by ARCA Staff Report
Ethan Nascimento scores first ARCA West Series victory in thrilling photo finish at All-American Speedway on Saturday night in the NAPA Auto Parts 150.
When this week started, Ethan Nascimento had no plans to race in Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series West event at All-American Speedway.
Ethan Nascimento: Victory at All-American
That changed Wednesday. By Saturday evening, Nascimento was celebrating his first West Series victory after winning the NAPA Auto Parts 150.
Nothing about Nascimento’s breakthrough triumph was easy. After starting at the rear of the 19-car field, Nascimento had to pass reigning ARCA Menards Series West champion Trevor Huddleston in the waning moments to win.
Nascimento showed no fear during the final sprint, trading paint with the West Series veteran before snatching the victory off the final corner.
“I’m sorry I had to do that to Trevor, but this is my first ever win,” Nascimento said. “I haven’t been in an ARCA car for about two years, so it’s good to be back. Started dead last due to a part issue with the clutch, but we drove it to the front. Knew we were fast.”
The Closing Laps
The talent Nascimento displayed on Saturday was prevalent during his most recent West Series stint in 2024. Nascimento contested three of the final four races with his family-owned program, scoring a then-career-best third-place finish at Madera Speedway.
Any rust Nascimento had would quickly need to be shaken off given his precarious starting position. Yet Nascimento gradually picked off his fellow competitors before settling in behind race leader Huddleston with 35 laps to go.
Ian Wood’s late-race spin gave Nascimento what he needed: a chance.
Nascimento made up for a poor restart with five laps left by knocking Huddleston off the bottom groove in the first turn, allowing him to pull alongside. Despite having the preferred groove, Huddleston’s car possessed immense grip on the top line, allowing him to gradually pull away from Nascimento as the final lap drew closer.
Huddleston’s decision to stick to the top groove played into Nascimento’s favor, as he knocked him up the track in the second turn coming to the checkered flag. In control of the bottom line, all Nascimento needed was to take Huddleston’s preferred groove away to bring home a cathartic first victory in his return to West Series competition.
Trevor Huddleston Frustrated with Finish
The way Huddleston was raced by Nascimento during the closing laps left him slightly frustrated, but he was satisfied the contact ultimately didn’t ruin a solid evening.
“It was an epic race,” Huddleston said. “We had a good long-run car, and it obviously showed. You can’t win them all. Big picture night for us. I think we gained a lot of points, which is the main thing. Congrats to Ethan. I know he’s been working on that for a while. Once or twice, ‘hey to you, bud’. The fourth time is when I got a little upset.”
Family-Owned Team and Victory
Nascimento’s father Eric and his older brother Eric Jr. have both raced in the West Series, all of them working tirelessly to get their equipment up to par with the perennial contenders. That hard work manifested in Nascimento on Saturday, a 19-year-old prospect with a fearless on-track attitude.
Despite the short notice and adverse circumstances, Nascimento never lost confidence in the ability of his car to excel at All American Speedway. Now he and his family are West Series winners for the first time.
“I want to thank my dad, my mom, my uncle Roger Brackett, everyone that works in the shop,” Nascimento said. “We got the call on Wednesday to bring this car out, and we knw we were going to be fast. We busted our butts, and we brought a really fast race car.”
The NAPA Auto Parts 150 Results
Hailie Deegan nearly capitalized on the battle between Nascimento and Huddleston in front of her, but she settled for her second straight third-place run. The most recent All-American winner, Robbie Kennealy, came home fourth, with Will Robinson rounding out the top five.
The ARCA West Series Point Standings
Trevor Huddleston did extend his series lead to 35 points over Mason Massey in second place. Robbie Keneally is 37 points back in third. Cole Denton (-41), and Eric Johnson Jr. (-48) round out the top five.
Up Next
The next time the ARCA Menards Series West hits the track will be at Madera Speedway near the end of September, which kicks off a hectic push to wrap up the 2026 season. The green flag for the Madera 150 presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame will wave at 7:20 p.m. PT/10:20 p.m. ET, with FloRacing providing live coverage.
