Labor Day weekend brought high-stakes action to Portland International Raceway as the NASCAR Xfinity Series headlined the Pacific Office Automation 147 event, supported by thrilling races in the ARCA Menards Series West and the Pro3 Series. The festival atmosphere that defined “Speed Month” continued to captivate motorsports fans with fast-paced racing across multiple series.
Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the Pacific Office Automation 147, served as the high-octane capstone to the weekend. Connor Zilisch started on pole, swept both stages, and even after some chicane drama, won the race. William Sawalich finished second, 1.5 seconds back, with Nick Sanchez, Christian Eckes, and Austin Hill rounding out the top five. The victory was Zilisch’s first full race back since his very public misstep at Watkins Glen slipping in Victory Lane and breaking his collarbone.
In ARCA West’s 2025 Portland 112 on Friday, August 29, William Sawalich delivered a masterclass performance. He captured the pole in qualifying with a blistering lap of 1:15.438, then translated that into race dominance—leading 42 of the 57 laps and engaging in a late-race duel with Thomas Annunziata, overtaking him with just four laps remaining to seize the victory. Alon Day rounded out the podium in third place.
Both days also featured the PNW Pro3 BMW series, which hosted both practice and qualifying sessions ahead of the ARCA West race, followed by Friday and Saturday races—adding another layer of excitement to the NASCAR weekend lineup. Corey Peters won race #1 and Matt Lowell won race #2.
Photo Courtesy of Gus Perez
Photo Courtesy of DBPics | Doug Berger
Photo Courtesy of Gus Perez
Photo Courtesy of DBPics | Doug Berger
Photo Courtesy of Stupid Fox Photo | Nikki Rustin
Photo Courtesy of DBPics | Doug Berger