CARS Tour Mini’s Mission 125 preview

The second consecutive stop for the zMAX CARS Tour in the Commonwealth of Virginia will see the Late Model Stock division head to Dominion Raceway in Thornburg.

One of the newest asphalt short tracks in the United States, Dominion only opened to the public in 2016 as a spiritual successor to Old Dominion Speedway. In a full decade of operation, Dominion has curated a thriving culture of short track racing that extends beyond racing with plenty of fan amenities that include a restaurant and live entertainment.

The CARS Tour has raced at Dominion on a regular basis since 2017, but the event has taken on a different meaning over the past several visits. Saturday will mark the fourth time Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another has been the presenting sponsor, a charity created by Mini Tyrrell to raise funds and awareness for those impacted by childhood cancer.

A busy schedule is ahead for CARS LMSC Tour competitors on and off track, as they will engage in a plethora of activities with the families invited to Dominion by Tyrrell. Racing is second nature on a weekend like this, but there is still a checkered flag on the line as drivers look to end the Virginia swing with momentum.

Track Facts:

Track: Dominion Raceway
Location: Thornburg, Virginia
Length: .400 mile
Laps: 125
CARS LMSC Tour races: 9
Dominion LMSC winners: Layne Riggs (1), Jared Fryar (1), Josh Berry (1), Jonathan Findley (1), Daniel Silvestri (1), Connor Hall (1), Bobby McCarty (1), Brenden Queen (1), Mini Tyrrell (1)

LMSC Entry List (25 cars): #03 Brenden Queen, #05 Mason Bailey, #2 Brandon Pierce, #4 Parker Eatmon, #4G Matt Gould, #5 Chase Burrow, #5B Carson Brown, #7 Helio Meza, #12 Connor Hall, #15 Jace Hale, #16 Chad McCumbee, #16H Brian Henderson, #20 Carson Loftin, #22 Jared Fryar, #29 Landen Lewis, #41 Mason Diaz, #44 Conner Jones, #45 Brady Penny, #51 Donovan Strauss, #57 Landon Huffman, #77 Treyten Lapcevich, #81 Mini Tyrrell, #88 Caden Kvapil, #88B Doug Barnes Jr., #95 London McKenzie

LMSC standings:

1. Caden Kvapil
2. Treyten Lapcevich -23
3. Conner Jones -39
4. Landen Lewis -42
5. Chase Burrow -47
6. Carson Brown -58
7. Parker Eatmon -60
8. Landon Huffman -66
9. Chad McCumbee -70
10. Doug Barnes Jr. -82

Mini’s Mission

Of all the victories Mini Tyrrell has earned during his career, prevailing in last year’s Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another 125 remains one of his proudest moments.

Tyrrell dominated nearly every aspect of the event, as he earned the pole and proceeded to lead all but one lap. Mini’s Mission and caring for the families in attendance always come first for Tyrrell whenever Dominion Raceway comes around, but he admitted it was cathartic to have all his hard work culminate in a trip to Cook Out Victory Lane.

“One of the biggest questions I was asked during the last three years of doing this thing was ‘when are you going to win your own race?’” Tyrrell said. “I made it clear it’s not my own race, but the [win] definitely meant a lot. Last year was incredible. You couldn’t have wrote a storybook version of that race any differently.”

The idea of Mini’s Mission stems from Tyrrell’s childhood friend Ella, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in 2010. Ella’s cancer has since gone into remission, and she has attended every CARS Tour date at Dominion over the past four years but observing Ella’s battle firsthand motivated Tyrrell to raise awareness about childhood cancer.

Tyrrell and his family started Mini’s Mission not long after Ella’s initial diagnosis, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that has raised over $650,000 since its launch. Through initiatives like sponsoring the CARS Tour race at Dominion, Tyrrell is confident Mini’s Mission will one day reach its goal of raising $1 million towards battling childhood cancer.

As part of the weekend festivities, 10 of the 26 invited families will head to Tyrrell’s family house at Lake Anna for a day out on the water. Everyone will regroup the following evening for a dinner after practice, where Tyrrell will be joined on stage alongside a couple of guest speakers to discuss Mini’s Mission and its charitable efforts.

Drivers that get paired with a family will take them on a tour through Dominion’s infield on Saturday to discuss racing and their cars, all while being a part of driver introductions.

Now that he is a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Tyrrell admitted the Mini’s Mission 125 carries even more significance compared to previous years. Tyrrell wants to proudly represent the RAM brand at Dominion on Saturday while simultaneously promoting a cause that has been close to his heart for most of his life.

