Turner Brown goes back-to-back in CARS Tour Northwest with last-lap pass at Tri-City Raceway

For the second consecutive race in CARS Tour Northwest Pro Late Model competition, Turner Brown went to victory lane Saturday night, winning the Labor Day Spectacular at Tri-City Raceway.

Brown passed Ethan Ebert coming to the white flag to claim his second victory of the season, after having to race his way back through the field following a spin while battling for third earlier in the race.

“It was a tough race,” Brown said. “We knew we had a great race car and that was mainly what we had done the entire weekend, just long runs of qualifying in practice. We got up to third place and then we got turned around, unfortunately, but then we came back through the field and we were able to steal one away at the end.”

The late caution allowed Brown one final opportunity after racing his way back through the field.

“The guy in second place missed the shift and I said to myself that we were in it for the win,” Brown said. “I got a really good run off of Turn 2 and I was just able to carry it from there. We touched wheels going into the dogleg on the last lap, but I was clear and was able to just drive it back to the checkered flag.”

Wyatt Gardner won the pole earlier in the afternoon, setting a new track record in the process and bringing the field of 17 Pro Late Models to the green flag at the country’s only half-mile tri-oval track for the penultimate race of the 2026 season.

On the opening lap, Ebert passed Gardner around the outside and took command of the lead, with Haeden Plybon quickly moving up to second as the pair ran close together during the opening laps.

Entering the evening, Ebert sat second in the CARS Tour Northwest standings, eight points behind Andrew Riehl for the lead, with Plybon 15 points behind.

Points leader Rihel started the race in the sixth position but quickly fell back to 10th early on.

On Lap 30, the first caution of the night flew when Todd Connell spun down the front straight.

When the field returned to racing, it was Plybon who chose the top groove and passed Ebert around the outside for the lead, as the pair once again broke away from the field.

On Lap 57, the second caution of the race flew after contact between Ray Clever and Brad Clarke sent both drivers off the track on the exit of Turn 2 and into the dirt. Both drivers were able to continue on.

On the ensuing restart, Plybon and Ebert fought for the lead, with the pair running side-by-side for multiple laps. Plybon continued to make the outside lane work while Ebert remained down on the low lane, with the pair even making slight contact but continuing on in the battle for the lead.

On Lap 70, Brown went for a spin off Turn 3 after contact from behind from Chase Gardner while battling for the third position. Both drivers spun off the corner but were able to continue on as the rest of the field avoided the two.

Under the caution, Andrew Riehl also came to the work area after believing he had a mechanical issue with the car. Rihel felt as though the brakes were beginning to fade, but was able to continue on, joining Gardner and Brown at the back of the field for the restart.

When the race returned to green, it was once again Plybon and Ebert fighting hard for the lead, with the two making contact and allowing Zach Riehl to join the fight.

Entering Turn 3, Ebert tried to shut the door on Zach Riehl and the two made contact, sending Ebert up the track. Rihel took over the second position, while Ebert fell back to third and Plybon began to pull away in the lead.

On Lap 85, Ebert made his way back around Rihel for second and began to close the gap to Plybon slightly, with Plybon able to hold his advantage at around one second.

Meanwhile, Brown and Andrew Riehl began to make their way back through the field, with both drivers back inside the top 10 by Lap 95.

On Lap 97, Connell spun down the front straight once again after contact from Ken Bonney brought out another caution.

Under the caution period, however, Plybon suddenly began to slow in Turn 1 while leading the race, eventually coming to a stop.

Plybon was able to drive the car back to the pits, where he immediately turned into his pit stall, ending his night 28 laps short of the finish.

Plybon led a race-high 68 laps, but the driver who entered the evening third in the standings was credited with a 15th-place finish, dealing a major blow to his championship hopes heading into the season finale.

Ebert inherited the race lead and brought the field back to the green flag, beginning to pull away from Zach Riehl in second and Johvan Dillon in third.

Brown had worked his way back up to fifth, with Andrew Riehl trying to minimize the damage in the points right behind him in sixth.

With two laps remaining in the race, Ebert appeared to be on his way to the victory, before the caution flew one final time.

Entering Turn 1, Dillon, still running in the third position, suffered a flat tire and crashed into the water barrels on the outside of the turn. Dillon climbed from his car but his night was over, setting up a three-lap shootout to decide the race.

On the restart, Zach Riehl missed a shift and fell back, allowing Brown to move into the second position.

Coming to the white flag, Brown was able to get underneath Ebert entering Turn 3 and made the pass for the lead as the field took the white flag.

Ebert tried to mount a charge on the final lap but had to defend the second position from Andrew Riehl, who had raced his way all the way to his back bumper, as Brown took the checkered flag for the win.

Ebert led 55 laps but had to settle for the second position in the end. With the championship set to be decided in two weeks at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval, the runner-up finish kept him right in the fight heading into the season finale.

“It was a great race,” Ebert said. “I can’t be more grateful for my team just sticking behind me the whole time, giving me a great race car, a rocket ship. We put on a show for the fans and this championship round is going to be settled in Wenatchee, and honestly, I couldn’t be more stoked.”

While Ebert came up one position short of the victory, he also acknowledged the misfortune for Plybon and Brown’s charge back through the field to take the win.

“It’s super unfortunate for Haeden. You never want to take the lead from somebody getting a mechanical malfunction,” Ebert said. “Kudos to the 48 car. The kid’s a hell of a wheelman.”

For Andrew Riehl, a third-place finish minimized the damage in the points after having to race his way back through the field, keeping him in the championship lead heading into the season finale.

Rihel leaned on the experience of Northwest racing legend Garrett Evans throughout the weekend, including after Rihel came to the pits believing he had a mechanical issue when he felt the brakes beginning to fade.

Evans was able to coach Rihel through the issue, allowing him to continue on and make his way back through the field.

“I’m just super grateful for Garrett helping out,” Rihel said. “He made the car way better, the best car overall I’ve ever driven here. I’d say overall we had a good finish, good week.”

After falling back early in the race, Rihel remained patient and tried to save his tires for the second half of the race.

“At the beginning, I was just trying not to burn my tires off,” Rihel said. “My dad kept telling me on the radio that everybody was just getting sideways and going to fall off, which they did, and it worked out for us in the end.”

Hometown driver Trace Thompson overcame mechanical issues that plagued him throughout practice to finish fourth, with Zach Riehl able to overcome the late-race restart issue to finish in the fifth position.

Chase Gardner finished sixth, with Logan Cole seventh, Gabe Sessler eighth, Sydney Hamlin ninth and polesitter Wyatt Gardner rounding out the top 10.

The CARS Tour Northwest Pro Late Models will return to Wenatchee Valley Super Oval in two weeks, where the inaugural series championship will be decided.

CARS Tour Northwest Pro Late Models- Labor Day Spectacular
Tri-City Raceway
September 5, 2026

1. Turner Brown
2. Ethan Ebert
3. Andrew Riehl
4. Trace Thompson
5. Zach Riehl
6. Chase Gardner
7. Logan Cole
8. Gabe Sessler
9. Sydney Hamlin
10. Wyatt Gardner
11. Todd Connell
12. Johvan Dillon
13. Ken Bonney
14. Brad Clarke
15. Haeden Plybon
16. Ray Clever
17. Ryan Phipps