NOTEBOOK: Kenna Mitchell's West Series debut at Shasta arrives as part of 'ARCA Night in America'

After fielding entries for Jade Avedisian and Taylor Reimer in three of the last four ARCA Menards Series West events, Central Coast Racing will have another woman climb into their No. 13 Toyota for Saturday’s event at Shasta Speedway, the second leg of the same-night doubleheader that is ARCA Night in America presented by Menards.

That driver is Kenna Mitchell, the most recent recipient of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award.

Mitchell has built a reputation as a clean, efficient competitor over the past few years, with her accolades including a Limited Pro Late Model championship at California’s All American Speedway last season. With how focused Central Coast Racing’s co-owners Todd and Kelly Souza have been on providing women opportunities to drive, Mitchell considers them a perfect team for her West Series debut.

She hopes to make a strong first impression with the Souzas and continue charting her own path toward the top levels of NASCAR.

“It’s really cool [Central Coast Racing] has been doing that,” Mitchell said. “We went down to their shop the other week, and it’s interesting, because most of the time, the cars I’ve been in have had guys in them before, but sitting in a seat that’s had another girl in it was really cool.”

Only a few months removed from winning the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award, Kenna Mitchell will make her ARCA Menards Series West debut at Shasta Speedway on Saturday. (Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Mitchell joined a notable list of Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winners that include Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth and Lanie Buice. Sanchez and Caruth have since gone on to win events at the national NASCAR level, while Buice’s 2026 schedule includes a part-time ARCA Menards Series campaign.

To ensure her trajectory mirrors that of other trailblazers in the industry, Mitchell has familiarized herself with various disciplines out on the West Coast. Along with competing in Limited Pro Late Models, Mitchell also has a handful of Pro Late Model starts to her name, which provided her insight on how to race with momentum in the corners.

The West Series chassis is much different compared to anything Mitchell has driven to date, especially when it comes to the increased weight. Despite this, Mitchell does not envision a significant learning curve with the West Series car given the experience she possesses at many West Coast tracks, including Shasta.

Multiple grooves of racing at Shasta is why Mitchell considers the facility one of her favorites. While Mitchell is unsure of how effective the top groove is going to be in the West Series chassis Saturday, she is determined to find her own preferred line around Shasta that will allow her to gain or maintain track position.

The past success Central Coast Racing has enjoyed themselves at Shasta with Tyler Reif’s victory in 2024 is also contributing to Mitchell’s confidence. She believes everything is in place for her to enjoy a stellar West Series debut and build momentum ahead of her other two starts at Madera Speedway and her home track of All American.

“With my experience, especially having been to [Shasta] before, I’d love to go for the win,” Mitchell said. “I feel like we can be pretty fast. All the races I’m running [with Central Coast Racing] are tracks I’ve been at before, so I’m not worried about it being my first time at any of them.”

Mitchell’s ARCA Menards Series West debut in the Bill Schmitt Memorial 173 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame commences at 8:30 p.m. PT/11:30 p.m. ET on Saturday evening as part of ARCA Night in America presented by Menards between Shasta Speedway and the ARCA Menards Series East race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel will provide live coverage of the on-track action starting at 8:30 p.m. ET with the Cook Out Music City 150 at Nashville Fairgrounds for the East Series.

Hunter Wright seeks another strong run in front of his home crowd

During last year’s ARCA Menards Series East event at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, local hero Hunter Wright put together a solid third-place finish while piloting the No. 95 Toyota for MAN Motorsports.

Now Wright, the reigning Pro Late Model champion at Nashville Fairgrounds, is teaming back up with MAN Motorsports for Saturday’s Cook Out Music City 150, the first leg of Saturday’s ARCA Night in America presented by Menards.

Wright will be part of a two-car team for MAN Motorsports alongside Jackson McLerran, who moves over to the No. 96 Toyota after driving the No. 95 for the first two events.

The consistency Wright has shown in a Pro Late Model extends far beyond his home track of Nashville Fairgrounds. Wright secured two Pro Late Model championships in the World Series of Asphalt at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in 2024 and 2025, when he also added four victories against seasoned veterans and NASCAR prospects.

Saturday’s Cook Out Music City 150 serves as Wright’s sixth overall East Series start, none of which have seen him finish outside the top 10. Aside from Wright’s third-place run at Nashville Fairgrounds last year, his other top-five finish in the East Series came during the 2024 season opener at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

Although teams like Joe Gibbs Racing and Pinnacle Racing Group stand in the way of Wright potentially securing a breakthrough victory, he is still determined to perform well at the track that has played a crucial role in defining his career.

David Smith enters Shasta with optimism after leading his first West Series laps

The official results from the most recent ARCA Menards Series West race at Tucson Speedway showed David Smith finish 15^th, but the outing was the best of his career to date.

