There is not much Taylor Mayhew remembers about his father David’s ARCA Menards Series West victory at Sonoma Raceway in 2015, apart from playing in the ice chest.
More than a decade later, the younger Mayhew finds himself driving the same No. 17 Chevrolet for MMI Racing that David piloted to seven West Series victories. One key difference for Taylor is that he is still in the early days of his career, with Friday’s General Tire 150 (3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel) being the first time he has competed on a road course in a stock car.
With all the knowledge David possesses on how to excel in the West Series, Taylor is confident his maiden visit to Sonoma will be a successful one.
“Pretty much, [my dad] told me to make sure my shifts are smooth, stay on track and hit all the braking points right,” Taylor said. “Patience is key, and you have to be smooth but aggressive at the same time. There’s a fine line there, and I’m still learning every time I’m on the race track. It’s a cool opportunity for me to run Sonoma with his past there.”
David was the inspiration behind Taylor’s own journey into motorsports and has consistently relied on him for feedback on how to maximize his car’s performance. This process has included the two Mayhews racing alongside each other regularly, primarily in Legends competition.
Taylor Mayhew grabbed plenty of victories in Legends events against young prospects and veterans alike. Success gradually followed Taylor as he transitioned into full-bodied stock cars, with the 2026 season seeing him score two Super Late Model victories at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Colorado National Speedway.
Another milestone Mayhew crossed this year: His West Series debut in the season-opener at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, which he considers his home track. After starting seventh, Mayhew found himself in a position to win in his first West Series appearance but ended up settling for a strong, third-place showing.
One week later, Mayhew faced another imposing challenge: participating in a combination event with the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix Raceway. Even with 40 cars in the field, Mayhew once again mirrored his father’s composure in the MMI Racing No. 17, ultimately bringing the car home eighth on the lead lap.
The first two ventures in a West Series car for Mayhew provided plenty of valuable lessons on braking and horsepower, qualities he believes have prepared him to tackle a challenging road course like Sonoma that features elevation changes. Mayhew is not setting any expectations for Sonoma, but he does want to continue the momentum from his first two West Series starts.
Just like he has done throughout his whole career, Taylor intends to listen to David for input on how to navigate Sonoma. Taylor is thankful for everything David and MMI Racing co-owner Steve McGowan have done for his development and would love to repay them with a trip to Sonoma’s Victory Lane, just like his dad did 11 years ago.
“Winning a West [Series] race in general would be a super cool deal to achieve, or any ARCA race honestly if it’s East, West or national,” Taylor Mayhew said. “I grew up watching my dad run this series. [It’d be especially cool] to win [at Sonoma] because that’s one of our favorite tracks to go to and hang out.”
Sage Karam all set for West Series debut
Throughout his career, Sage Karam has contested numerous races in stock cars, endurance cars and open-wheel cars across the United States, including the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
On Friday, Karam will put his road-course experience to use as he contests his first race on the ARCA Menards Series platform. The car Karam will drive is the No. 72 Chevrolet, one of two entries fielded by Jonathan Reaume and Strike Mamba Racing.
After spending the latter half of the 2010s in the IndyCar Series, Karam began transitioning to NASCAR on a consistent basis in 2021. Most of his appearances in stock cars have been in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he scored top-five finishes at Daytona International Speedway and Road America.
The Road America race in 2023 remains the closest Karam has come to taking home a checkered flag in NASCAR. Driving the No. 24 Toyota for Sam Hunt Racing, Karam briefly led the field during an overtime event but slipped off course in Turns 13 and 14 coming to the white flag, which forced him to settle for a strong-but-disappointing fourth.
Now Karam looks to recapture the magic from his near-miss with Strike Mamba at Sonoma, a track at which he has two prior O’Reilly Series starts. Both of those events ended with Karam behind the wall, but he still brings a plethora of auto racing knowledge that will be vital to Strike Mamba’s program this weekend.
Hailie Deegan eyes more success at Sonoma
The last time Hailie Deegan attempted an ARCA Menards Series West event at Sonoma Raceway, in 2019, she qualified on pole in Bill McAnally Racing’s No. 19 Toyota.
A lot has changed for Deegan since. She has competed in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and even ventured into Indy NXT. Now she finds herself back at Sonoma in the same division and with the same team from 2019, determined to find more success in a stock car.
Deegan’s first stint in the West Series from 2018-19 was a successful one; she earned three victories and finished third in the standings in her second full-time campaign. Confident aggression defined Deegan’s driving style and was instrumental in her moving up the developmental ladder.
In her return to the West Series platform, Deegan has recorded top 10s in four of the six races so far, including a sixth in the 2026 season-opener at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. Qualifying speed has become a strength of Deegan’s in recent weeks, as she has two consecutive third-place starting spots rolling into Sonoma.
Carrying over the pace she possessed from short tracks into a road course like Sonoma will be a challenge for Deegan, but she knows how to find speed around the complex. Another standout qualifying run in the General Tire 150 could put Deegan in an ideal position to fight for her fourth West Series victory.
NOTES:
- The most recent ARCA Menards Series West outing at Tri-City Raceway saw Mia Lovell record her career-best finish to date, a third. Lovell has a great chance to match or best that showing at Sonoma Raceway on Friday, as she acquired plenty of road-course experience prior to transitioning into stock cars.
- Central Coast Racing will pursue the team’s first ARCA Menards Series West win of 2026 this weekend with owner Todd Souza behind the wheel of the No. 13 Toyota. Souza’s lone West Series victory came at a road course back in 2008, but he also fared well at Sonoma with runs that include a top five back in 2021.
- Bill McAnally Racing is bringing a third car to Sonoma Raceway for the General Tire 150 that will be piloted by NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competitor Patrick Staropoli. Friday will bring the first competitive laps Staropoli has turned of any kind around Sonoma in his career.
- Jeff Anton, a long-time ARCA Menards Series East veteran, has enjoyed solid performances since returning to action last year. One of those performances was a top 10 in last year’s ARCA Menards Series West race at Sonoma Raceway, a mark he seeks to improve upon in his own equipment this weekend.
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