Saturday’s zMAX CARS Tour event at Langley Speedway will serve as the first of two consecutive events for the series in the state of Virginia.
Langley is a cornerstone of the asphalt short track racing culture in Virginia, having been open to the public since 1950. Along with boasting several competitive weekly racing divisions, Langley also hosts the prestigious Hampton Heat for Late Model Stocks every July, which serves as the second leg of the Virginia Triple Crown.
The CARS Tour’s roots with Langley date back to 1998 when its predecessor, the USAR Pro Cup Series, visited the complex for the first time. After the USAR Pro Cup Series briefly returned from 2009-11, Langley welcomed the CARS Tour’s Late Model Stock division in 2019 and has remained part of the schedule every year since.
This year’s trip to Langley brings a plethora of emotions for LMSC Tour competitors following the sudden passing of Kyle Busch on Thursday. Busch’s impact on motorsports will be on the minds of everyone at Langley this weekend as the CARS Tour moves forward with their sixth weekend of the 2026 calendar.
Track Facts:
Track: Langley Speedway
Location: Hampton, Virginia
Length: .397 mile
Laps: 125
CARS LMSC Tour races: 7
Langley LMSC winners: Connor Hall (2), Deac McCaskill (1), Layne Riggs (1), Kaden Honeycutt (1), Brenden Queen (1), Chase Burrow (1)
LMSC Entry List (31 cars): #04 Ronnie Bassett Jr., #05 Mason Bailey, #2 Brandon Pierce, #2W Matt Waltz, #4 Parker Eatmon, #5 Chase Burrow, #5B Carson Brown, #7 Aiden King, #9 Ayden Millette, #12 Connor Hall, #14 Jared Fryar, #15 Jace Hale, #16 Chad McCumbee, #16C Trey Crews, #22 Chase Burgeson, #22L Carson Loftin, #29 Landen Lewis, #41 TBA, #42 Chris Horton Jr., #44 Conner Jones, #47 Ryley Music, #51 Donovan Strauss, #57 Landon Huffman, #62 Derek Kraus, #71 Jake Bollman, #77 Landon S. Huffman, #77L Treyten Lapcevich, #78 Atley Wiese, #88 Caden Kvapil, #88B Doug Barnes Jr., #95 London McKenzie
*Note: Field limited to 30 starters, 28 from qualifying plus two provisionals
LMSC Standings
- Caden Kvapil
- Treyten Lapcevich -22
- Conner Jones -27
- Chase Burrow -41
- Landen Lewis -44
- Chad McCumbee -55
- Parker Eatmon -56
- Sam Butler -56
- Carson Brown -57
- Landon Huffman -57
Connor Hall returns to CARS LMSC Tour in search of another Langley win
The Visit Hampton Virginia 125 is more than just Connor Hall’s first CARS LMSC Tour start of the 2026 season, it’s a homecoming.
Langley Speedway is where everything began for Hall, who has amassed countless victories and one championship at the facility during his career. With four consecutive Langley wins over the past two weeks in his own equipment, Hall has every reason to believe he can replicate that success on Saturday and earn his third LMSC Tour checkered flag at his home track.
“We went to those first two Langley races to make sure old faithful was still old faithful,” Hall said. “Everything seemed to be status quo, so it was kind of a no-brainer to take an off weekend and make it not an off weekend by entering the CARS Tour race. [Barry] Nelson helped make this possible, so here we are.”
After finishing second in the LMSC Tour standings last year with JR Motorsports, Hall has primarily focused on building up Niece Motorsports’ own Late Model Stock program. One benefit to Hall’s role at Niece includes a handful of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, his first being at Rockingham Speedway back in April.
Hall is enjoying the challenge of spearheading Niece’s Late Model Stock operation and mentoring their primary driver in Matthew Gould. While he would love to drive the car more himself, Hall said exchanging feedback with Gould and the rest of the team is helping him develop a foundation that will one day make Niece a perennial contender in the discipline.
The years Hall spent on the CARS Tour platform provided plenty of insight on how difficult but rewarding success is to come by. Hall envisions being a race-winner with Niece in the Truck Series one day, but his focus for the weekend is to deliver a vintage Langley performance and celebrate with the vibrant local crowd.
