Now that we have all recovered from the Bristol weekend, it is time to move on in the championship hunt for various series within NASCAR. Teams clicked their heels together and headed to Kansas Speedway as the The Chase continues on. The Craftsman Truck Series and Cup Series continued to solidify points positions, while the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season came to a close in Kansas.
For ARCA driver Thomas Annunziata, his Nitro Motorsports team fought tooth and nail to hold off favorite (and teammate) Jake Bollman for the 2026 season title. The ARCA championship was decided with the closing laps as the two teammates repeatedly made (what I will politely call) contact during the event. The end result? Annunziata’s #70 Nitro team won the title by tie breaker. The #70 team scored a win in Lime Rock, while Bollman’s #20 Nitro team went winless in the season, but has held the point lead since early in 2026. Broken system? Maybe…teammates who will likely not speak anytime soon? Definitely.
The biggest surprise and highlight however, came in the ARCA West Series event in Madera, Ca. A returning driver to the series this season, picked up their 4th career win on the short track. Also winning for the first time since 2019 in a comeback trail season.
Next Weekend, it’s Cup and O’Reilly in Las Vegas. Following Vegas, I will be taking a two-week vacation break, but should be waving the green flag on Talladega.
Madera, Ca.
MADERA 150
Winner: Hailie Deegan
Pole: Trevor Huddleston
#16 HAILIE DEEGAN
Hailie Deegan’s stock car career has certainly not been what was foreseen for the young driver. Debuting in the ARCA West Series in 2018, Deegan won fairly quickly, collecting three wins from 2018 to 2019 with a then Toyota-backed Bill McAnally Racing. Deegan’s quick success unfortunately saw her moved into the higher level series in (what is my opinion in this case) too quickly. With results quickly fading in both the Craftsman Truck and O’Reilly Series, Deegan took to the IndyCar development series Indy NXT, which had its own learning curve.
Deegan returned home in many ways in 2026, reuniting with Bill McAnally Racing in ARCA West. Signed to drive the #16 Chevrolet, Deegan has made great strides in results and consistency this season. All this knocking on the door has led to the event in Madera, where the biggest highlight of her comeback season happened.
THE STORY
With so many close to but not quite wins the last few races, Deegan finally broke through in Madera. The #16 Chevrolet showed some muscle immediately in the event, with a 3rd place qualifying effort. As the race wore on, Deegan remained a consistent threat at the front of the field. Following a late caution, the field was queued up, and with a bit of muscling leader Trevor Huddleston up the track (not wrecking), Deegan made a last lap, last turn pass to score her 4th career ARCA West win. (the end of race move can be viewed here).
Photo Credit: bmrnaparacing.com
As the 2026 ARCA West season draws to a close in a few weeks, Deegan and her #16 team sit fourth in points…backing what is a great comeback season. Deegan showed great maturity and skill in just muscling Huddleston up the track, and earning a much-deserved comeback season win.
*You can view an article I wrote on Deegan’s progress I wrote in July here*
Kansas Speedway
MENARDS 150
Winner: Carson Brown
Pole: Giovanni Ruggiero
#55 ISABELLA ROBUSTO
One of the top talents in the Toyota development program, Isabella Robusto has continuously shown she is ready for that next big step. A hold over from the former Venturini Motorsports team (who she had great success with), Robusto and her #55 Toyota team rolled into the new Nitro Motorsports multi-car team who purchased all of her former team. The story of Robusto’s 2026 season however? Very much in the arena of equipment failures and bad luck….but performed tremendously when all that took a backseat.
Kansas was likely for Robusto, almost a relief. The 2026 ARCA Menards Series season wrapped up this past weekend, putting an end to any further bad luck. While her teammates mentioned in the opener spent the race trying to knock each other out of first in the standings, Robusto had a quiet but solid run to cap off 2026.
THE STORY
Robusto entered Kansas on the back of top ten finishes in three of the previous five events. A prolific qualifier for a good portion of the season, the #55 Toyota rolled off 9th. While her teammates battled to take each other out, Robusto quietly spent the race in the top ten, and would collect an 8th-place finish in the season finale.
Photo Credit: Catchfence.com
In a season where results did not nearly equal performance (thank you Nitro), Robusto does maintain a unique record she should be very proud of. Until it is broke, Robusto holds the record for most top five finishes by a female driver in ARCA Menards Series history…this is a credit to her consistent performance.
Robusto will officially end the 2026 season with 20 starts, 3 top five finishes, and 10 top ten finishes. If the Nitro team can back her more in 2027, and improve upon repeated equipment issues….Robusto may very well break through to that first win in ’27.
Kansas Speedway
RACE TO STOP SUICIDE 200
Winner: Kaden Honeycutt
Pole: Nick Sanchez
#7 NICK LEITZ
The story that Nick Leitz has put together this season deserves some recognition, and Kansas was an exclamation point on that story. For 2026, Leitz signed a deal to run a limited schedule for TRICON Garage driving both their #5 and #1 Toyotas when the schedule allowed. The TRICON deal is arguably the best equipment Leitz has been given in his career, after carving out impressive results in his O’Reilly and Truck series starts over the years. This season has shown what he can do given the right equipment.
THE STORY
Making his fifth start of the season, and fourth in TRICON Garage’s #1 Toyota, Leitz had what could be called a career-defining run in Kansas. Rolling off 26th, Leitz quietly and methodically made his way through the field, showing the #1 Toyota was just as fast as teammate and race winner Kaden Honeycutt. Following the beginning of stage 3, Leitz continued to make a run to the front, and would go on to score a career best 7th place finish.
Photo Credit: Jayski and TRICON Garage
In his limited starts with TRICON this season, Leitz has finished 11th (Daytona), 17th (N. Wilkesboro), 12th (Richmond), 34th (Bristol), and now 7th (Kansas). Leitz has 13 career truck starts dating back to 2022, but has now been given a chance to showcase his talent in a competitive ride. If I was a team owner looking to fill a full-time seat in 2027, and have a chance to make a run at a top ten points finish, I would seriously consider Leitz…as TRICON should maybe be doing now.
Kansas Speedway
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
Winner: Kyle Larson
Pole: Joey Logano
#2 AUSTIN CINDRIC
Cindric and his #2 Team Penske Ford team always seem to be just on the outside looking in most seasons, making the playoffs, but always getting eliminated while Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney move forward annually, already having been Cup Series champions. The bad luck bug seems to like to hangout in in #2 team’s pit box, with Cindric often running better than the official end results record. Kansas saw a race simply dominated by Kyle Larson, but Cindric stalked Larson’s Chevrolet late in the going, as teammates Logano and Blaney faded back.
THE STORY
The #2 Ford started the race on the right side of things, as Cindric started the race in 11th. Quickly making his way through the field as a 235-lap leading Larson drove off into the sunset, the Penske driver placed within the top three of both stages 1 and 2. Finishing second in stage 2, Cindric had a front row seat to start stage 3. During the final stage (3), Cindric would keep Larson the only one in his windshield, and bring home a strong 2nd place finish.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Sean Gardner/Getty Images
As mentioned in previous articles, Cindric has had a very up and down 2026, but Kansas was most certainly a sign the #2 Penske team could be gaining on their teammates. Cindric has finished no worse then 13th the last seven races now, with his previous best being a third place in Richmond a handful of race’s ago.