ARCA Menards Series West season preview: Both new and familiar faces headline a talented field for 2026
BY
The 2026 ARCA Menards Series West campaign, which begins Saturday with the Oil Workers 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on FloRacing) is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
Competitive depth has been a hallmark of the West Series since it launched as the NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model division in 1954. Through the following seven decades, names like Ray Elder, Jack McCoy, Hershel McGriff, Eric Holmes, Derek Thorn, Kevin Harvick and Jesse Love have etched themselves into the West Series record books as champions.
The West Series has undergone numerous changes through the years, including a transition from NASCAR to ARCA sanctioning at the turn of the decade. Yet through years, the West Series has remained a proving ground for drivers seeking to advance their careers or find a sustainable platform to race.
MORE FOR 2026:
Many drivers embarking on a full-time West Series campaign fall into the former category, young competitors from the West Coast gaining experience and confidence with every race. If these young prospects hope to find Victory Lane this year, they will have to navigate their way around a handful of West Series veterans.
Combined with the diverse set of tracks throughout the calendar, the 2026 West Series season offers numerous unpredictable elements for the drivers contesting the full season. Every competitor shares the same goal: Conquer each race and each other so he or she can add his or her name to a long, prestigious list of West Series champions.
Below are some key storylines to follow throughout the 13-race ARCA Menards Series West schedule in 2026.
Trevor Huddleston seeks to defend West Series crown
The 2025 season saw Trevor Huddleston finally earn his maiden ARCA Menards Series West championship after several years of trying.
A veteran presence amidst a crowd of young drivers, the 29-year-old from Agoura Hills, California has been a part of the West Series platform since his debut at Irwindale Speedway in 2016. During that time, Huddleston has amassed nine victories, 40 top fives, three poles and led more than 1,300 laps.
Most of Huddleston’s accolades occurred while driving for High Point Racing, the team owned by his father Tim. The determination and resolve he inherited from his father translated into the best season of the younger Huddleston’s career, with his four victories and 10 top fives enabling him to claim his first West Series title.
Huddleston now has the arduous task of building upon the momentum from his 2025 West Series crown, which will require another strong season against an impressive roster of drivers. Consistency will be imperative for Huddleston to solidify another title; he only finished outside the top 10 once in 2025.
With High Point Racing now firmly atop the West Series pedestal, Huddleston has plenty of confidence prior to another pursuit for the title. Experience from a decade of West Series competition is on Huddleston’s side as he looks to join a small-but-notable group of competitors who have multiple series championships.
Hailie Deegan returns to Bill McAnally Racing
Bill McAnally Racing hasn’t won an ARCA Menards Series West championship since 2021. This year the team hopes to change that, and to do so, they’re turning to a returning driver with ample experience both with the team and the West Series.
Hailie Deegan is back in a McAnally car for the entire 2026 West Series campaign after driving for the team from 2018-19. During that stretch, Deegan made history as the first woman to win a West Series event, a milestone she backed up with two more victories and a third-place finish in the West Series standings the following season.
The success Deegan found in the West Series laid the foundation for her to progress up the developmental ladder. After one full season of competition in the national ARCA Menards Series and securing another third-place points finish, Deegan moved up to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2021 for what is now Tricon Garage.
Deegan earned five top 10s in the Truck Series and moved up to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2024 with AM Racing.
Now back in the West Series behind the wheel of McAnally’s No. 16 Chevrolet, Deegan hopes to recapture the magic that initially garnered her so much notoriety and hype at the end of the 2010s. Deegan will have Mason Massey, another driver with national series experience, as a teammate throughout the season.
