Cole Denton revels in his first ARCA West Series victory at Tucson Speedway on Saturday night in the Tucson ARCA Menards West 150.
TUCSON, Ariz. — Although Cole Denton had never competed at Tucson Speedway before Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series West race, he handled the weekend with a veteran’s poise.
Cole Denton: First Victory
With tire conservation being at the forefront of the strategy, Denton was tasked with maintaining his track position from the pole while ensuring his car would be fast enough for the closing stages. Patience and perfectly timed cautions played into Denton’s favor, who scored a comfortable, maiden West Series victory Saturday evening.
Denton found himself in disbelief over a race going that perfectly so early into his West Series career. The dynamic elements prevalent at Tucson kept Denton vigilant all evening, but he attributed the triumphant outcome to the winning culture being built at Jan’s Racing.
“[I needed] as many laps as I could get,” Denton said. “[Jan’s Racing] has done a great job coaching me, and my driver coach Robbie Kennealy has done a great job. I can’t believe this. It’s so awesome.”
A native of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Denton primarily competed in Legends and Bandoleros across the southeast until his family got connected with Madera Speedway owner Kenny Shepherd. It was through Madera’s Jr. Late Model Series that Denton turned his first laps in a full-bodied stock car.
The results Denton put together at Madera eventually led to him joining Jan’s Racing for the entire 2026 West Series season. Although his knowledge of stock cars was limited, Denton was eager to lean on Jan’s Racing owner Jan Qualkenbush and his teammate Robbie Kennealy for advice on how to excel in the discipline.
Three races into his partnership with Jan’s Racing, Denton is now a West Series winner.
‘Denton’s Race Recap
Reaching that milestone in Tucson required Denton to quickly identify the essentials needed to be efficient around the half-mile oval. Saving tires was only one part of that equation for Denton, as he initially had no idea how Tucson would race with more than a dozen other cars sharing the track with him.
Once he turned his first laps around Tucson, a sense of familiarity overcame Denton, which gave him all the confidence he needed to set his own cadence.
“There’s a track I raced at back home on the East Coast [called] Lanier Raceplex,” Denton said. “It’s so much like [Tucson], you round the corner, you’re turning the entire time. This track is so fun, and the lanes are amazing. I love it.”
As part of the strategy, Denton was forced to surrender the lead on a couple of a different occasions but never dropped out of the top five. That was in stark contrast to many of his fellow competitors that elected to drop to the rear of the field and save tires before making a charge to the front late.
The Tucson ARCA Menards West 150 Results
Reigning West Series champion Trevor Huddleston fell in the latter category, patiently biding his time before using his superior tires to pick off the cars in front of him. Huddleston ran out of laps to mount a proper challenge on Denton for the lead, but he was more than satisfied to aid his title defense with a runner-up finish.
“Last year taught me that you can’t win them all, and you don’t have to win them all,” Huddleston said. “This is a win for us. We came out here with a plan and stuck to it. We were just a little bit short. Cole nailed it, [so] congratulations to him. I’m still happy with a P2. All in all, a great weekend.”
Eric Johnson Jr. finished third behind Denton and Huddleston, with the rest of the top five consisting of Kennealy and rookie Gavin Ray.
Eric Rhead, Hailie Deegan, Mia Lovell, Memphis Villarreal, and Julian DaCosta rounded out the top ten.
The ARCA West Series Point Standings
If Saturday is any indication, Denton could challenge Huddleston for the West Series championship all the way until the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
There are many elements about the ARCA Menards Series platform Denton is still learning, as his three races at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, Phoenix, and Tucson have all required a unique approach. Yet Denton has conquered those hurdles and found his way to Victory Lane in only his third start, a much-needed jolt for his rookie West Series campaign.
Denton is not sure what obstacles lie ahead, but when that next victory comes, he hopes it involves more throttle time and less emphasis on tire conservation.
“That race was kind of boring until the last 30 laps,” Denton said. “It felt like we were going under caution speed [before then].”
Up Next
The next race for the ARCA Menards Series West will not take place until next month, with a visit to Shasta Speedway in California. The green flag will wave at 8:30 p.m. PT/11:30 p.m. ET on May 2 with FloRacing providing live flag-to-flag coverage.
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