ARCA WEST: ‘Part failure’ at Madera leaves Cole Denton in last place
by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Cole Denton finished last for the 1st time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in Saturday’s Madera 150 at Madera Speedway when his No. 71 Jan’s Towing Ford fell out with mechanical issues after 25 of 157 laps.
The finish came in Denton’s 10th career ARCA West start.
At just 16 years old, Denton has already established himself as one of the West Series’ most prominent young prospects. Like many of his contemporaries, he grew up racing Bandoleros and Legends Cars before earning a full-time opportunity with Jan’s Towing Racing for 2026. After finishing 10th in his ARCA West debut at Kern and then 24th in the combination race at Phoenix, Denton - then still only 15 years old - took the checkered flag first at Tucson in just his third career start. He has since follwed this up with another win at Tri-City.
On Saturday night, however, Denton’s evening came to an abrupt end after just 25 laps. After an early caution for a spin by Ian Wood, Denton brought out the second yellow flag when his car stopped on track. In a video posted to his Facebook page, Denton simply described the issue as a “part failure,” though it was significant enough that he did not return to the track, leaving him with the first last-place finish of his young career.
In total, 21 cars appeared on the entry list, with All American Speedway last-place finisher Ray Bolinger anchoring the starting lineup. Bolinger was the next to pull behind the wall on Saturday night, running 56 laps before he retired with handling issues. Gavin Ray was the third and final DNF, suffering a rear gear failure after 80 laps. Rounding out the Bottom Five were David Smith and Josiah Reaume, both of whom completed 152 laps, five short of the overtime-extended total of 157.
Up front, Hailie Deegan scored perhaps the most popular win of the season so far, leading only the final lap to take her fourth career West Series victory. Deegan’s win was her first since the West Series was still under the NASCAR K&N Pro Series banner in 2019 and, like her three previous series wins, came on a last-lap pass that involved contact with the race leader. Despite that contact, series points leader Trevor Huddleston still came across the line in second, while Kenna Mitchell scored her best career ARCA West finish with a third-place result in only her third series start.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
21) #71-Cole Denton / 25 laps / mechanical
20) #38-Ray Bolinger / 56 laps / handling
19) #7-Gavin Ray / 80 laps / mechanical/rear gear
18) #05-David Smith / 152 laps / running
17) #72-Josiah Reaume / 152 laps / running
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 10 of 13)
1st) Strike Mamba Racing (3)
2nd) Rise Racing with Earnhardt-Shearer Racing, Central Coast Racing, Shockwave Motorsports, Performance P-1 Motorsports, Nascimento Motorsports, Kart Idaho Racing, Jan’s Towing Racing (1)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 10 of 13)
1st) Toyota (5)
2nd) Chevrolet (4)
3rd) Ford (1)
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Click HERE throughout the 2026 ARCA season to view the full drivers’ standings for both the ARCA Menards Series and its East and West divisions. You can also find the manufacturers’ and owners’ standings for all three series HERE.
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 10 of 13)
