CARS Tour West Summer Showdown preview and entry lists

BROADCAST INFO: FloRacing:

(PLM 6:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 14, 2026)

(SLM 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026)  

Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway Schedule  

Track: Evergreen Speedway 

Location: Monroe, Wash. 

Length: .625-mile paved oval 

Laps: 200 (SLM), 100 (PLM), 30 (LEG)  

It’s a doubleheader weekend on a grand stage as the stars of the Spears CARS Tour West Super Late Model and Pro Late Model divisions descend on Evergreen Speedway for the Summer Showdown and a shot at the biggest purse of the year in the Pacific Northwest.  

With more than $200k on the line, including $30k to win in SLM and $10k in PLM, the Summer Showdown stands as one of the Northwest’s crown jewels. It also marks the only time this season the SLM and PLM divisions will compete at the same track on the same weekend. 

The action begins Friday, Aug. 14 with the PLM Summer Showdown feature (6:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. ET) and the SLM Summer Showdown on Saturday, Aug. 15 (6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET). Both nights will be streamed live on FloRacing. 

Five drivers will try their skills at both events. Northwest PLM point leader Haeden Plybon, Ethan Ebert, Gabe Sessler, Kenley Sleveland and veteran racer Doni Wanat are slated to compete in both divisions. 

With just two races remaining on the 2026 SLM schedule, point leader Jace Hansen holds an eight-point advantage over Keelan Harvick heading into the Summer Showdown.

Hansen, a Colorado native, enters the weekend as the defending Summer Showdown winner, giving the championship leader an opportunity to defend his win while protecting his season standings. Also in the mix are Ethan Ebert, Taylor Mayhew and Dylan Zampa, all 2026 SLM winners, among a field of 23 entries.  

Hot-handed Kevin Harvick, with wins in three of the last four Northwest PLM events, will join newly appointed NW championship leader Plybon in the 100-lap PLM feature. With 27 preliminary entries, Plybon leads Andrew Riehl and Ethan Ebert in a tight eight-point battle with three races remaining in the season. 

The Frank’s Radio Legend Car division is also on deck, scheduled for a 30-lap INEX/CTW points race Saturday evening.  

DOUBLE DUTY DRIVERS

Five Northwest drivers will be pulling double duty in the Summer Showdown, competing in Friday’s PLM and Saturday’s SLM races. The list includes Northwest PLM point leader Haeden Plybon; Ethan Ebert, SLM winner at Tri-City and third in the NW PLM standings; Gabe Sessler, a multi-time winner at Evergreen, Kenley Sleveland, and veteran racer Doni Wanat in his iconic No. 89. 

SUMMER SHOWDOWN CHAMPS

Jace Hansen is the defending winner of the Summer Showdown 200. Competitors who ran top 10 in the event and are entered in this weekend’s 200-lap feature are Buddy Shepherd (third), Ethan Ebert (fourth), Wyatt Gardner (fifth), Ryan Phipps (seventh), Doni Wanat (9th).  Owen Riddle (2021) and Tayler Riddle (2016) are also previous Summer Showdown victors. 

SLM HOT STREAK

Ethan Ebert raced his way to his first Spears CTW victory in the series’ most recent outing at Tri-City Raceway. Max Schroeder of Tacoma, Washington, led 12 laps on the night, but it was Ebert who started from the pole and led the other 138 laps. In addition, Dylan Zampa notched a win (Wenatchee Valley) and a fourth-place finish in his last two SLM starts.  

SLM SLICING AND DICING

While earning the Hamke Pole Award is on every driver’s list on race weekend, a front-row start doesn’t always equate to a trip to Shockwave Victory Lane. In 2026, Ethan Ebert is the only SLM driver to have won from the pole position. What’s more, those five races have featured five different Hamke Pole winners: Chris Clyne (The Bullring), Buddy Shepherd (Kern Raceway), Michael Scott (Colorado National Speedway), Kol Raz (Wenatchee Valley), Ethan Ebert (Tri-City Raceway). 

