CARS Tour Tri County entry list and storylines

Drivers in both zMAX CARS Tour divisions do not have much time to regroup following last weekend’s race at Florence Motor Speedway, as they will be back in action on Saturday at Tri-County Speedway for the SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes.

Tri-County’s relationship with the CARS Tour dates to the late 1990s when its predecessor, the USAR Pro Cup Series, regularly visited the complex. When the USAR Pro Cup Series was formally re-organized into the CARS Tour in 2015, Tri-County was among the tracks to welcome the series for its inaugural season.

When the CARS Tour and other sanctioning bodies are not visiting Tri-County, the facility is occupied with a thriving local racing culture that encompasses Late Model Stocks, Mini Stocks, Crown Vics and other divisions. Many drivers currently competing in the CARS Tour today raced at Tri-County to gain valuable experience in full-bodied cars.

Recent work on Tri-County’s surface, which included a full repave last year, has turned the venue into one of the most competitive but also unpredictable on the CARS Tour schedule. Multiple grooves of racing are available in the turns, but drivers will need to utilize caution on Saturday if they want to pick up a late-season victory.

Track Facts:

Track: Tri-County Speedway
Location: Hudson, North Carolina
Length: .400 mile
Laps: 125 (LMSC) / 100 (PLM)
CARS LMSC Tour races: 11
CARS PLM Tour races: 8
LMSC Tri-County winners: Josh Berry (2), Brenden Queen (2), Conner Jones (2), Brayton Haws (1), Bobby McCarty (1), Mini Tyrrell (1), Landon Huffman (1), Jared Fryar (1)
PLM Tri-County winners: Caden Kvapil (2), William Sawalich (1), Jake Garcia (1), Carson Kvapil (1), Jake Bollman (1), Kaden Honeycutt (1), T.J. DeCaire (1)

LMSC Entry List (25 cars): #04 Ronnie Bassett Jr., #09 Riley Gentry, #4 Parker Eatmon, #5 Chase Burrow, #7 Thomas Beane, #8 Lee Pulliam, #10 Sam Butler, #15 Jace Hale, #16 Chad McCumbee, #20 Carson Loftin, #22 Chase Burgeson, #22F Jared Fryar, #23 Kade Brown, #37 Chase Robertson, #41 TBA, #44 Conner Jones, #57 Landon Huffman, #62 Keelan Harvick, #77 Treyten Lapcevich, #81 Mini Tyrrell, #88 Caden Kvapil, #88B Doug Barnes Jr., #89 Dylan Fetcho, #95 London McKenzie, #99 Billy Snodgrass

PLM Entry List (21 cars): #1 T.J. DeCaire, #6 Mason Walters, #6L Brandon Lopez, #11 Jack Baldwin, #12 Colton Hale, #15 Case James, #15J Jake Johnson, #20 Evan McKnight, #25 Rodney Dowless Jr., #27 Vito Cancilla, #27R Kole Raz, #30 Treyten Lapcevich, #31 Brody Monahan, #43 Josh Horniman, #44 Conner Jones, #47 Carter Whalen, #49 Jeff Batten, #51 Donovan Strauss, #54 Kaden Honeycutt, #83 E.J. Tomayo, #97 Dylan Garner

LMSC standings:

1. Caden Kvapil
2. Treyten Lapcevich -40
3. Conner Jones -56
4. Chad McCumbee -87
5. Chase Burrow -89
6. Carson Brown -99
7. Carson Loftin -114
8. Landon Huffman -131
9. Parker Eatmon -137
10. London McKenzie -145

PLM standings:

1. Mason Walters
2. Conner Jones -9
3. Brody Monahan -17
4. Treyten Lapcevich -25
5. Kaden Honeycutt -30
6. Evan McKnight -43
7. Rodney Dowless Jr. -54
8. Case James -59
9. Dylan Garner -61
10. T.J. DeCaire -127

Chase Burgeson regroups for TriCo

In only his second CARS LMSC Tour start, Chase Burgeson nearly came away with an impressive, breakthrough victory at Anderson Motor Speedway.

Burgeson had pulled away with a comfortable lead with 10 laps to go when he encountered an issue with his right front tire, causing him to rapidly lose pace and settle for a heartbreaking third. The sting is still fresh in Burgeson’s mind over two weeks later, but he has never been more confident when it comes to excelling in a Late Model Stock.

“We went through the entire emotional rollercoaster at Anderson,” Burgeson said. “With five to go, it was in the back of head that we got this in the bag. One lap later, it kind of changed my mindset with the right front going down. I had tears in my eyes, but nothing has motivated me more to get back in a Late Model Stock and go pursue my dreams even more.”

All the positive comments made towards Burgeson after Anderson made the loss feel like a win in many regards. Burgeson also felt Anderson highlighted how quickly he has acclimated to the Late Model Stock, adding those cars suits his aggressive driving style more as opposed to straight-rail cars like Pro Late Models.

