PIT BOX: Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway wraps up 2026 season for ARCA Menards Series West

Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway will put a bow on an eventful season not just for the ARCA Menards Series West, but the entire ARCA platform.

Fittingly for the West Series, the season ends where it began. The series kicked off the year on on Feb. 28 at Kern when Mason Massey took home his first checkered flag of the West Series campaign, launching a competitive year that has seen nine different drivers visit Victory Lane across 12 events so far.

Kern is one of the newest tracks on the West Series schedule, opening its doors to the public in 2013 as a spiritual successor to the defunct Mesa Marin Raceway. Aside from 2021, the West Series has visited Kern every year it has operated, all while the facility has undergone numerous changes, such as being renamed Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway at the end of 2023.

With Trevor Huddleston having effectively locked up the West Series championship entering the finale, Saturday serves as a final opportunity for competitors to win on the ARCA platform in 2026. Many full-time West Series drivers have yet to prevail this year, but they will have to usurp the usual contenders if they wish to go out on a high note.

Tickets to the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway can be purchased here. Below is everything to know ahead of the 13^th and final ARCA Menards Series West race of the year.

NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway

With a 39-point advantage entering Saturday’s finale, all Trevor Huddleston needs to do is to show up to Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway on Saturday to clinch his second consecutive ARCA Menards Series West title.

The 2026 season has been another consistent outing for the West Series veteran, who has led 752 laps and tallied nine top fives to go along with two victories at Shasta Speedway and Colorado National Speedway. Kern has been a strong track for Huddleston during his career, as he swept both West Series events at the facility in 2025.

Huddleston’s family also owns Kern, so the pending championship celebration is expected to be equal parts energetic and sentimental.

Before Huddleston wraps up the championship, he will look to claim one more checkered flag during the 2026 campaign. Among the drivers expected to challenge Huddleston include the Bill McAnally Racing duo of Mason Massey, the most recent Kern winner, and Hailie Deegan, who won at Madera Speedway earlier this year after passing Huddleston in the final corner.

The Jan’s Racing Team pair of Cole Denton and Robbie Kennealy occupy the remaining positions in the top five in the West Series standings with the aforementioned Huddleston, Massey and Deegan. A stellar rookie year for Denton includes victories at Tucson Speedway and Tri-City Raceway, while Kennealy hopes to leave Kern with his first checkered flag of the season.

Central Coast Racing led the most laps during the West Series’ most recent visit to Kern in February with two-time Weste Series champion Sean Hingorani at the wheel. Piloting Central Coast’s No. 13 Toyota for the 2026 season finale is Kenna Mitchell, the 2025 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner who is only a few weeks removed from finishing third with the team at Madera.

Other drivers seeking to end the 2026 West Series season with a victory are Taylor Mayhew, Vito Cancilla, Sam Corry, Donald Witkowski, Tyler Tomassi, Hudson Sharp and Wesley Slimp.

The complete entry list for the NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame will be released later this week.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series West races at Kern
• ARCA Menards Series West drivers at Kern

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 24 starters, plus provisionals. This event will be run under the 2026 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap per the Single Car Qualifying procedure. No adjustments will be allowed after the car takes the green flag. All cars must make a qualifying attempt; all drivers must practice before they can qualify.

RACE PIT STOP: Break pitting procedure. Break at/or near the conclusion of Lap 75. No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum tire usage for this event (purchased plus from-home tires) is (10) for the entire race day event.