Jeffrey Peterson continues Bullring dominance with CARS Tour West Limited Late win in Kyle Busch Classic

For the fifth time this season, Jeffrey Peterson went to victory lane in CARS Tour Southwest Limited Late Model competition, winning the Kyle Busch Classic 105 Friday night at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Peterson, who is also the 2026 track champion at The Bullring, had won 13 times at the Nevada track this season entering the weekend.

His latest victory came on a much different Bullring than the one he dominated earlier in the season, with the 3/8-mile oval featuring a new racing surface following a summer repave

The Bullring also holds a special place in Busch’s racing history, serving as the track where the Las Vegas native began his racing career before eventually reaching NASCAR’s highest level.

The 105-lap distance carried additional significance in honoring Busch, with the 5 representing the number he drove when he began his NASCAR Cup Series career with Hendrick Motorsports. Busch won four Cup races in the No. 5 and, in 2005, became the youngest driver at the time to win a Cup Series race.

On track, Peterson quickly adapted to the new surface.

“She was thundering,” Peterson said. “Schoppe was fast, so hats off to him. He was charging in those last laps, so I knew I had to give it everything.”

Peterson went to victory lane driving his No. 51, and on a night honoring Kyle Busch, who won many races throughout his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career carrying the same number, Peterson took a moment to collect himself in an emotional victory lane celebration.

“I am just super grateful that we can come out here to celebrate Kyle’s life,” Peterson said. “To honor him and what he did not only for the city of Las Vegas but short track racing in general, he was just really a special guy and I am honored to take home the inaugural Kyle Busch Classic in the Limited Lates.”

Skyler Schoppe won the pole earlier in the afternoon and led the field of 20 Limited Late Models to the green flag for the 105-lap feature. Schoppe led the opening laps, while Brenden Ruzbarsky passed teammate Tanner Huddleston for second.

The first caution flew on Lap 7 when Mike Weimann spun in Turn 1.

Peterson chose the outside lane for the restart, lining up alongside Schoppe on the front row. Peterson held his ground around the outside before eventually clearing Schoppe for the lead.

The second caution flew on Lap 12 after contact from Mikey Killen sent Alex Eskandari around entering Turn 1. Eskandari suffered a flat left-rear tire in the incident.

Peterson maintained the lead when racing resumed and began to pull away from Schoppe, while Huddleston passed Ruzbarsky to reclaim third.

On Lap 16, CARS Tour Southwest Limited Late Model points leader Kenna Mitchell suffered a right-rear tire failure, forcing the Northern California driver to the hot pit.

Mitchell entered the night 36 points ahead of Christian Bazen in the standings with a division-best average finish of 2.6. Her night continued to go from bad to worse as she suffered two more tire failures before finishing 20th, marking her first finish outside the top five this season.

Back at the front, the fight for second intensified between Schoppe and Huddleston. The pair raced side by side for multiple laps before making contact entering Turn 3 on Lap 25, sending both cars up the track.

Schoppe suffered significant right-side damage to his door, while Huddleston sustained damage to the front valance. Both drivers continued but lost positions, allowing Bazen to move into second.

The race settled into a long green-flag run before the competition caution flew on Lap 65 after 45 consecutive laps under green, erasing Peterson’s sizable advantage over the rest of the field.

Peterson broke away again on the restart, while Bazen struggled to get his car going from the bottom of the front row and fell to third by the time the field reached Turn 1.

Bazen continued to lose ground, eventually falling to fifth and finding himself in the middle of a three-wide battle with Jay Juleson and Brian Williams before settling in behind Chris Monez.

Bazen and Monez later made contact entering Turn 1 while battling for position. Monez briefly spun, but the field remained under green as Bazen continued forward.

Cody Brown, the 2025 Limited Late Model track champion, suffered mechanical issues shortly afterward and pulled his car into the infield, ending his night with less than 35 laps remaining.

The caution flew again on Lap 69 after three-wide contact sent Cam Carraway spinning entering Turn 1, with Carraway’s car coming to a stop in the bottom groove.

Peterson once again led the field back to green, while Schoppe chose the inside lane to line up alongside him on the front row. Schoppe was slow to get going, allowing Ruzbarsky and Huddleston to apply pressure as the race entered its final 30-lap run.

Schoppe eventually broke away from the two High Point Racing teammates and began his pursuit of Peterson. Ruzbarsky started to fade from the top three, while Bazen began working his way back toward the front and passed Ruzbarsky with 19 laps remaining.

Schoppe began to close slightly on Peterson in the final laps, but it was not enough as Peterson held on to score his fifth CARS Tour West Limited Late Model victory of the season and his 14th overall victory at The Bullring in 2026.

For Schoppe, the runner-up effort marked a career-best finish in CARS Tour West Limited Late Model competition.

“We were clicking off fast lap times and the car just kept getting better and better,” Schoppe said. “Huddleston and I made contact a little bit and I felt he pinched me down a little, but that’s racing. You can’t get mad at him for that. I thought my day was done and it took a few laps to get back into the groove, but once I did, we were fast. If you’re going to lose to anybody, I am glad it was to Peterson. He put on an amazing race.”

Schoppe grew up a Kyle Busch fan and took a moment after the race to reflect on the weekend and what competing in the inaugural event meant to him.

“It is sad that he passed, but the only thing we can do now is honor him,” Schoppe said. “To be able to honor Kyle Busch this weekend, with everything he meant to this track and what he meant to the city of Las Vegas, it’s just amazing to be able to honor him.”

Huddleston recovered from the earlier contact to finish third, with Ruzbarsky fourth and Bazen rounding out the top five.

RACE RESULTS: CARS Tour Southwest Limited Late Models- Kyle Busch Classic 105
The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
October 2, 2026

1. Jeffrey Peterson
2. Skyler Schoppe
3. Tanner Huddleston
4. Brenden Ruzbarsky
5. Christian Bazen
6. Cody Brown
7. Cam Carraway
8. Jay Juleson
9. Chris Monez
10. Donald Witkowski
11. Eric Rhead
12. Brian Williams
13. Mike Weimann
14. Byron Borneman
15. Johnny Spilotro
16. Alex Eskandari
17. Mikey Killen
18. AJ Hintsala
19. Caden Cordova
20. Kenna Mitchell