Winning the Mini’s Mission 125 for a second consecutive year was even sweeter for the eponymous driver because he really had to work for it on Saturday night at Dominion Raceway.
Arguably, his family-owner No. 81 was the third fastest car on the night behind some combination of Carroll Speedshop’s Conner Jones and Lee Pulliam Performance’s Carson Brown.
However, there was a sequence of events that led to the RAM branded No. 81 emerging victorious.
Brown penalized a row for a restart violation
Jones leaving a lane open on the bottom
Tyrrell filling it en route to the lead
First, being taken three-wide by Tyrrell did not draw the ire of either Jones nor Queen. Both veterans said they would have done the same thing for a CARS Tour win so no foul there. A figurative door opened and Tyrrell walked right through it.
“Conner restarted and Butterbean was on the outside and he slid up, and I think he just got into (Turn) 1 too hard and I saw my opportunity and had to take it with five laps left to go,” Tyrell said. “I was like, ‘this is the only way I am going to win this thing so I may as well give it a shot’ and it worked out.”
Tyrrell said there was no hesitation to make the move but it was important to do it the right way.
“It’s a tough call to make, especially when you’re driving, right, because you don’t want to tear anything up,” Tyrrell said. “You don’t want to put anyone in a bad spot but we’re racing for a win and you almost have to.
“If there’s an opportunity, you have to take it, and thankfully, it worked out for me. No one got wrecked and I tried to stay as low as possible and I was definitely on his inside. … I wasn’t going to just dive-bomb it into (Turn) 3 and I feel like I gave each spotter enough time to call it.”
Factually speaking, Jones did get wrecked, but it’s a matter of differing opinions on who was at fault between him and Brown. There was contact between them and Brown felt like there was a bad clear or a block while Jones felt like he was hit from behind.
“You just can’t clear high going down the straightaway,” Brown said.
So, he felt it was a block or a bad clear?
“I don’t know,” Brown said. “I mean, it just seems like a clear high but I don’t know. I’m the one getting yelled at.”
Jones yelled after parking in their Lee Pulliam Performance pit area too.
“I felt like I held my line,” Jones said. “I watched replay a couple times. We went into the CARS Tour trailer to watch the replay and I was clear when he hooked me. It only looks like I came up because when he hooked me, it shot me up there.
“I couldn’t go anywhere with that. And instead of letting off the gas like a smart human being would , he decided to push me through it, so I told him he’s got one coming and it’s not going to be fun when he gets it.”
Meanwhile, Lee Pulliam himself was equally frustrated with race control for the restart violation, the entire No. 5 team feeling as though they never received a warning when others have this season.
Further, they don’t even believe it was warranted. Pulliam did not speak to race director Danny Willard or executive director Kip Childress after the race. Brown said it was a moot point now.
“I mean it kind of is what it is at this point, but I mean, I feel like the first two, the start and the first restart, I got beat to the start-finish line,” Brown said. “I know the rule is you can’t fire first but I know they did because I saw their nose flying and I’m the control car, right?
“At the end of the day, the control car goes first, and I don’t know … I just fell back after the penalty and ended up in the wreck.”
Through it all, again, no one begrudged Tyrrell for the three-wide move. Queen, who is teammates with him at Kaulig RAM in the NASCAR Truck Series, took exception to being walled at some point by the No. 81.
Tyrrell conceded he needs to smooth that over with Queen.
All told, winning this race means a lot to him as the event organizer to the charity it supports, and Tyrrell did what it took to go back-to-back. He won the race, but more importantly, he feels like he won the weekend for the families affected by pediatric cancer that he hosted at the lake house and track.
“We had some with medical problems that backed out and couldn’t make it,” Tyrrell said. “That sucks. We missed them dearly but overall it was a phenomenal turnout. It’s so cool to see the drivers and teams come together to support this.
“It’s kind of a reset to where everyone in the pits remembers how lucky we are and tonight wasn’t necessarily about the racing. We’re healthy and we get to do the thing we love. That’s super cool man.
“You can’t just make up the stuff we get to do with these kids, and having all of them in Victory Lane with me a second year in a row. That is so special to me. My goal is to create those memories for them, having these pictures taken, and I just want them to get better. I want them to smile and have these memories forever. That’s my goal.”
CARS Tour Mini’s Mission 125 Dominion Raceway June 13 2026
Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.
