Mini Tyrell checks $50k in chaotic CARS Throwback clash

Mini Tyrell won the rain-delayed, crashed-marred $50,000 CARS Tour Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway on Sunday night but this was more a matter of survival.

It makes no difference because it all pays the same.

But for most everyone else, the race was a variable what could have been, especially those involved in the massive melee that broke loose with 10 laps to go in Turn 1. Kaden Honeycutt got the jump on a dominant Tristan McKee, who then needed to fend off Landen Lewis below them.

Lewis and McKee bounced off each other on the frontstretch and crashed into Turn 1. That crash collected Chad McCumbee, Treyten Lapcevich and Carson Loftin. Honeycut was then judged to have literally jumped and the restart and sent to the rear.

That is how Tyrrell inherited the lead and he retained it through two restarts ahead of Jared Fryar, Conner Hall and Landon Huffman.

Sure, Tyrrell won his home track and the one his charity sponsors at Dominion, but a $50,000-to-win spectacle and the Throwback Classic is now the new biggest win of his career.

“The restart, it just looked like Landen was jacking up Tristan pretty hard there,” Tyrrell said. “I would have to watch it really to give you an opinion but it’s not much different than what happened at Caraway, right?”

As for exactly what happened, and the byproduct of what happened, McKee and Honeycutt declined to comment leaving the track. Lewis offered his take, however.

“I mean, at the end of the day, we’re racing for $50,000 and it’s under 10 (laps) to go and coming off Turn 4,” Lewis said. “We were three-wide and I was on the bottom and all of a sudden, I am getting turned around and when I watch the replay, it’s just me getting right hooked all the way down the straightaway.

“Finally my right rear finally caught up to his left front, and I got hooked and hit the tires getting into (Turn) 1 so just unacceptable. And I mean, I gave him plenty of room where we didn’t even need to touch.

“And the sad part is, I feel like if he wouldn’t have done that, we would have filed single file and he could have probably gotten back around or something. All I know is that it wrecked a bunch of race cars for no reason and I feel like what I did was clean and what he did was dirty.”

Tyrrell, Fryar and Huffman all got good looks at it but opted to stay out of it when asked. Huffman said ‘we avoided the dumbass wreck of the week’ and he wasn’t going to interject into it.

Since McCumbee was caught up in it, he did interject.

“I’m watching (the replay) and I’m watching the disrespect, and I’m watching them drive in there and just drive into each other and the back-and-forth, and I just don’t …” McCumbee said before trailing off.

“They just are all coming up and racing like that, you know. It’s not how I was brough up. I raced with Deac McCaskill … and it’s just frustrating because I have torn up so much stuff and it these antics are going to hurt someone or worse and I don’t know what you do about it.

“I don’t have the answer but I am very disappointed because I know they all know better than to be in those positions as they move along in their careers. I have seen them do really good thing. The talent is there but I hope their brighter days are around the corner.”

Fryar, again, tried not to throw anyone specifically under the bus in articulating how he got to the front.

“That was wild,” Fryar said. “There was a lot of three-wide, guys running on the apron and bouncing off each other. When I saw (Lewis) bounce off the bottom into (McKee) I knew it was over after that.

“They cleared the path for me to get by and …”

He starts shaking his head.

“I know we’re racing for the win there and for big money …”

He started to grimace.

“Yeah.”

For Tyrrell, this year has been both rewarding and challenging because he has had championship level speed and now won two races, but a lot of misfortune too.

His family team have pondered what is next. Do they double down their investment in CARS Tour and Late Model Stock racing? Do the Tyrrells look into a national touring opportunity? Where it the best value to grow his career but also execute his charities and faith?

CARS Tour is tough and frustrating but Sunday night was rewarding.

“It’s major,” Tyrrell said. “I mean, we had 43 cars that clocked in on Friday night and they all have a chance to race into the top-5. Everyone is very very good. 43 cars I have said it the whole time I have been in this series but this is the toughest short track series there is in America. If you don’t believe me, come and race us and you’ll find out very quick.

“For me, I am thrilled because we have had speed, and I have matured and developed a lot as a driver, physically and mentally, working on myself to make this team and organization better man.

“I want to meet our expectations to be a serious threat, rolling into next year or the next opportunity because I know I have the talent to get there. I just don’t want to have fun in the back there either.”

Tyrrell said he was debating even going to Anderson and Florence until they won.

“We were in bad shape with some of the crashes thus year but now we’re in good shape,” Tyrrell said. “We have a cushion now and we can square up with everyone and keep racing, getting better, and getting the right stuff.”

CARS Tour Throwback Classic
August 3 2025
Hickory Motor Speedway

1. Mini Tyrrell
2. Jared Fryar
3. Conner Jones
4. Landon Huffman
5. Doug Barnes Jr.
6. Kade Brown
7. Caden Kvapil
8. Lanie Buice
9. Deac McCaskill
10. Graham Hollar
11. Chase Burrow
12. Landon S. Huffman
13. Ronnie Bassett Jr.
14. Connor Hall
15. Donovan Strauss
16. Michael Bumgarner
17. Brody Monahan
18. Sam Butler
19. Mason Diaz
20. Landen Lewis
21. Trevor Ward
22. Tristan McKee
23. Kaden Honeycutt
24. Carson Loftin
25. Chad McCumbee
26. Treyten Lapcevich
27. Layne Riggs
28. Jake Bollman
29. Jordan McGregor