“I’d be blessed to end up in Victory Lane again,” Tyrrell said. “You don’t ever take a CARS Tour win for granted because these things are so hard to win. All three I was lucky enough to win last year, I cherished every single moment. You never know if you’re ever going to get to win one again. If I can end up [winning the Mini’s Mission 125] it again, it’d be huge.”

Additional information on Mini’s Mission and Tyrrell’s efforts to bring awareness towards childhood cancer can be found here.

Pierce’s Record

When the green flag waves for the Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another 125 at Dominion Raceway, no driver will have made more starts in the CARS LMSC Tour than Brandon Pierce.

The Oak Ridge, North Carolina native debuted in the LMSC Tour back in 2017 at South Boston Speedway, earning a decent lead lap finish of 12^th. Pierce is set to eclipse 2016 LMSC Tour champion Deac McCaskill’s record on Saturday with his 113^th start, an emotional milestone Pierce admittedly finds hard to fathom.

“It’s obviously an honor,” Pierce said. “It speaks to not only myself but how fortunate I’ve been to race for this long in general. To be able to have that many starts in the premier Late Model Stock division is definitely special to me and my family. It’s kind of crazy that it’s at this point, but I’m very honored and proud to have reached it.”

Ironically, McCaskill was the driver who ended up prevailing in Pierce’s maiden LMSC Tour appearance. Driving for Nelson Motorsports that evening, Pierce felt his home track of South Boston was the perfect venue to test his CARS Tour ambitions, but he quickly discovered how difficult it would be to obtain victories on the platform.

The following years would see Pierce compete for four different programs on the LMSC Tour that include Nelson, Lee Pulliam Performance, Carroll Speedshop and KP Speed Motorsports, his current team. Pierce’s long CARS Tour journey does include one victory, which he obtained after besting Josh Berry at Southern National Motorsports Park back in 2019.

Now that he is one of the elder statesmen of the CARS Tour at 30 years old, Pierce wants to keep using his experience to help guide the series as it continues to evolve. Pierce knows he can still compete on a high level with the LMSC Tour and is looking forward to enjoying his 113^th start on Saturday, which he hopes ends with a long overdue second victory.

“It’ll be a big milestone for myself, but mentally I have to look at it as another race weekend,” Pierce said. “[Winning] would be very rewarding not only for myself, but for my family, my wife and everyone that’s believed in me. I’ve been doing this a long time and it takes a lot to do this, so it’d be a big weight off my shoulders.”

Fryar Joins Nelson

The No. 22 Toyota for Nelson Motorsports will have a new but familiar name in the driver’s seat for Saturday’s Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another 125.

Jared Fryar, a CARS Tour champion in the Late Model Stock and Super Late Model divisions, is taking over Nelson’s flagship car at Dominion Raceway following the departure of Carson Loftin. Fryar has always held Nelson and his program in high regard and would love nothing more than to park one of his cars in Cook Out Victory Lane.

“It means a lot to drive one of Barry Nelson’s cars,” Fryar said. “He’s been a part of Late Model Stock racing for a long time and a fierce competitor of mine. He’s had a lot of really good drivers in his cars, so to have the opportunity to race for him is super special to me.”

Saturday will be the first CARS Tour event since 2019 in which Fryar has driven for someone else besides Jimmy Mooring. The combination of Fryar and Mooring has been one of the most potent in the history of the CARS Tour, with the duo’s accolades including six victories and a title in the LMSC Tour together.

Ongoing health issues for Mooring left Fryar without an LMSC Tour ride after the fourth race of the year at Caraway Speedway. Nelson heard about Fryar’s predicament and contacted him about driving one of his Late Model Stocks, with the two eventually working out a deal that would put Fryar in the No. 22 at Dominion.

While he hopes to eventually re-join Mooring’s team late in 2026, Fryar is putting all his focus into ensuring he and Nelson have a stellar performance this weekend. Dominion was where Fryar got his lone LMSC Tour win not with Mooring, so he believes he can adapt to his new environment seamlessly and be competitive in his first outing with Nelson.

“I don’t really have expectations,” Fryar said. “I know what [Nelson’s] cars are capable of and as long as I can do a good job on my end, I think we’ll have good results [even though it’s a] new team [and a] different style of race car that I’m used to. [A win] would definitely be a big confidence booster for me and Barry.”