WEST RICHLAND, Wash. — In both of his ARCA Menards Series West victories this season, Cole Denton started from the top spot.
That consistency has garnered the Pascagoula, Mississippi native a burgeoning nickname: “Pole Denton.” In his conquest of Tri-City Raceway for Saturday’s NAPA Auto Care 150 Greg Biffle Memorial, Denton posted the quickest lap in Saturday’s practice session before setting the West Series track record in qualifying with a time of 18.578 seconds.
Denton needed to fend off West Series points leader Trevor Huddleston to earn his second career victory, but he did so by being stalwart through several restarts.
Given that he had never turned a competitive lap around Tri-City prior to Saturday, Denton admitted he impressed himself by how quickly he adapted to the track.
“Every track we’ve been to this year has been a new track for me,” Denton said. “[This is] my first time ever on a tri-oval. I love this track. Turn one, turn two and turn three, they’re all different and it’s so awesome.”
The two West Series victories Denton now has on his growing resumé each carry its own unique distinction.
While Denton was tasked with figuring out Tri-City’s unique layout, his first win at Tucson Speedway in April required a different skill: tire conservation. Qualifying on pole gave Denton the early advantage, but he needed to exercise patience to maintain his track position and cycle back into the top spot during the closing stages.
Tire saving was not needed for Denton at Tri-City, but he faced constant pressure from Huddleston all evening. Denton lost the lead on the initial start to Huddleston, who used the top groove to power his way around the 15-year-old prospect, only for Denton to return the favor in the exact same manner on a subsequent restart.
Huddleston eventually found a rhythm and took control of the race, but Denton patiently waited for the next chance to reclaim the top spot. By perfectly timing the penultimate restart of the night, Denton surged ahead of Huddleston without drawing a penalty and ended up holding the lead until taking the checkered flag.
The best finish Huddleston had tallied at Tri-City in two previous West Series starts was a fifth in last year’s event. While he would have loved to earn his third consecutive West Series victory of 2026, Huddleston was proud of his performance Saturday. He also made sure to commend the poise Denton displayed behind the wheel.
“This has been a tough track for us,” Huddleston said. “A second place we’re super happy with. The team worked really hard, and Cole [Denton] did a phenomenal job. This is a tough track, and he nailed every lap, and he did an awesome job. I love racing in ARCA; I love racing with this team, and it’s pretty cool to come out here and do it for the Biff.”
Denton continued a streak of success for Jan’s Racing at Tri-City. The program found victory lane at the venue last year with Kyle Keller, who bested Jake Bollman on the final restart for his lone West Series checkered flag to date.
Denton was ecstatic to deliver another checkered flag for his team owner Jan Qualkenbush, especially in a race that honored one of the West Coast’s greatest competitors in Biffle. The learning curve has been steep at times for Denton in 2026, but he is grateful for all the advice Jan’s Racing continues to provide.
Now with two poles and two victories to match, Denton looks forward to finding more success with Jan’s Racing so he can continue embodying the Pole Denton moniker.
“Jan’s Racing [had] three cars tonight, so a great turnout on our team,” Denton said. “Mr. Chris Greaney, my crew chief, he gave me a rocket ship tonight, and we drove this thing to Victory Lane.”
Mia Lovell enjoyed the best race of her brief West Series career so far, as she finished third in the No. 15 Toyota for Nitro Motorsports. Robbie Kennealy came home in fourth, with Mason Massey rounding out the top five.