Smith, a 76-year-old competitor from British Columbia, led 19 laps, the second most of any West Series driver that night. By choosing to be aggressive with the tire strategy, Smith paced the talented field for a short period of time before fading during the closing stages.

After finding a cadence in Trans Am competition in the late 2010s, Smith made his West Series debut at Evergreen Speedway during the 2022 season. He’s been driving full-time in the West Series in his No. 05 Toyota since then, picking up a career-best points finish of seventh last year.

Now Smith is officially a lap leader in the West Series and is currently ranked fifth in the total amount led on the 2026 season after three races. The 19 laps Smith led at Tucson currently put him ahead of drivers that include Hailie Deegan, Robbie Kennealy and the reigning West Series champion Trevor Huddleston.

Saturday’s Bill Schmitt Memorial 173 at Shasta Speedway is not expected to feature another tire conservation element. Despite this, Smith looks to keep his own No. 05 Toyota in one piece and potentially earn his second career Shasta top 10.

Landon S. Huffman returns to second CR7 Motorsports car

In his ARCA Menards Series East debut at Hickory Motor Speedway earlier this year, Landon S. Huffman found himself in contention to win at his home track before a late spin while battling for the lead relegated him to sixth.

The son of Pinnacle Racing Group team manager Shane Huffman, the younger Huffman makes his return to the East Series for Saturday’s Cook Out Music City 150 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Huffman will once again drive the No. 9 Chevrolet for CR7 Motorsports, a team car to reigning East Series champion Isaac Kitzmiller.

Hickory was the ideal track for Huffman to make his debut, as it was where he developed his craft in Late Model Stocks just like his father did. After winning a handful of Late Model Stock events at Hickory, Huffman branched out to other tracks in the southeast and is now a full-time competitor on the CARS Tour.

It was through the CARS Tour that Huffman got his first exposure to Nashville Fairgrounds’ fast-but-abrasive layout prior to the Cook Out Music City 150. Huffman’s race ended eight laps before the checkered flag, but he looks to use the knowledge obtained from that evening to enjoy a strong sophomore outing in the East Series.

If Huffman wishes to find Victory Lane on Saturday, his father’s team in PRG will be among those he will have to defeat. Huffman came close to doing so at Hickory, but now he has to regroup at Nashville Fairgrounds, a track he is still figuring out.

Fresh off first top five, Gavin Ray rides momentum into Shasta

Tucson Speedway yielded Gavin Ray his best career finish (fifth) through six ARCA Menards Series West starts to date.

Consistency has followed Ray since he made his West Series debut with Jerry Pitts Racing at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway last January. Ray earned a solid lead-lap finish of sixth that afternoon and has since recorded three more top-10 finishes, including two in the first three West Series events of 2026.

The experience Ray possesses at tracks like Tucson and The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway helped him transition into the heavy West Series chassis. Ray won several events at The Bullring in a Legends car, but he also secured a Legends victory at Tucson nearly three months before the West Series event there this year.

While Ray’s start to his 2026 season has been strong, a late crash at Phoenix Raceway in March is why he currently sits eighth in the West Series standings. Plenty of unknowns are ahead of Ray prior to his first West Series appearance at Shasta Speedway, but he seeks to build upon everything that has worked for him so far with Pitts’ operation.

Pitts is known for helping develop many talented drivers that went on to make starts at NASCAR’s top levels. By earning a top-five finish so early in his West Series career, Ray could very well find himself on a similar path.

Quinn Davis hoping for better fortunes at Nashville

The two appearances Quinn Davis has made with City Garage Motorsports in the East Series this year saw her endure mechanical issues that kept her outside of the top 10.

Davis heads to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway looking for a much-needed reset following her slow start to the season. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Davis will see Saturday’s Cook Out Music City 150 function as a bit of a home race, as her current place of residence in Sparta, Tennessee is located fewer than 100 miles from Nashville.

Nashville is where Davis made her East Series debut last year, piloting the No. 31 Toyota for Rise Motorsports. Although she finished five laps down to winner Max Reaves, Davis gained valuable experience and kept her car out of trouble all afternoon, enabling her to secure a ninth-place finish on the day.

With notes to rely upon from her first trip to Nashville in an East Series car, Davis is determined to put together another solid showing and get her 2026 full-time campaign on the right track. Like Davis, City Garage Motorsports is also seeking a second consecutive Nashville top 10 after Becca Monopoli finished one spot ahead of Davis last year.

Currently 14^th in the East Series standings, six races remain for Davis and City Garage Motorsports to make up the ground lost in their first two races together. A clean, methodical evening on Saturday is all it could take for Davis to depart Nashville firmly inside the top 10 in points.