“Winning a CARS Tour race in general is really cool,” Hall said. “It’s an amazing short track series with a ton of exposure and stiff competition. I aspire to be one of the best Late Model Stock Car drivers to ever do it and if you want to do that, you have to race the best competition. I’m looking forward to [going up] against the best of the best [on Saturday].”
Chase Burrow ready to defend last year’s Langley triumph
After initially joining the CARS Tour back during the 2022 season, Chase Burrow finally broke through for his first career victory at Langley Speedway last June.
Burrow accomplished this by engaging in a spirited battle with Connor Hall during the second half of the race, ultimately making the pass for the win on lap 95. The emotion Burrow felt from his maiden LMSC Tour triumph was palpable, especially since he reached that milestone at a track where he developed his craft behind the wheel.
“[Winning at Langley] meant everything,” Burrow said. “The [CARS] Tour is so tough, so competitive and so hard to win in. When you finally do [win], it’s such a huge deal. I call Langley home, so to be able to get the first win there was pretty cool.”
Prevailing in his own equipment, with assistance from Sellers Racing Inc., was also a significant source of pride for Burrow, but his quest for another Langley victory will occur with a different program. Burrow joined Hettinger Racing over the offseason with the goal of chasing a championship in the LMSC Tour.
Through five events, Burrow sits fourth in the LMSC Tour standings, his best run of the season being a third at Wake County Speedway. Burrow said momentum is trending in a positive direction with Hettinger’s program and believes that burgeoning cohesion will translate into more competitive runs during the summer.
With how important car control is at Langley, Burrow expects to get the most out of Hettinger’s equipment on Saturday and deliver them their first LMSC Tour victory. Such an endeavor is not going to be easy against a stout field of cars, but Burrow knows he can find Cook Out Victory Lane on Saturday by employing the same strategy that got him his first win last year.
“We need to go [to Langley] and do our job,” Burrow said. “[If we can] focus on the track and our car, I think we’ll be fine. You have to race the racetrack and not [other] cars, that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned there. If I could get [Hettinger Racing] their first [win] would be pretty cool to be honest.”
Ayden Millette hopes to make strong impression in CARS Tour debut
Among those representing Langley Speedway’s local contingent of Late Model Stock competitors in the Visit Hampton Virginia 125 is Ayden Millette, who currently sits ninth in the track standings as a rookie.
The stout weekly competition prevalent in Langley’s Late Model Stock class has primed Millette for his CARS LMSC Tour debut on Saturday evening. Millette anticipates plenty of challenges against the LMSC Tour regulars, but he intends to utilize every piece of knowledge obtained from Langley to put together a solid night.
“I feel really good,” Millette said. “Besides the Hampton Heat, this is my biggest [race] for sure, but I’m feeling pretty confident. This is my home track, so I’ve got a little bit of an advantage there, but I know there’s a lot of talent. It’s going to be tough for sure, but I’m excited.”
Millette spent plenty of weekends at Langley during his childhood watching drivers like Connor Hall, Brenden Queen, Greg Edwards and more battle each other for wins. When Millette noticed there was a kart for sale at Langley one day, he convinced his family to buy it, kickstarting his own racing career.
There have been plenty of growing pains for Millette across his journey into full-bodied cars, but the motivation he receives from his father Brian has kept him grounded along the way. Millette’s determination has guided him to track championships at Langley before, which is why he wants to one day replicate that success in the complex’s premier Late Model Stock division.
Although Millette’s first shot at the Hampton Heat last year ended with a 32nd place finish, he came away from the event with a general understanding of how to approach longer events at Langley. From Millette’s perspective, many of the same fundamentals from the Hampton Heat will be needed to excel in the LMSC Tour feature.
“[Saturday’s] race is shorter, but you still have to save the tires with how abrasive the race track is,” Millette said. “Hopefully we can get a good qualifying [run], ride, save my tires and just be there at the end. My goal is a top 10, but a top five would be awesome. I know I’ll have the car to [win], but it’s all about me driving it.”