SLM/PLM DOUBLE DIPPERS

Several SLM drivers dipped into PLM competition in the Northwest vs. Southwest Rivalry Race at Colorado National earlier this month. The event, which was won by Kevin Harvick, saw this weekend’s SLM drivers Keelan Harvick (third), Taylor Mayhew (fourth) and Buddy Shepherd (sixth) among the top-six finishers.  

SETTING THE BAR

Drivers who have a top-10 finish in all five SLM races this season are point leader Jace Hansen, followed by 14-year-olds Keelan Harvick and Vito Cancilla. Harvick has raised the bar, never finishing worse than fifth in all five events. Hansen’s March win at Kern Raceway gives him an edge in average finish, but not by much. His average is 3.2 average compared to Harvick’s 3.4. Harvick is still hunting his first SLM victory, while both he and Cancilla are coming off consecutive top fives.  

SLM 2026 SCHEDULE:

Only one race remains in the 2026 SLM season, as the tour concludes its season at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Nov. 14). 

RETURN TO EVERGREEN

This marks the Northwest PLMs second of two trips this season to West Richland’s Evergreen Speedway. Keelan Harvick won the Mark Galloway Shootout back in June, with Kevin Harvick, Haley Constance and Ethan Ebert rounding out the top-four finishers.  

PLM CHAMPIONSHIP DUEL

New points leader Haeden Plybon, who took control from Andrew Riehl with a seventh-place finish at Colorado National Speedway event and is on a streak of consecutive top 10s, will be getting plenty of seat time by competing in both the PLM and SLM Summer Showdown events. It’s a tight three-way battle at the top of the standings with Plybon, Riehl and Ethan Ebert separated by eight points with three races remaining in the season.  

OUTCLOSING THE CLOSER

Any PLM driver looking for a win this weekend will undoubtedly have to go through Kevin Harvick. The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champ has been on a tear this year in the Spears CARS Tour Northwest tour, winning three of the last four PLM races (twice at Stateline Speedway and once at Colorado National Speedway). The Bakersfield native has finished no worse than second in four starts this season.  

EVERGREEN EXPERIENCE

There will be Evergreen experience in spades at the 5/8-mile oval in the PLM division this weekend. Washington natives Haeden Plybon, winner of the 2025 Mark Galloway Shootout; Wyatt Gardner, winner of the 2024 Summer Showdown with multiple victories and a track championship; Dawson Cox; Gabe Sessler; multi-time track winner Haley Constance; 10-time track champion Naima Lang; and Dempsey Graham will all be competing.  

SPEARS CARS TOUR NORTHWEST PLM FULL SCHEDULE: The 2026 PLM features a nine-race schedule that continues at Tri-City Raceway (Sept. 5) and the season finale at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval (Sept. 19).   

RECORD SETTING PURSE IN 2026: The biggest payout in Spears CARS Tour West history is up for grabs in 2026 with $2.1 million in total payouts, including $200k in championship awards, $1.9 million in purse money and bonuses and partner awards at every race. Multiple marquee events with high-dollar purses are on the docket through the season.  

SPEARS CARS TOUR WEST TO STREAM ALL SEASON LONG ON FLORACING:  

FloRacing kicked off its streaming partnership will CARS Tour West last month at Tucson and will continue to serve as the broadcast home of the Spears CARS Tour West in 2026. Earlier this year, the two announced an extension of their partnership that will see FloRacing continue to live stream all 54 events across the Spears CARS Tour West’s four divisions.    

HOOSIER TRIPLE CROWN CHALLENGE: Rackley W.A.R.’s No. 62 team leads the Hoosier Triple Crown Challenge standings with just one round remaining in the three-race series. The Hoosier Triple Crown Challenge awards car owners an additional $20,000 in prize money during the 2026 season. To be eligible, car owners must compete in all three Triple Crown events with their entries: Evergreen Speedway (June 27), Colorado National Speedway (Aug. 1) and Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (Oct. 17). 

