2026 Season in Review: Tyler Tomassi's Race-by-Race Climb to 11th in ARCA West, and Why 2027 Is Next
Tyler Tomassi in the No. 51 Chevrolet at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway.
Built Race by Race
The 2026 season asked Tyler Tomassi to keep moving forward through changing cars, demanding schedules, and a racing program assembled one opportunity at a time. He met the challenge across ARCA West, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
The result was a defining milestone: 11th overall in the 2026 ARCA Menards Series West championship standings. Running on a limited budget and missing several races, Tomassi finished just outside the top 10, with three top-10 finishes and a career-best seventh at The Bullring at Las Vegas.
This is the story of how that season was built — race by race, mile by mile, with a small team that refused to stop.
Early Season: Daytona, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tucson, and Shasta
The 2026 season opened at the sport's most famous stage: Daytona International Speedway. Tyler and MBM Motorsports / Garage 66 prepared the No. 69 Tomassi Law / MD Custom Diecasts / Big B Energy Drink Ford F-150 for the Fresh From Florida 250, the Truck Series season opener, with a striking new livery and new partner Big B Energy Drink joining MD Custom Diecasts for the attempt at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Daytona did not go to plan. The entry missed the field in qualifying, and the season began with a doorstep disappointment at the World Center of Racing.
The response defined the year that followed. Tomassi regrouped and returned to the Truck Series on February 21 at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Driving the No. 69 Ford for MBM Motorsports / Garage 66, he started 34th and finished 29th, running to the finish and earning championship points. From a missed attempt at Daytona to a completed race in Atlanta, the season was officially moving.
The ARCA West campaign began at Phoenix Raceway, where Tomassi finished 33rd. At Tucson Speedway, he improved to 14th, then carried that progress to Shasta Speedway for his first top-10 of the year: 10th place.
Each race added another step to a season that had to be built event by event. The early results established the work ahead and showed the value of returning to the track with a program ready to continue.
There were no guarantees in those early months. Every entry had to be earned, every race had to be funded, and every result had to justify the next one. That is the reality of building a racing program from the ground up, and it never let up.
Tyler Tomassi on the grid with the Mad Rabbit Energy-sponsored race car.
Spring Into Summer: Tri-City and Sonoma
At Tri-City Raceway on June 6, Tomassi finished ninth. The result marked his second consecutive ARCA West top-10 and put another solid finish on the season record.
Sonoma Raceway followed, where he placed 16th. The road course added a different challenge to a schedule that also included short-track racing, requiring continued adjustment as the season moved across varied venues.
Tomassi’s path to this stage began well before the national series. From West Greenwich, Rhode Island, he started racing at 14 and recorded five Bandolero feature wins in 2017–2018. He later competed in the ACT Late Model Tour, PASS North, and Granite State Pro Stock Series before advancing into ARCA and national touring series competition.
National Series Starts
On July 4, Tomassi competed at Chicagoland Speedway in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and finished 33rd. He returned to the series at Iowa Speedway on August 8, finishing 32nd.
The two starts extended his experience across another national platform while the ARCA West season continued. For a driver balancing several series, each event added another opportunity to compete and build the next stage of the program.
Weeks like that are the part fans rarely see. Loading up after one series, traveling across the country, unloading at a different track with a different car, and doing it all again. The grind is real, and so is the commitment behind it.
At Colorado National Speedway, Tomassi drove the No. 72 Chevrolet in the Legendary Billy Green 150 and finished 14th. He returned to the No. 51 Chevrolet for All American Speedway on September 5, placing 11th.
Madera: A New Partner Joins the Program
At Madera Speedway on September 26, Tomassi started 18th in the No. 51 New York Sports Show Chevrolet. He briefly went a lap down, fought back, and ran as high as 12th before finishing 14th as the last car on the lead lap. He completed all 157 laps, including the green-white-checkered finish.
New York Sports Show joined the program as an associate sponsor at Madera. Its arrival reflected a broader theme of the season: building new partnerships and strengthening the support around Tyler Tomassi Racing.
The 2026 program also featured Mad Rabbit Energy Patch, Tomassi Law LLC, TF56 Designs, MD Custom Diecasts, Big B Energy Drink, and RBR Engineering, alongside the team platforms of Strike Mamba Racing and MBM Motorsports / Garage 66. Each partnership helped create opportunities for the team to keep competing.
Las Vegas: A Career-Best Seventh
On October 2, Tomassi returned to The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 72 Mad Rabbit Energy Patch Chevrolet for Strike Mamba Racing. In the Kyle Busch Classic 151, he completed all 167 laps across two overtime attempts and finished seventh.
Tyler Tomassi beside the No. 72 Mad Rabbit Energy Patch Chevrolet at The Bullring.
Tyler Tomassi in P5 on the final restart and the last one-lap overtime dash to the finish line.
