at the track, that’s really cool. Hopefully we can have a good race that’s exciting and make all those fans happy.”
Tickets are sold in advance or available at the gate to the Pacific Office Automation 147. Children 12 and under receive free general admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. All the ticket options and pricing are posted online at RacePortland.com.
About Pacific Office Automation 147:
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is the home of the Pacific Office Automation 147. PIR is a 1.97-mile, 12-turn permanent road course owned by the City of Portland and operated under Portland Parks & Recreation. Opened in 1960 to host sports car and drag racing, the 268-acre property hosts over 550 events annually including automotive and motorcycle road racing, motocross, cruise-ins and other special events including the Rose Cup Races. The 2024 Pacific Office Automation 147 marks the third annual NASCAR Xfinity Series event at PIR. The inaugural Pacific Office Automation 147 in 2022 featured the first visit to the Pacific Northwest by a NASCAR national racing series since 2000. The Pacific Office Automation 147 is owned and operated by Green Savoree Portland, LLC, which also promotes the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix (June 29-30, 2024) ABB FIA Formula E event and BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland (Aug. 23-25, 2024) NTT INDYCAR SERIES event at PIR.
For more information, visit RacePortland.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @PortlandGP or follow updates on Twitter @Race_Portland and Instagram at @Race_Portland using #NASCARPortland.
