The fourth event on the 2026 zMAX CARS Tour calendar will see both divisions make their lone trip to Caraway Speedway this season, which is nestled in the mountainous outskirts of Asheboro, North Carolina.
Caraway’s proud history of racing dates to 1966 when it first opened as a dirt track before being converted to a paved asphalt oval six years later. Plenty of notable drivers have developed their skills at Caraway over the past several decades, with that list including Bobby Labonte, Dennis Setzer, Mike Skinner and Jason York, all of whom are track champions.
In the five years of being a part of the CARS Tour schedule, Caraway has fulfilled a variety of roles. Along with hosting a midweek Independence Day race for the series from 2023-25, Caraway also crowned CARS Tour champions for two years as part of the facility’s prestigious North-South Shootout weekend.
Although Caraway’s place on the CARS Tour schedule is its earliest since 2022 when it served as the season-opener, Saturday’s event still presents its own unique set of challenges. A freshly repaved turns three and four at Caraway means competitors in both CARS Tour divisions will have to adapt quickly if they wish to claim a pivotal, early-season victory.
Track Facts:
Track: Caraway Speedway
Location: Asheboro, North Carolina
Length: .455 mile
Laps: 125 (LMSC) / 100 (PLM)
CARS LMSC Tour races: 7
CARS PLM Tour races: 6
LMSC Caraway winners: Jared Fryar (3), Justin Johnson (1), Carson Kvapil (1), Brenden Queen (1), Brent Crews (1)
PLM Caraway winners: Caden Kvapil (2), Austin MacDonald (1), Kaden Honeycutt (1), Tristan McKee (1), Brandon Lopez (1)
TCPS Plumbing & Septic 250 event schedule
LMSC Entry List (31 cars): #04 Ronnie Bassett Jr., #05 Mason Bailey, #09 Riley Gentry, #2 Brandon Pierce, #4 Parker Eatmon, #4G Matt Gould, #5 Chase Burrow, #5B Carson Brown, #6 Brandon Lopez, #7 Aiden King, #14 Jared Fryar, #15 Jace Hale, #16 Chad McCumbee, #16B Sam Butler, #17 Kaden Honeycutt, #22 Carson Loftin, #29 Landen Lewis, #32 Kade Brown, #41 Mason Diaz, #44 Conner Jones, #51 Michael Bumgarner, #57 Landon Huffman, #71 Brian Blevins, #77 Landon S. Huffman, #81 Mini Tyrrell, #88 Caden Kvapil, #88B Doug Barnes Jr., #89 Dylan Fetcho, #95 London McKenzie, #98 Donovan Strauss, #99 Austin Somero
PLM Entry List (21 cars): #5 James Seeright, #6 Mason Walters, #6L Brandon Lopez, #11 Tony Cosentino, #11C Dylan Cappello, #13 Ben Mack, #15 Case James, #17 Joel Smith, #20 Evan McKnight, #22B Chase Burgeson, #25 Rodney Dowless Jr., #30 Treyten Lapcevich, #44 Conner Jones, #49 Jeff Batten, #51 Carson Ware, #54 Kaden Honeycutt, #54H Daniel Hemric, #67 Ben Maier, #82 Taylor Hull, #95 London McKenzie, #97 Dylan Garner
*Note: Fields are limited to 30 starters; 28 from qualifying plus 2 provisionals from 2026 CARS Tour owner points
LMSC standings:
- Caden Kvapil
- Conner Jones -18
- Treyten Lapcevich -21
- Sam Butler -26
- Chase Burrow -28
- Carson Brown -30
- Chad McCumbee -35
- Parker Eatmon -35
- Doug Barnes Jr. -35
- Carson Loftin -37
PLM standings:
- Mason Walters
- Evan McKnight -9
- Treyten Lapcevich -13
- Brody Monahan -18
- Case James -20
- London McKenzie -22
- Carson Ware -24
- James Seeright -24
- Chase Burgeson -24
- Rodney Dowless Jr. -28
Eatmon Regroups
A breakthrough victory in the CARS LMSC Tour appeared to be within reach for Parker Eatmon during the closing stages of the Tootsie’s Music City Showdown at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
Instead of celebrating a career milestone, Eatmon was met with disappointment after surrendering the lead to Caden Kvapil on a late-race restart. Rather than reflect on the outcome, Eatmon chose to embrace the positives from that weekend, particularly the efficiency he and his team showed in every aspect.
“It was obviously a huge confidence-booster I think,” Eatmon said. “Everyone at Matt Piercy Racing has been working really hard to bring fast cars to the race track and obviously that is showing. Nashville was great and we had speed all weekend. It made my life a lot easier that my car was fast.”
Eatmon debuted with Piercy’s operation near the end of 2025, with the duo participating in several marquee Late Model Stock events like the South Carolina 400 and the Thanksgiving Classic. The chemistry Eatmon and Piercy rapidly developed has translated into several strong outings like their runner-up at Nashville, where Eatmon led 115 laps.