The result was the best ARCA West finish of his career and his third top-10 of 2026. It was also his first top-10 since Tri-City. After a season shaped by limited resources and a race-by-race schedule, the seventh-place finish gave the team a clear milestone to carry into the final stretch.
For everyone who had believed in the program — the partners who came aboard, the crew that worked long nights, the fans who followed every update — this was the night it all showed up on the track. The No. 72 ran at the front group in overtime under the lights, and for one Friday night in Las Vegas, the little team that built itself race by race belonged there.
Tyler Tomassi racing the No. 72 Mad Rabbit Energy Patch Chevrolet through traffic at The Bullring.
The No. 72 Mad Rabbit Energy Patch Chevrolet running inside the top 15 late at The Bullring.
Martinsville: Completing a Difficult Night
October 30 brought Tyler to Martinsville Speedway for the Black’s Tire 200 and the first race for MBM Motorsports’ black No. 69 RAM. Tomassi started 34th and finished 28th, completing 196 of 200 laps and being classified as running. The truck carried support from Tomassi Law LLC, TF56 Designs, and MAD RBT Energy.
A severed brake line ended practice early. During the first two stages, Tomassi raced essentially without radio communication. An extended pit stop, followed immediately by a second stop, put the No. 69 four laps down.
Tyler Tomassi in the No. 69 Tomassi Law / TF56 Designs / MAD RBT Energy RAM at Martinsville Speedway.
Tyler Tomassi greets the fans during driver introductions at Martinsville Speedway.
The No. 69 RAM racing through the compact Martinsville layout.
The night still had a finish to reach. Tomassi kept the truck clean through multi-truck pileups and continued to the checkered flag. The result added another Truck Series start to the season and showed the determination required to keep working when a race changes course.
Most teams would have parked it. The No. 69 crew kept fixing, kept communicating, and kept Tyler on the track. Twenty-four hours later he was in California, strapping into another race car. That stretch of days said as much about this team as any result on the page.
Kern: A Rain-Shortened Finale
The next day, October 31, Tomassi competed in the ARCA West finale at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. He qualified 17th in the No. 51 RBR Engineering Chevrolet and finished 13th, completing all 42 laps run.
Rain halted the NAPA Auto Parts 150 after several hours, and the event was called at 42 laps. Tomassi was pleased with the car’s speed and handling and believed he had a top-10 car. The weather-shortened finish was a disappointing end to the night, but he completed every lap of the race that took place.
Racing gives you moments like that — a car good enough to fight for a top 10, and a sky that takes the chance away. What stays is the knowledge that the speed was real.
Tyler Tomassi in the No. 51 RBR Engineering Chevrolet at Kern Raceway.
Tyler Tomassi continues through the Martinsville race in the No. 69.
Tyler Tomassi drives the No. 69 RAM on track at Martinsville Speedway.
The Martinsville-to-Kern weekend was a coast-to-coast doubleheader: Truck Series competition Friday night, followed by the ARCA West finale Saturday. It was a demanding close to a season that had asked Tyler and his partners to make every opportunity count.
The No. 69 RAM holding its ground in the field under the Martinsville night lights.
11th Overall: The Season’s Defining Achievement
Tomassi finished 11th overall in the 2026 ARCA Menards Series West championship standings, just outside the top 10. His season included three top-10 finishes: 10th at Shasta, ninth at Tri-City, and a career-best seventh at Las Vegas.
The standings tell part of the story. The full measure is that the program came together race by race, despite a limited budget and several missed races. Tomassi kept competing, gained experience across multiple national series, and built a season with meaningful results at every stage.
Look at the names around him in the points: full-season programs with steady backing. Then look at what this team did — picking up an 11th-place finish in the championship with a part-time schedule, a handful of dedicated partners, and a group of people who simply refused to let the season end early. In a sport where resources decide so much, that is not just a statistic. It is a statement.
From West Greenwich to the national stage, his path has advanced through years of racing and steady progression. The 2026 season added another important chapter, and established a stronger starting point for what comes next.
All Eyes on 2027
The next step is building on the foundation of 2026. A stronger program and committed partners can help create more opportunities to compete, develop consistency, and turn this season’s progress into the next set of milestones.
The proof is already on the table. Give this team a full season, and the top-10 finishes stop being milestones and start being the standard. Give it the backing it earned in 2026, and the fight moves forward in the field, not just inside the standings.
The season opened with a missed field at Daytona and closed with 11th place in a national championship. Every race in between was a door opened by someone who believed. In 2027, more doors are waiting. The team is ready. The driver is ready. The results are already there in black and white.
Fans can follow Tyler’s journey through the official website, About page, and gallery. Businesses interested in joining the program can explore partnership opportunities or reach out through the contact page.
Support the journey. Help build the next opportunity. All eyes are on 2027.