In his ARCA Menards Series West debut, Mason Massey came out on top. When asked by FloRacing, ‘Does it get any better than this?’ after a debut victory with Bill McAnally Racing, he replied, “I don’t think it does.”
It wasn’t Massey, but former West Series champion Sean Hingorani who led the majority of laps, setting the pace from the start. Massey, confident in his fast car after leading practice, eventually took the lead following a restart after the halfway break.
A caution with six laps to go set up a crucial restart. Massey held off Hingorani, while Taylor Mayhew moved into second. Massey seemed on his way to victory, but with one lap remaining, Julian DaCosta and Nitro Motorsports teammate Mia Lovell made contact, sending the race to overtime.
The restart in overtime between Mayhew and Massey was under review for Mayhew jumping it. Still, before the finish, another caution caused by Mayhew’s teammate Jaiden Reyna set up double overtime. Mayhew spun his tires, was passed by Eric Nascimento for second and Massey was victorious.
Mayhew settled for third, but after starting at the back of the pack at the beginning of the race due to making adjustments, it was a solid overall effort. Former Kern Raceway winners Trevor Huddleston and Hingorani rounded out the top 5.
Jade Avedisian started from the pole, but as the green flag waved, Hingorani quickly made his move and was able to overtake her for the lead. Massey then worked his way up to second, while Avedisian slipped back to third.
Andrew Chapman brought out the yellow flag 36 laps into the race. Following the restart, Massey slipped back to fourth as Huddleston worked past him for second.
With 91 laps remaining, Robbie Kennealy fell off the pace and triggered another caution as he made his way to pit road. After the restart, Joey Iest and Huddleston battled hard for second while Hingorani began to stretch his advantage out front.
Later, Lovell brought out a caution with 76 laps to go, which brought the race to its scheduled halfway break.
Hingorani looked like the dominant car for most of the day, but Massey’s long-run speed won out. The victory marked a changing of the guard, with Huddleston having won the last two West races at Kern Raceway in 2025 and Hingorani in 2024. In the end, Massey was able to out-battle the former winners and take home a debut victory.
ARCA West Results from Kevin’s Harvick’s Kern Raceway
ARCA West heads to Phoenix Raceway next on Thursday, March 5. The race will be a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series. Coverage from Phoenix will begin at 6 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
