2026 Tucson Race Review
ARCA Menards West Series
The third race of the 2026 ARCA Menards West Series, held this Saturday, April 11th, at Tucson Speedway in Tucson, AZ, saw 15-year-old rookie Cole Denton claim his first career victory for Jan's Racing Team. The race was characterized by strategic maneuvering to conserve tires and be able to attack in the closing laps. The 150-lap race had no midway break, and drivers were required to complete the entire race on the same set of tires. Last year's race presented a similar pattern, except that only a third of the drivers adopted this strategy. Since it proved successful then, this year all the drivers ran conservatively.
That said, this race was psychologically demanding for the 17 drivers who had to preserve their tires, avoid falling too far behind, and, above all, be alert to the crucial moment when one of them would truly accelerate for the lead. With 17 cars so closely matched in terms of performance, gaining positions when the pace was high became much more difficult.
Practice / Qualifying sessions
First, it should be noted that Bobby Hillis, Jr. (Fierce Creature Racing) was ultimately absent due to an unresolved technical issue with his car. Trevor Huddleston (High Point Racing) was fastest during practice, ahead of Hailie Deegan (Bill McAnally Racing) and Cole Denton. Huddleston also completed the most laps with 64, as did his teammate Andrew Chapman (13th).
During the qualifying session, Cole Denton dominated, securing his first career pole position. He edged out Huddleston by 0.156 seconds. Mason Massey (Bill McAnally Racing) and Jade Avedisian (Central Coast Racing) occupied the second row. David Smith (Shockwave Racing) qualified 17th and last.
Green flag!
As night fell, the green flag waved, and Denton was caught off guard by the 2025 champion. Huddleston led the first lap, securing an extra bonus point in the championship. But he was quickly overtaken by Denton, who regained the lead. The rookie even set the fastest lap of the race on the second lap with a time of 16.328 seconds. Behind them, the drivers, especially the favorites for the win, went into conservation mode and let themselves slide to the back of the field… But it was a traffic jam, as almost everyone wanted to be in last place. And it was absurd, but the pace of the race became very slow. Some drivers didn't hesitate to lap in 20 or 21 seconds! Reading the standings is becoming a nightmare… Positions change every lap, drivers are running two, three, even four abreast… Up front, Denton, who had built up almost a two-second lead while driving “slowly,” is caught by his teammate Robbie Kennealy and lets him take the lead on lap 23, securing him an extra point, very useful in his fight for the championship. Two laps later, Kennealy hands the lead back to Denton.
The two Jan’s Racing Team drivers are cruising far ahead of the pack, yet they too are managing to preserve their tires. Strike Mamba Racing teammates Tyler Tomassi and Memphis Villarreal are both in the top five, as is David Smith. The Canadian veteran is having a great race and has worked his way through the pack, finding himself in the lead on lap 48! It’s the first time in his career. He also becomes the oldest driver in West Series history to lead a race. At 76, he broke the record set in Las Vegas in 1998 by the legendary Hershel McGriff, who was "only" 70 at the time. It was McGriff, in fact, who gave the "Start your engines" today.
First caution
On lap 60, Smith caught up with the pack of backmarkers, half the field, and was considering lapping them when Will Robinson (Jerry Pitts Racing) suffered a puncture to his front right tire and stopped at the exit of turn 2. This ultimately brought out the first caution of the race on lap 62. There was no free pass because all the drivers were on the leader's lap. By the time he got his car back to the pit lane, located on the outside of the oval here at Tucson, and repaired it, Robinson had lost about twenty laps. It's worth noting that Jade Avedisian experienced a technical problem at the exact same time, forcing the young driver of car No. 13 to retire. This would be the only retirement of the race. Truly unlucky. Especially since last year it was her CCR team that won the race.
The restart was given on lap 68, and Denton immediately took the lead from Smith. The latter quickly lost positions due to a loss of engine power. He also received a "love tap" from Mia Lovell (Nitro Motorsports), who took him for a spin on the grass between turns 3 and 4, but without caution. He found himself 15th and last on the leader's lap. Denton led the race ahead of Villarreal and Performance P-1 Motorsports driver Quinn Davis, who was doing a remarkable job. Tomassi and Kennealy completed the top five.
The halfway point was reached on lap 75, and the complete standings were as follows. Cole Denton leader ahead of Memphis Villarreal, Tyler Tomasi, Quinn Davis, Mia Lovell, Robbie Kennealy, Gavin Ray (Jerry Pitts Racing), Trevor Huddleston, Eric Rhead (WIT Racing #66), Andrew Chapman, Julian DaCosta (Nitro Motorsports), Mason Massey, David Smith, Hailie Deegan, Eric Johnson, Jr. (Jerry Pitts Racing, Jade Avedisian (out) and Will Robinson (pit / -15 laps).
The tire war is in full swing!
Apart from Denton, the race leader, who was running alone, everyone else was in tight formation. It felt like being on a highway during rush hour! But one thing was certain: at this stage, it was impossible to know who was capable of winning the race.
On lap 100, Cole Denton led by seven-tenths of a second over Villarreal. Davis was third, five seconds back, Tomassi six seconds behind, and Kennealy nine seconds back. Ray, sixth at ten seconds, led the rest of the pack. It's worth noting that Robinson had rejoined the race 21 laps down.
Then suddenly, Tyler Tomassi spun out in the frontstretch after a contact with Eric Johnson, Jr., who was on the outside. This brought out the second and final yellow flag of the race. David Smith received a free pass and rejoined the lap.
The restart was given on lap 120, and the race dynamic began to change. There was more aggression within the pack as everyone wanted to position themselves as best as possible for the final laps. Villarreal became a threat to the leader, Denton, but unfortunately, he lost a cylinder and plummeted down the order. Davis also lost positions, her car becoming difficult to handle. Johnson, Jr., and Huddleston then led the charge behind the leader. But Denton was in complete control. He had built a 1.5-second gap and maintained a consistent pace until the finish.
Mason Massey scuffed heavily into the outside wall exiting turn 4 on lap 129. The championship leader struggled to finish the race, as the impact severely damaged his car's handling. He finished 12th. Davis lost a lap, and Smith lost three due to engine problems.
With 10 laps to go, Huddleston overtook Johnson, Jr. for second place, but he couldn't close the gap and finished second behind Cole Denton, who took his first victory in only his third career race. The top 10 was rounded out by Kennealy, Ray, Rhead, Deegan, Lovell, Villarreal, and DaCosta. Chapman, Massey, Davis, Tomassi, Smith, and Robinson also crossed the finish line.
"I can't believe this, first pole, first win, in my third ARCA race. They've done a great job (Jan Qualkenbush, owner and Chris Greaney, crew chief) coaching me and my driver coach Robbie Kennealy has done a great job. I can’t believe this. It’s so awesome. I love this track, there's a track back home on the East coast called Lanier Raceplex, it's so much like this. You're turning the whole time, this track is so fun, I just love it!” Denton said.
At 15 years, 8 months, and 16 days of age, Denton becomes the fourth-youngest winner in West Series history behind Jesse Love, Todd Gilliland, and Taylor Gray.
In the championship standings, Trevor Huddleston leads with 123 points. He is the only driver to have achieved three top-five finishes in three races. He is five points ahead of Mason Massey. Hailie Deegan is third (-15), followed by Eric Johnson, Jr. (-18) and Cole Denton (-20).
The next race is on May 2nd in Anderson, CA at Shasta Speedway, another 0.375-mile short track.
