The Stars and Cars of the 2025 CARS Late Model Stock Tour

CARS Tour is back.

The most prominent pavement Late Model touring series in the country is as stacked as ever in its third year under the ownership of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, Justin Marks and Jeff Burton — while also remaining genuinely true to the principles established by founder and president Jack McNelly.

At the same time, the Late Model Stock Tour is growing at a tremendous rate in terms of drivers and teams intending to chase the championship or run a majority of races over the course of the season.

The reasons for that growth are the ownership group and the high-profile spotlight they have placed on their investment but also the philosophy established by McNelly before selling it to them prior to the 2023 season. A broadcast partnership with FloRacing and a strategic alliance with NASCAR has also encouraged momentum.

There are 15 races on the Late Model Stock Tour this year. At present time, it’s difficult to determine who will ultimately race full-time. Sometimes, a team gets off to a good start and decides to chase points. Other times, a team states an intent to race full-time and then a bad start encourages them to take races off.

So instead, the below post will detail some of the main characters on the CARS Tour even if it’s not clear if they will be championship contenders this season.

Carson Loftin | Nelson Motorsports

This is arguably the most decorated car in the history of the CARS Late Model Stock Tour. Bobby McCarty took team owner Barry Nelson to championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Landon Huffman took it to a $30,000 paycheck in the Old North State Nationals in 2023. Connor Hall finished second in the championship last year. It’s one of the stalwarts on the tour and now it’s being driven by Tour Type Modified prodigy Carson Loftin, the Tour Type Modified prodigy and son of Brian, who won five times last year in the SMART Modified Tour as a 15-year-old.  

Connor Hall | JR Motorsports

The two-time reigning NASCAR Weekly Series national champion is still seeking a CARS Tour championship and do so he has joined the other most prolific team in the history of the division in JR Motorsports. Josh Berry and Carson Kvapil has taken the house car to three championships over the past decade. Hall has driven for his family team, Chad Bryant and Barry Nelson and continues to come up just short but the standard is being raised paired with crew chief and program manager Bryan Shaffer.

Caden Kvapil | JR Motorsports

It’s not clear right now if the younger of brother of two-time CARS Tour champion Carson is going to chase points full-time but his entire family is no stranger to JR Motorsports over the past several years. Travis and Carson will both be present and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this entry become a more common presence if they get off to a fast start. He could also share the car with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a combined owners championship stint.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. | JR Motorsports

Obviously, the two-time Daytona 500 winner is not going to race the full season, as much as he says a part of him wants to but there are TV and business obligations. Regardless, Earnhardt will race a handful of times this season with Cordele and Florence already on the schedule. It might make sense for him and Kvapil to chase an owners championship as well. Either way, Earnhardt will be a main character in the races he sets out to run.

Doug Barnes Jr | Lee Pulliam Performance

The 2023 NASCAR Weekly Series championship runner-up, a two-time Dominion track champion and Florence Icebreaker winner is also one of the discipline’s biggest personalities with a sizeable social media presence. This year, he has joined defending champion Lee Pulliam Performance to do something he has always wanted to do in chasing the full touring schedule. Also, seriously, the YouTube channel is a treat.

Lanie Buice | Lee Pulliam Performance

The 18-year-old has turned heads at Florence Motor Speedway driving for Kendall Sellers but now jumps into the deep end running a full championship schedule for championship winning Lee Pulliam Performance. Buice has shown raw speed in good cars but still is learning finesse and tire management, things that Pulliam is excited to mold into a contender.

Landen Lewis | Kevin Harvick Inc.

Already a winner last year in the second KHI car, Landen Lewis moves over to the flagship No. 29 driven by Brent Crews to three wins last season. Lewis has an extensive background driving karts, dirt cars and now full-sized Stock Cars in addition to being a valuable shop hand learning all areas of the business. Now Lewis gets his chance to chase the championship in one of the most potent cars.

Brandon Pierce | Carroll Speedshop

Brandon Pierce is arguably the conscience of the CARS Late Model Stock Tour. He has raced full-time in the division since 2018 and is the most thoughtful and articulate driver when it comes to big picture topics in the sport. He has a victory at Southern National and also hosts a podcast about the series after each race with Dylon Wilson.

Landon Huffman | Carroll Speedshop

A veteran racing son of a veteran racer, a Hickory Motor Speedway track champion and the 2023 winner of the $30,000 to win Old North State Nationals has become a mainstay in Late Model Stock Racing. In recent years, Huffman has bounced around trying to balance the budget he has to race with while also trying to maximize his equipment, having proven he can win against the elite when he has the car. He joined Carroll Speedshop in the middle of last season and intends to chase the full campaign this year. He also has a very entertaining social media presence both on Twitter/X and YouTube.

Ryan Millington | Saville Millington Motorsports

This is the definition little family team that could. Ryan Millington has been in Late Model Stock for a decade and raced full-time on the tour now for roughly half of that stint. He has two wins, and he would argue three, but always finds himself in the mix late in these races. Each season has seen this team take another step closer towards the front in a more meaningful way.

