by Ben Schneider / LASTCAR.info Staff Writer
Ray Bolinger finished last for the 2nd time in his ARCA Menards Series West career in last Saturday’s Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100 at Phoenix Raceway when his No. 38 Titan Steel / Kart Idaho Toyota fell out with handling issues after 20 of 114 laps.
The finish came in Bolinger’s fourth career ARCA West start and fifth entry/attempt after recording a “did not start” status at the previous race at the Las Vegas Bullring.
Bolinger has appeared on the entry list for every West Series race since round eight at Portland International Raceway. After his 25th-place debut at Portland, his first appearance on this site came after his second start at All American Speedway. Bolinger then placed 20th at Madera and received 25th-place points at the Bullring for his “DNS.” At Phoenix, it was reportedly a “vibration” issue that knocked Bolinger out of the race after 20 laps, giving him his second official last-place finish in the four events in which he has been able to take the green flag.
In terms of the LASTCAR Drivers’ Championship for the ARCA Menards Series West, the battle remains exceptionally close. Bolinger’s last-place finish at Phoenix made him and Josiah Reaume the only two drivers with more than one last-place finish in 2026. Although Bolinger holds the Bottom Five tiebreaker over Reaume, David Smith, despite just one last-place finish, would hold the Bottom Five tiebreaker over both drivers should he pick up a second last-place result at the Kern finale on Saturday night. Reaume could also pick up the championship with a Bottom Five finish on a Bottom Ten tiebreaker should Bolinger finish outside of the Bottom Ten and Smith avoid a last-place finish, though given Bolinger has yet to complete even half of the race distance in any of his five entries this season, this scenario remains unlikely.
As of Wednesday evening, Bolinger and Smith appear on the entry list, and while Reaume is currently absent, the No. 72 Strike Mamba Racing entry is listed as “TBA” in regards to their driver.
Joining Bolinger in the garage was Quinn Davis, who returned to Jan’s Towing Racing in their No. 41 entry for a second straight race. Davis was spun in the dogleg and was unable to continue after completing 65 laps. Esteban Rodriguez, fresh off a 10th-place finish at Kansas, finished under power in his West Series debut but was limited to 70 laps due to electrical issues. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Andrew Chapman, who crashed with three laps to go after contact with Max Reaves, and Helio Meza, who spun while running in second on the overtime restart.
Up front, Reaves gave Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota one final ARCA victory, leading 91 laps en route to the win in the team’s final ARCA start. Gibbs’ closest challenge game from Taylor Reimer, who led 23 laps and finished second in her No. 82 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet. West Series regular Mason Massey placed third for Bill McAnally Racing and will look to bookend his 2026 season with wins at Kern in Saturday’s season finale.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
27) #38-Ray Bolinger / 20 laps / mechanical/handling
26) #41-Quinn Davis / 65 laps / crash/accident
25) #37-Esteban Rodriguez / 70 laps / running
24) #55-Andrew Chapman / 96 laps / crash/accident
23) #28-Helio Meza / 105 laps / mechanical/accident
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST OWNERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 12 of 13)
1st) Strike Mamba Racing (3)
2nd) Kart Idaho Racing (2)
3rd) Rise Racing with Earnhardt-Shearer Racing, Central Coast Racing, Shockwave Motorsports, Performance P-1 Motorsports, Nascimento Motorsports, Jan’s Towing Racing, Rise Racing (1)
2026 LASTCAR ARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP (After Race 12 of 13)
1st) Toyota (6)
2nd) Chevrolet (5)
2nd) 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 12 of 13)