1. Rackley W.A.R.; No. 62  
2. Rackley W.A.R.; No. 29 (-2) 
3. Dick Shepherd; No. 22 (-11) 
4. Steve McGowan; No. 7 (-15) 
5. Charlie Wilson; No. 12 (-17) 

Spears CARS Tour West SLM race: 6 of 7 

SLM Entry List (23 cars): #5P Ryan Phipps, #08 Jace Hansen, #9 Ethan Ebert, #K9 Kaden Holm, #10 Owen Riddle, #11 Johvan Dillon, #13 Matt Doyle, #14 Chris Clyne, #15 Tayler Riddle, #17 Taylor Mayhew, #17 Maxwell Schroeder, #22 Buddy Shepherd, #27 Vito Cancilla, #41 Gabe Sessler, #43 Kody Vanderwal, #51 Bryce Bezanson, #52 Ryan Philpott, #55 Haeden Plybon, #62 Keelan Harvick, #77 Kenley Sleveland, #81 Carson Brown, #89 Doni Wanat, #92 Dylan Zampa  

2026 SLM winners: #17 Taylor Mayhew (2), #08 Jace Hansen (1), Dylan Zampa (1), Ethan Ebert (1) 

SLM 2026 Driver Points: 

1. Jace Hansen 169 
2. Keelan Harvick -8 
3. Vito Cancilla -19 
4. Dylan Zampa -23 
5. Taylor Mayhew –36 

Spears CARS Tour Northwest PLM race: 7 of 9 

NW PLM Entry List (27 cars): #00 Naima Lang, #3K Ken Bonney, #3C Logan Cole, #3G Wyatt Gardner, #06 Dempsey Graham, #7 Zach Riehl, #7D Dawson Cox, #9 Alex Boyatt, #9 Ethan Ebert, #12 Chad Fitzpatrick, #29 Kevin Harvick, #29 Dennis McMullin, #32 Chase Gardner, #33 Kyle Lang, #41 Gabe Sessler, #45 Nick Beecher, #48 Turner Brown, #54 Trace Thompson, #55 Haeden Plybon, #57 Brad Clarke, #63 Rowdy Rupinski, #69P Zander Peters, #69R Andrew Riehl, #77 Kenley Sleveland, #78 Haley Constance, #89 Doni Wanat, #98 Greg Bennett, #021 Todd Connell   

2026 NW PLM winners: #19 Thomas Sanford (1), #91 Alan Cress (1), #29 Kevin Harvick (3), #62 Keelan Harvick (1)  

NW PLM 2026 Driver Points:  

1. Haeden Plybon 215  
2. Andrew Riehl -3  
3. Ethan Ebert -8  
4. Wyatt Gardner -20  
5. Zach Riehl -29 

NW LEG Entry List (41 cars): #00 Chris Saykally, #1 Joey Lobue, #2 Dutch VanderWal, #03 Darrell Stewart, #4W Stuart Wilkerson, #5E Eli Black, #5J Jhett Phipps, #5A Reagan Fruge, #6 Larrel Scott, #09 Wyatt Sliter, #10 Robert Berger, #12 Byranna Bruce, #12 Colton Hale, #13 Aspyn Lange, #13P David Price, #14 Austin Steinke, #15 Rhylee Hutchins, #15 Danny Medina, #16 Travis Roe, #17K Marc Karashinski, #18B Brexton Busch, #19A Austin Nester, #21 Madilyn Langue, #21X Corey Pearson, #22S Shawn Smith, #23B Lucas Bolton, #23 Tyler Casey, #25 Joey Lobue, #27C Steven Nester, #27H Brian Harlow, #28 James Powers, #32 Cody Milan, #38 Garrett Wilson, #52 Neil Dulin, #60 Liam Hammond, #68 Wyatt Dent, #71 Jason Scott, #79 Neil Dulin, #97 Billy Blevins