Despite this, Eatmon knows it is going to be difficult replicating what he and Piercy accomplished two weeks ago on Saturday night, especially with Caraway Speedway now having two freshly paved turns. Yet the confidence Piercy possesses in their setup is providing Eatmon some optimism about improving upon a 16th place showing at Caraway last year.
The key factor motivating both Eatmon and Piercy in 2026 is their shared desire to visit Cook Out Victory Lane in the CARS Tour. Eatmon is a past Thanksgiving Classic winner while Piercy has plenty of accolades in the discipline himself, so the two putting together a complete LMSC Tour race would be a cathartic and joyous occasion.
“[A win] would mean a lot to me, but I think it’d mean more to my team,” Eatmon said. “I want to get them to Victory Lane as much as I do myself. They deserve it more than anybody and Matt Piercy doesn’t have a CARS Tour win yet. Me getting him his first CARS Tour win would mean a lot to me, even more than me getting to Victory Lane.”
McKenzie’s Robust Schedule
One of the busiest drivers in the CARS Tour this year is 16-year-old London McKenzie, who is contesting the entire LMSC and PLM Tour campaigns.
McKenzie is driving for AK Performance on the Late Model Stock side, while his Pro Late Model program is spearheaded by Kyle Beattie. The results across both divisions for McKenzie have been mixed so far, but the young prospect is eager to embrace the rigorous schedule in front of him and gain valuable experience along the way.
“I’m always super blessed and happy to be racing in the CARS Tour,” McKenzie said. “Being out there is what matters and I’m super thankful for that. AK Performance, as well as Kyle Beattie [Racing] have been working their butts off. It’s crazy to think that last year I was racing a Legend car, now all of a sudden were racing for top fives in the CARS Tour.”
The hectic year for McKenzie initially started on a high note, as he recorded a third place finish in the season-opening PLM Tour event at Southern National Motorsports Park. McKenzie was on pace to duplicate that performance in the ensuing Late Model Stock feature, but a flat tire relegated him to 26th in the running order.
From McKenzie’s perspective, his comfort zone with each type of car depends on the track. The lower horsepower of the Pro Late Models was to McKenzie’s liking at Southern National, but he feels the Late Model Stocks are more predictable to drive overall, a quality he believes will be beneficial as he looks to progress up the developmental ladder.
McKenzie feels particularly confident about the LMSC Tour feature at his home track of Caraway Speedway, as he has a Legends title there along with plenty of starts in a Limited Late Model. Two stellar performances in front of his friends and family would be a great weekend for McKenzie, but he understands every position will have to be earned on Saturday evening.
“I’m going to have to get up on the wheel and be aggressive,” McKenzie said. “I’ve been told from my teammate Donovan Strauss that last year, it took you being aggressive to make that pass. I need to keep my head on my shoulders and pace myself through the weekend. That’s not something I can’t handle, but I’m definitely learning as I go.”
Walters Title Hunt
After two CARS PLM Tour races, Mason Walters has Setzer Racing & Development in the same spot where they ended 2025, atop the driver standings.
Walters finds himself in this position after claiming the PLM Tour season-opener at Southern National Motorsports Park before backing that run up with a top 10 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Carrying that consistency over into the rest of the year is Walters’ goal as he looks to secure a driver’s title in his rookie campaign.
“We obviously had a great opening round at Southern National,” Walters said. “We went to Nashville and just had a solid day. Nothing to look twice at, but a nice, respectful finish. That’s how you win the championship, you can’t go out and win one race, then proceed to wreck trying to do something special. You’ve got to be smart and methodical about everything.”
Winning at Southern National required Walters to chase down and pass Keelan Harvick with only five laps remaining. Walters saw Harvick win numerous Pro Late Model events throughout 2025, so being able to overtake him cleanly for a PLM Tour victory reinforced the confidence he possessed in his ability to excel in the discipline.
Expectations are something Walters tries not to ponder over too much while behind the wheel. Although he has taken over the car Ben Maier drove to a PLM Tour title last year, Walters does not feel any pressure with Setzer Racing & Development, especially since they won a handful of Pro Late Model events together prior to Southern National in February.
Walters is confident he and the Setzers can visit Cook Out Victory Lane once again on Saturday at Caraway Speedway, as he has logged copious laps there in a full-bodied car. Even if Caraway does not result in a checkered flag for Walters, he knows that avoiding trouble and finishing strong each race is the best strategy to ensure he stays in the title hunt.
“I try not to think too much about the points this early in the season,” Walters said. “I just try to go out there, do the best that I can and try to bring home some hardware every time. Obviously, you can’t win them all, but you can sure try. I try to win them all. If it happens, lovely. If it doesn’t, just try to get a solid finish. You can’t win a championship by being inconsistent.”
