Hailie Deegan scores an emotional ARCA West Series victory with a last-lap pass at Madera Speedway on Saturday night in the Madera 150.
MADERA, Calif. — Hailie Deegan’s long, winding road in racing led her back to the ARCA Menards Series West in 2026. And on Saturday, the perseverance that’s kept her behind the wheel of a stock car paid off.
Hailie Deegan Scores a Victory
Two thousand, six hundred and sixty-seven days: Entering the Madera 150 at Madera Speedway, that was how long it had been since Hailie Deegan last visited West Series Victory Lane. By the time the checkered flag waved, the count had been reset to zero.
Deegan muscled her way past reigning West Series champion Trevor Huddleston on the final lap to win the Madera 150, the fourth West Series triumph of her career.
“I told myself today, ‘If I’m there, I’m capitalizing on it. I’m going to do everything I possibly can to win this damn race,’” Deegan said. “We had a car capable of winning it. The guys at Bill McAnally Racing gave me an amazing car.”
Huddleston dominated much of the Madera 150, but multiple caution flags kept the pilot of the No. 50 Ford Mustang honest. Deegan, on the other hand, raced near the front of the field for much of the night but didn’t challenge Huddleston until late in the race.
Following a spin by her Bill McAnally Racing teammate Mason Massey shortly after a restart with 26 laps left, Deegan moved into second and had the opportunity to race Huddleston for the lead.
Her first two attempts at challenging Huddleston failed as he slipped away from her during restarts. But, as they say, the third time’s a charm.
A multi-car accident during a restart with three laps left set up an overtime restart, and Deegan made the most of it. She stayed glued to Huddleston’s inside, and in the third and fourth turns on the final lap, the two made contact, pushing Huddleston up the track and allowing Deegan to slip away to her first West Series triumph since 2019.
“I’m tearing up right now; it’s been a long time since I won a race,” Deegan said as she fought back tears in Victory Lane. “I just want to say thank you to everyone, everyone that still believed in me. It’s been hard.
“Just to see everyone still supporting me these days, it’s amazing. It doesn’t go unseen, and I appreciate every single one of you.”
The Madera 150 Results
The ARCA West Series Point Standings
Huddleston settled for second after leading most of the race but extended his West Series championship lead as he looks to secure back-to-back series championships.
Kenna Mitchell earned a career-best third, followed by Robbie Kennealy and Massey. Joey Iest, Ethan Nascimento, Will Robinson, Andrew Chapman and Eric Rhead were sixth through tenth, respectively.
Next Up
The ARCA Menards Series West season continues Friday night with the running of the Kyle Busch Classic presented by Star Nursery at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Fans can watch the event live starting at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET exclusively on FloRacing.
