Alonso Salinas

Alonso Salinas making ARCA Menards Series West debut with PP1M at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway

Performance P-1 Motorsports February 18, 2026

GLENDORA, Calif. — Alonso Salinas, a 24-year-old driver from Mexico, will drive the iconic No. 77 for Performance P-1 Motorsports in the 2026 ARCA Menards West Series season opening race at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.

The goal is to be able to participate in the full season, subject to additional funding, and to win the Rookie of the Year title.

“I started competing at 12 years old and grew up watching all kinds of motorsports like Motocross and Supercross, F1, MotoGP, NASCAR and IndyCar,” Salinas said.

A champion in the Rotax Max Challenge Senior series in 2017 and 2020, he then moved to stock car racing in Mexico in the NASCAR Trucks Mexico Series in 2021. He won the championship in 2024. In 48 races, he has 4 wins, 22 top-5 finishes, and 35 top-10 finishes.

In 2025, he moved up to the NASCAR Mexico Challenge (a class integrated into the NASCAR Mexico Series) and in his first season, he finished in the top eight of the regular season and participated in the playoff final. In 14 races, he achieved four top-five finishes and 13 top-ten finishes with the Alpha Racing team.

Which NASCAR driver does Alonso admire?

“Well my favorite drivers are obviously Daniel Suarez because all the impact that he had made on stock car racing in Mexico,” Salinas said. “The other ones are Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott.”

What is Salinas’ goal at Bakersfield?

“Getting to know the car and the team. Also, the race regulations are different from those in Mexico, so finding my pace as quickly as possible,” Salinas said.

Joe Nava, owner of Performance P-1 Motorsports, had his eye on Salinas for several seasons.

“I was introduced to him by Jose Luis Ramirez, for whom he was racing trucks for in Puebla, Mexico,” said Nava. “I watched him come through the field to the front, catch the leader and on the last lap get past him get turned and win the race going backwards across the line. Pretty darn exciting. My goal is for him to run the season with us.”

The No. 77 Toyota will be sponsored by King Taco, REX MD, and Wallace Signs. Other sponsors will be announced later. The experienced Roger Bracken will be his crew chief.

It’s worth noting that PP1M and Nava have historically fostered a connection between Mexican drivers and the West Series. A little more than 20 years ago, Jose Luis Ramirez (2004-05) and Jorge Goeters (2005) proudly represented Mexico, achieving four top-10 finishes with the team.

PP1M has made 214 West Series starts, earning five wins, 26 top fives, 82 top 10s and one pole between 1998 and 2025.

Salinas will debut at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway half-mile paved oval in Bakersfield, CA on Saturday, Feb. 28, for the first race of the season, the Oil Workers 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame. The race will be streamed live on FloRacing.

The 2026 ARCA Menards West Series championship will consist of 13 races between February and October, with appearances at prestigious tracks such as Phoenix Raceway and Sonoma Raceway.