One week before Anderson, Burgeson took home his first Late Model Stock victory of any kind at Tri-County. That race directly led to his near-miss at Anderson, as Burgeson made a bet with his car owner Lee Pulliam that the team would make the trip to South Carolina if he managed to beat a stout field of 21 cars.

Just like in August, Saturday’s SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes at Tri-County will consist of a 125-lap Late Model Stock feature. The momentum Burgeson has generated from the Tri-County win and his close call at Anderson has given him plenty of reasons to believe his third LSMC Tour appearance will result in a trip to Cook Out Victory

“I proved to myself obviously at Anderson that I could do it,” Burgeson said. “It wouldn’t shock me if I qualified really good or if I was running up front. It was an eye-opening experience at Anderson and I feel like at Tri-County, if we just keep that mindset about knowing I can do this, we’ll be there at the end with the speed we’ve had there.”

Landon Huffman hopes for late rally

A season that started with so much optimism for Landon Huffman in Carroll Speedshop’s No. 57 has not unfolded the way he envisioned.

The only top 10 Huffman has so far this year was a seventh he scored at Wake County Speedway in March. One frustrating outing after another has followed Huffman since that performance, but he feels the SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes at Tri-County Speedway is a great opportunity for him to score his best finish of 2026 so far.

“It’s a down year for us for sure, but [Tri-County] is a great place to get the ship right and get back on track,” Huffman said. “I’ve had really good success there weekly racing the past couple of years and always ran well there in the CARS Tour. I think we’ll have a good package and I’m looking forward to it.”

Among the accomplishments Huffman has at Tri-County includes securing a $30,000 paycheck for winning the Old North State Nationals in 2023. Tri-County is only 30 minutes from Huffman’s hometown of Claremont, North Carolina, so winning that night in front of a home crowd only added to the significance of the moment.

Huffman felt the Old North State Nationals victory with Nelson Motorsports opened the door for him to obtain more opportunities in Late Model Stocks. Huffman is not only in his second full-time year with Carroll Speedshop, but has also had major brands like Sheetz and Texas Roadhouse sponsor his car.

The first victory for Huffman in one of Carroll’s cars nearly happened at Tri-County last year, but he ended up in sixth after rebounding from a crash involving him and Chad McCumbee while battling for the lead. Huffman does not plan to make many changes from his 2025 setup at Tri-County as he looks to start the final three LMSC Tour races on a high note.

“There’s been a lot of moments this season where I felt like we didn’t get the finish we deserved, but we honestly just haven’t run good,” Huffman said. “We haven’t been great and I take a lot of responsibility for that. A win Saturday night would erase all that. The best medicine is to win and you’re only as good as your last race.”

Double down Decaire

Breaking through for his first CARS PLM Tour victory at Tri-County Speedway last year was cathartic to T.J. DeCaire in many regards.

DeCaire had watched a victory get taken away in the 2025 PLM Tour opener at Coastal Plains Motorsports Park after an infraction in post-race inspection, which only fueled his motivation to formally put his name in the win column. Saturday will see DeCaire attempt to defend his Tri-County win, this time with LowCountry Motorsports.

“I’m feeling really good,” DeCaire said. “[North] Wilkesboro was good for us, as that was a high-grip track. I think [Tri-County] is going to be kind of similar to Wilkesboro in its own ways, but obviously a lot different. It’s not a 5/8 mile, so we’ll have to fine-tune some things, but I think we’ll be alright.”

Since joining LowCountry’s Pro Late Model operation at North Wilkesboro Speedway in July, DeCaire has emerged as one of the most consistent drivers in the series. DeCaire has not placed outside the top five once in his four starts with the program and even delivered LowCountry their first Pro Late Model victory at Hickory Motor Speedway last month.

DeCaire admitted he has felt at home with LowCountry since the day he first walked into their shop. Working with LowCountry’s co-owners A.J. Frank and Mikey Kile, as well as crew chief Cody Glick, has been an enlightening experience for DeCaire, who continues to feel more comfortable in the team’s car with every passing race.

Since LowCountry is not going for a PLM Tour driver’s championship, DeCaire is focused on ensuring they have a shot at the owner’s title. DeCaire slightly increased LowCountry’s advantage in the PLM Tour standings with a fourth at Florence Motor Speedway, so he wants to continue the team’s momentum by earning his second win of 2026 on Saturday night.

“At Tri-County, you move towards the bottom,” DeCaire said. “With [North] Wilkesboro, when you’re searching for grip, you move to the top. At Tri-County, you go to the bottom. We just need to make sure the car has a lot of turn in it during the race. Winning two [races] is not really a statement, but it kind of proves the first one wasn’t a fluke.”