Hailie Deegan has achieved her second victory of the 2026 season in the ARCA West at a final marked by rain at the Kern Raceway track, owned by Kevin Harvick. After just 42 laps, the weather conditions forced the organizers to suspend the race, turning the competition into a premature victory for Deegan.
Deegan started the race from the second position, alongside pole-sitter Mia Lovell, and culminated in an impressive qualifying that saw the two drivers occupying the top two spots in the race. This is the first time in the series’ history that two women occupy the top two positions in a race.
After the race, Deegan expressed her satisfaction with a performance that, despite the day’s challenges, resulted in great work. ‘It was incredible. I was frustrated with qualifying, just 0.007s off the pole, but we managed to move up quickly and control the race. I had a good vehicle and felt comfortable throughout the race. It would have been great to have been able to run more laps, but I am happy with the result,’ she commented.
With this victory, Deegan adds up to a total of five wins in the ARCA West, tying with other reference names like Jesse Love and Noah Gragson.
Huddleston, 2026 champion
Hudson Sharp finished in third position, followed by Taylor Mayhew and Trevor Huddleston. The latter has secured the 2026 ARCA West championship, a milestone that reaffirms his skills after also winning the previous 2025 title.
Huddleston shared his feelings about the victory: ‘It’s a very special Victory Lane, especially to be at the Kevin Harvick track. Today has been an unusual day with the rain, but we managed to make some laps and finish in one piece, so we are very happy with how everything went.’
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_87b58a9d66265104807e4cd68d94dbcf88a6fcb5