Chad McCumbee | McCumbee Elliott Racing

The veteran short tracker and sports car racer always has good equipment and contends for top-5s each race while also just being one of the highest IQ guys in the garage. Most known for playing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the movie ‘3,’ this is actually a discredit to his race craft and tenure in motorsports. He is the 2022 winner of the spring race at Hickory.

Ronnie Bassett Jr. | Bassett Racing

While most remember the name as a NASCAR Xfinity Series regular from 2019 to 2022, Bassett has enjoyed a lot of success in Late Model Stock racing where he has taken his family team to 10 UARA STARS wins and a CARS Tour win last season. He has won a K&N East race at New Smyrna. The Winstom Salem racing family has been in Mid-Atlantic short track racing for decades and have a history of success wherever they go.

Andrew Grady | Tony Grady Motorsports

This second generation Late Model racer is one of the most entertaining personalities in the discipline. Grady is most known for punching Davey Callihan inside of his car during the Martinsville 300 in a Late Model Stock heat but is otherwise a flamboyant, big talker who is always having too much fun at the track. One of the best quotes in the garage and a good bet to be challenging for top-10s each week.

Mini Tyrrell | Timmy Tyrrell Racing

The 2021 winner of the race at Tri-County Speedway, Mini Tyrrell has turned himself into one of the most consistent and dependable drivers on the tour after a third place championship finish last season. Tyrrell was one of the few drivers who had an open mind to the ST2 tires last season and really flourished under its high grip tendencies. The challenge for him will be maintaining that speed as the series gets on the new F45*.

Conner Jones | Mike Darne Racing

Conner Jones is dipping his figurative toes in a lot of different racing waters between NASCAR Trucks, ASA Super Late Models and CARS Late Model Stocks so it’s not clear what direction he is going this year. Entered into the first race, Jones has won the last two races at Tri-County and North Wilkesboro and has three division wins overall with Mike Darne Racing. Jones, as advertised, has a hard driving style but there’s been a lot of success that has accompanied that in recent years too.

Parker Eatmon | Mike Darne Racing

Parker Eatmon won the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National in November, a breakout victory, that led to the decision to go all-in and chase a championship and marquee wins with Mike Darne Racing.

Kade Brown | R&S Race Cars

The now 19-year-old first garnered attention in 2023 in winning the Hickory Motor Speedway track championship with Matt Piercy Racing in a season that also included wins in the Fall Brawl at their home track and the South Carolina 400 at Florence. It was a struggle running the full tour last year with Piercy, finishing 12th in the standings but now he has moved to R&S Race Cars, seeking a fresh opportunity to work with car builder and owner Marcus Richmond.

Chase Burrow | Sellers Racing Inc.

Burrow made nine starts last year in the CARS Tour in the Late Model Stock, earning four top-5s, including a runner up at Tri County Speedway. Burrow also entered the Virginia Triple Crown last season. H.C. Sellers will oversee and serve as consultant with Bryant Frazier as crew chief. Travis Byrd will return as car chief.

Buddy Isles Jr. | VanDyke Racing Performance

Isles, a dirt Late Model regular, made the move to pavement last year full-time and it was an education but shown flashes of readiness for a season to contend in 2025 after making the move to VanDyke Racing Performance.

Bobby McCarty | McCarty Motorsports

The three-time series champion is one of the most honest, real talking personalities in racing. There’s no pretense but he’s also all heart and soul. He is tied for second with Carson Kvapil in all-time wins with 12 and only behind Josh Berry at 22. He’s had stints with Nelson Motorsports and R&S Race Cars but a lack of full-time funding as McCarty in his own car and only on a partial schedule this season.

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Tires?

This is going to be the big story this season until Hoosier proves that it’s not the story that it was last year. CARS Tour ran on the new ST2 line last year and it produced no shortage of challenges. It was a high grip, minimal fall off tire that produced aggressive slug fest races last year. But even more notable, Hoosier failed to provide consistency in terms of tire codes that generated wild swings from one track session to the other. It forced CARS Tour to move back to the F45s to end the season. This year, Hoosier has unveiled the F45* which is intended to be a compromise between the tires used last year and what intends to be a repeatable production process. Time will tell.

Broadcast?

This is easy. Every race will air live on FloRacing.

Schedule?

• March 1 – New River All American Speedway (Jacksonville, NC)
• March 29 – Wake County Speedway (Raleigh, NC)
• April 12 – Cordele Motor Speedway (Cordele GA)
• April 26 – Orange County Speedway (Rougemont, NC)
• May 2 – Ace Speedway (Altamahaw, NC)
• May 14 – North Wilkesboro Speedway (North Wilkesboro, NC)
• May 31 – Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway (Hampton, VA)
• June 14 – Dominion Raceway (Thornburg, VA)
• July 2 – Caraway Speedway (Sophia, NC)
• August 2 – Hickory Motor Speedway (Newton, NC)
• August 16 – Anderson Motor Speedway (Williamston, SC)
• August 29 – Florence Motor Speedway (Timmonsville, SC)
• September 13 – South Boston Speedway (South Boston, VA)
• October 4 – Tri-County Speedway (Granite Falls, NC)
• October 18 – North Wilkesboro Speedway (North Wilkesboro, NC)