With a multi-car full-time CARS Tour operation, and a development program on the off weeks, Justin Carroll and Carroll Speedshop are as busy as they’ve ever been. Carroll’s program has been on a steady rise since he stepped away from full-time racing at the end of 2020 season. That rise reached a peak this past Saturday, as Conner Jones earned Carroll his first CARS Tour win as an owner at Wake County Speedway.
Yet, back on March 21, Carroll jumped behind the wheel of his own car at the Tri-County Speedway season opener, his first race in nearly a year, only his 10th recorded start since 2021. At the end of the night, he parked it in victory lane, his first win since October 30th, 2021.
It had been a while, but the performance was the same. Carroll outdueled his employee, Landon Huffman, to pick up the win in the 75-lap Late Model Stock feature. So, why now? With Carroll being as busy as he’s ever been turning wrenches, why was it the right time to grab the steering wheel on his off week. There are various reasons but ultimately, it was just a free weekend to have some fun.
“I had a ton of fun,” Carroll told Short Track Scene. “Really, there’s no set time. We had an off weekend and had a car that was ready to go, and I knew we’re about to get in the really bust part of the season for my customers so I said heck, let’s go race. I had family in town, friends, and we went and had a good time. It was the first time I drove a really good car in several years and it was a lot of fun dueling it out with Landon in his personal car.
“Really, Landon was probably a little better than me at the end of the race, … I think it it’s anybody else leading, he probably uses the bumper a little bit, wins the race.”
As noted, Carroll has made sporadic starts across the region the past few seasons, most commonly at Tri-County. His last start came last May at Anderson Speedway, a race in which Carroll was not in contention and pulled off 27 laps early. So, to be the one turning the wrenches on said “really good car” has to feel pretty good, right?
“Yeah, definitely,” Carroll said. “It’s always good to be able to get in my cars and see where they’re at for my customers that are racing these things week in and week out. I can kind of say ‘hey, they’re close, or we’re out in left field’. It’s nice to know that I still have that feel and judge to say if the cars are good or not, especially for my drivers that we’re still developing, still teaching.
“Conner [Jones] and Landon [Huffman] have run Late Model Stocks for a while, so they know what they’re looking for, … But that’s why they’re CARS Tour drivers. Some of my local guys that we work with are more newbies. So, teaching them and if they’re struggling a little bit, it’s good for me to get in the car.”
Here recently we’ve seen more opportunities present themselves to short track racers who may have stalled out funding wise, but never lacked in talent. Most recently, that driver was Lee Pulliam this past weekend. So what about Carroll? Would he like to go back to full-time racing, or was this just a more successful version of a sporadic one off?
“I mean, I think the opportunity has to be right,” Carroll said. “You don’t see opportunities for what Lee Pulliam got this weekend, which is incredible. It’s awesome, It needs to happen more. I think he needs to be in the seat all the time and drivers like himself, drivers like me, not trying to boast my chest or anything, but that’s what late model racing needs to be.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to put food on my table and provide for my family. I love doing this side of it so if I don’t race anymore this year, I’m okay with it. If we get another off weekend and we have a car ready, we might show up somewhere.”
Looking back on his driving career, it’s hard to say for Carroll if it could coexist with his role as an owner and crew chief, should he return to driving more often. He feels as though he accomplished what the financial backing would allow, and is content with the direction his career has turned after stepping away from weekly competition behind the wheel.
“It’s a good question,” Carroll said. “You know, I’m not really sure. At that time in my life, in my racing career, I did want to move forward as far as I possibly could and as far as the financials were going to allow, and I feel like I did that. We achieved a lot of things and we had a lot of fun doing it. But, I’m also having a ton of fun doing what I’m doing right now.”
It would certainly be fun to see Carroll back behind the wheel in a more regular fashion, but the timing of right now still may not be ideal, even after the strong return a few weekends back. Sure, he could go out and compete at a high level, but he’s got a race team to manage that is a higher priority. He’s managing two championship contending CARS Tour teams, just picked up his first win as an owner and runs a development program on top of all that.
Just don’t let it fool you into thinking ‘Toast’ won’t contend if he shows up with a car. Whether he chooses to harness it or not, Justin Carroll still has it, and he reminded us of that at Tri-County.
Lucas Mathias
April 2, 2026 at 2:59 pm
Great article. Him and his family are great people have been a fan of his for about 12 years.