CARS Tour stretch run begins with South Boston

With the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway now in the rearview mirror, the stars of the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour are turning their attention towards a grueling three-race stretch to close out 2023.

Kicking off the final sprint to the championship for both the Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model divisions is the Autos By Nelson 250 pres. by Virginia is for Racing Lovers at South Boston Speedway. This will be the sixth time the CARS Tour has visited South Boston dating back to the series’ first weekend at the facility in 2017.

One of the most cherished short tracks in the state of Virginia, South Boston has produced thrilling battles and iconic moments while on the CARS Tour schedule. Drivers like Josh Berry, Bobby McCarty, Jared Fryar, and Carson Kvapil have all wrapped up series championships at the historic facility.

Although South Boston no longer serves as the season finale, it remains a pivotal date on the CARS Tour calendar with a surplus of entries each year. One of the more notable names challenging the CARS LMSC Tour regulars this weekend is NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace, who is driving the No. 36 Filter Time Chevrolet for R&S Race Cars.

The home stretch for each CARS Tour division starts Saturday as drivers look to capitalize on three remaining opportunities to find victory lane.

Event Notes:

Track: South Boston Speedway
Location: South Boston, Virginia
Length: .400 mile
Laps: 125 (LMSC) / 100 (PLM)
CARS LMSC Tour races: 5
CARS PLM Tour races: 1
South Boston LMSC winners: Deac McCaskill (1), Craig Moore (1), Josh Berry (1), Bobby McCarty (1), Carson Kvapil (1)
South Boston PLM winners: William Sawalich (1)

LMSC Entry List (29 cars): #03 Brenden Queen, #04 Ronnie Bassett Jr., #08 Deac McCaskill, #0 Landon Pembelton, #1 Andrew Grady, #2 Brandon Pierce, #4 Dylon Wilson, #5L Carter Langley, #6 Bobby McCarty, #8 Carson Kvapil, #8B Chase Burrow, #15 Ryan Millington, #15C Logan Clark, #16 Chad McCumbee, #17 Stacy Puryear, #20 Joshua Dickens, #22 Landon Huffman, #23 Kade Brown, #24 Mason Diaz, #25 Jacob Borst, #36 Kenny Wallace, #44 Conner Jones, #62 Layne Riggs, #67 Cameron Bolin, #74 Ronald Hill, #77S Blake Stallings, #77W Trevor Ward, #81 Mini Tyrrell, #95 Jacob Heafner

PLM Entry List (16 cars): #03 Kyle Campbell, #6 George Phillips, #7 Tristan McKee, #8 Rusty Skewes, #9 Ashton Higgins, #13 Austin MacDonald, #15B Aiden King, #28 Cole Butcher, #43 Nick Loden, #43H Joshua Horniman, #55 Charlie Keeven, #74 Ryan Moore, #77 Logan Jones, #81 Katie Hettinger, #88L Carson Lucas, #96 Caden Kvapil

LMSC Standings:

1. Carson Kvapil
2. Brenden Queen -34
3. Mason Diaz -100
4. Ryan Millington -119
5. Bobby McCarty -133
6. Chad McCumbee -135
7. Jacob Heafner -156
8. Ronnie Bassett Jr. -158
9. Kaden Honeycutt -160
10. Brandon Pierce -168

PLM Standings:

1. Caden Kvapil
2. Katie Hettinger -1
3. Ashton Higgins -63
4. Austin MacDonald -80
5. Logan Jones -85
6. Tristan McKee -94
7. Kyle Campbell -101
8. George Phillips -122
9. Brett Suggs -133
10. Connor Zilisch -133

Connor Hall joining Nelson Motorsports in 2024

Martinsville winner seeks Tour win

Nearly two weeks after winning the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway, Trevor Ward is still feeling euphoria from his accomplishment.

Showcasing the strength of his small Late Model Stock program on the discipline’s biggest stage was a lifelong dream for Ward, who has already turned his attention towards obtaining another career milestone in claiming his first CARS LMSC Tour victory, which he hopes takes place at South Boston Speedway on Saturday.

“It’s a dream come true,” Ward said. “There have been a lot of good people there for me throughout my racing career pushing me to be better. Just like [Martinsville], we’re back in the shop getting ready for what’s next in line. I still find myself speechless and having so many reach out to congratulate us means a lot to me.”

Although Ward considers himself a CARS Tour driver, he said the weekly races at South Boston played a crucial role in him obtaining a prestigious grandfather clock.

By going up against local regulars like six-time track champion Peyton Sellers and other CARS Tour competitors at South Boston, Ward could gauge where his program was and make improvements. As time passed, Ward began to see the results he wanted, which eventually culminated in his thrilling victory over Landon Huffman at Martinsville.

Replicating the Martinsville triumph on the LMSC Tour will require Ward to strike an ideal balance between studying that win and blacking it out. He knows such a task is not going to be easy, but Ward is ready to use the momentum from Martinsville to park his No. 77 AAR Roofing/Digital Repair Chevrolet in victory lane once again.

“Winning at South Boston would make this an awesome year,” Ward said. “Corbin Mackie and I are just two kids working on our own deal every day and night. There are certain things from Martinsville that I felt could have been better, but we’re critiquing this deal to make it the best it can possibly be. That’s what it’s going to take to be dominant every week.”

Ronald Hill returns

Saturday’s Autos By Nelson 250 pres. by Virginia is for Racing Lovers will feature a rare appearance from Late Model Stock veteran Ronald Hill.

Now semi-retired after running full-time with the CARS LMSC Tour from 2016-2020, Hill is looking forward to seeing many familiar faces at South Boston Speedway this weekend. Expectations are being tempered for the event, but Hill believes he can improve upon his 23^rd place showing from South Boston last year.

“I hope we got all our stuff planned out and set up good,” Hill said. “You don’t ever know when you don’t compete with these guys week in and week out. I’m feeling good about [Saturday] but you also have to look at reality and just hope you can make it in the show.”

Most of Hill’s daily life involves doing household chores and enjoying beach music shows, but his desire to race has never faded away.

Hill made sure that his limited racing schedule in 2023 included at least one LMSC Tour event. The series has changed drastically since Hill’s first race in 2015 with an influx of money, notoriety, and young drivers, yet he still has faith in his ability to be successful in the competitive environment.

Being away from the LMSC Tour is something Hill believes puts him at a disadvantage compared to the full-time teams. While he hopes circumstances fall his way on Saturday, Hill said the purpose of the weekend is to support CARS Tour general manager Jack McNelly and enjoy his time in the pits.

“If we can get a Top 10, everyone would be ecstatic,” Hill said. “My personal goal is to get a Top 15 because I know how tough this series is. You miss one weekend and you’re already behind, so there’s a tough challenge ahead but I think we’re up for it. We’re also looking forward to the camaraderie with all our friends that we miss out on being semi-retired.”

If you like what you read here, become a Short Track Scene Patreon and support short track journalism!

Read more Short Track Scene:

• Martinsville time trials results, heat lineups
• The difference between a Super Late and Late Model Stock
• ASA STARS will not use Wisconsin 2bbl rules