Jeremy Doss scores first CARS Tour West victory in Kyle Busch Classic in Las Vegas

For the first time in his career, Jeremy Doss is a winner in CARS Tour Southwest Pro Late Model competition, winning the Kyle Busch Classic 118 Friday night at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the penultimate round of the 2026 season.

The inaugural event honored Las Vegas native Kyle Busch and his impact on the local racing community and short track racing throughout his career following his sudden passing in May. The Kyle Busch Classic also marked the first race at The Bullring since the 3/8-mile oval was repaved over the summer, at the same track where Busch began his racing career as a young driver.

The 118-lap distance paid tribute to Busch’s time behind the wheel of the iconic No. 18 in the NASCAR Cup Series, where he scored 56 victories and won two championships.

“Man, it was such a good car,” Doss said. “Even when I was saving my equipment earlier in the race, this thing was still fast. The speed just never fell off. This car was badass.”

For Doss, the victory carried additional meaning on a night honoring Kyle Busch.

“This is the best feeling ever,” Doss said. “Kyle Busch was a mentor and someone I cheered for when I was growing up. To win here tonight and to be able to honor him is very special.”

Las Vegas native Spencer Gallagher made his first career start in CARS Tour Southwest competition and won the pole at his hometown track, leading the field of 17 cars to the green flag.

Gallagher’s night quickly turned into a nightmare. While battling Jeffrey Peterson on the second lap, Gallagher clipped the front of Peterson’s car and crashed into the outside wall along the frontstretch. The GMS Racing owner suffered significant right-side damage and limped back to the work area before retiring after completing only three laps.

In the melee, Linny White passed both cars to take the race lead.

Co-points leader Kyle Keller moved into second. The Las Vegas native entered the weekend tied with Robby Sawyer for the championship lead at 305 points apiece, while Jaron Giannini was 20 points back entering the penultimate round of the season.

Giannini began working his way forward in the opening laps, while Doss passed Sawyer on Lap 11 and began to set his sights on the leaders.

By Lap 18, Giannini had tracked down the top two and worked a fender underneath Keller entering Turn 3 to take second. The move opened the door for Doss to follow Giannini through and take third from Keller.

Keller continued to fall back as Sawyer reached his rear bumper on Lap 22. Entering Turn 1, Sawyer gave Keller a nudge and moved him up the track to take the position before Keller eventually lost another spot to Peterson.

A battle for the lead developed on Lap 23 when Giannini worked underneath White down the backstretch. The pair raced side by side for multiple laps, with White holding strong around the outside.

The two made door-to-door contact entering Turn 1 on Lap 27, moving White up the track and allowing Giannini to take the lead. Doss filled the opening and followed Giannini through to take second.

The first caution flew on Lap 31 when Adam Coonfield lost an engine, leaving fluid around the track. As the field entered Turn 3, multiple drivers slid through the oil, with Kyle Gottula suffering the worst of it as he slammed into the wall and sustained race-ending damage.

The incident brought out the red flag for cleanup. The stoppage was deemed a yellow/red, allowing teams to service their cars in the hot pit.

Keller, who was running seventh, brought his car to the attention of his team as his brakes began to fade. The team bled the brake system in hopes of correcting the issue, but Keller then lost all power when attempting to refire the engine.

Keller eventually pulled away, but the problems had major championship implications. He would restart toward the rear of the field while title rival Sawyer sat fourth.

Giannini and White battled door to door for the lead on the restart, racing side by side for the opening laps before Giannini was able to clear White.

On Lap 35, Peterson suffered a tire failure while running eighth and limped to the hot pit. His night continued to deteriorate when the car later suffered a sway bar failure, eventually forcing Peterson to retire after winning the CARS Tour Southwest Limited Late Model feature earlier in the night.

Doss continued his charge toward the front and worked underneath Giannini off Turn 2 on Lap 38, completing the pass by the time the pair returned to the start-finish line.

Keller’s night soon took another turn for the worse. Unable to maintain the pace of the leaders because of his mechanical issues, Keller eventually pulled into the pits and toward his hauler, ending his night in 14th.

“I lost voltage and had no battery,” Keller said. “We tried changing the battery, but I think the alternator failed or something. We were trying to stay out there and ride around, but officials said we didn’t maintain pace. It kind of sucks. That ruined our points right there. I think our season is probably over.”

Giannini later worked his way back around Doss for the lead after electing to restart in the outside lane. By Lap 56, Doss had tracked Giannini back down and reached his rear bumper when the caution flew after Jaiden Reyna spun in Turn 4.

Sawyer elected to restart in the outside lane alongside Giannini and stayed with the leader through the opening corner and down the backstretch. Entering Turn 3, Sawyer charged into the corner as Doss made it three-wide underneath both drivers.

Sawyer reached Giannini’s quarter panel, but Giannini held the position off Turn 4 to remain out front. Doss then passed Sawyer one lap later to reclaim second.

On Lap 73, Doss once again reached Giannini’s rear bumper and began applying pressure. Off Turn 4, Doss moved to the inside and reclaimed the lead, leaving Giannini to deal with Sawyer directly behind him.

The race remained green until the competition caution flew on Lap 101 after 45 consecutive laps under green, erasing Doss’ advantage and giving Giannini and Sawyer one final opportunity to challenge for the victory.

Peterson returned to his hauler under the caution and officially retired from the race after the mechanical issues ended his night prematurely for the second consecutive Pro Late Model event.

Doss broke away on the restart while Sawyer and Giannini battled for second. Giannini reclaimed the position by the exit of Turn 2.

Further back, White brushed the outside wall after being put three-wide on corner exit and fell from inside the top five to eighth.

The final caution flew on Lap 106 when Eric Schmidt spun off Turn 4 after his right-rear tire suddenly went flat.

Sawyer elected to restart on the outside and stayed alongside Doss through the exit of Turn 2 before Doss charged into Turn 3 and cleared the Bakersfield native. Sawyer fell into line in second with Giannini third.

White also chose the outside lane and used the restart to work his way back inside the top five, falling in line ahead of Tyler Herzog.

On Lap 109, Giannini gave Sawyer a tap entering Turn 3 and took second back. Sawyer fell to third as Doss opened an advantage of nearly 1.5 seconds over the championship contenders.

Doss’ advantage proved too much to overcome as he crossed the finish line to score his first career CARS Tour West Pro Late Model victory, also giving car owner Scott Sanchez his first victory in CARS Tour Southwest competition.

For the fourth consecutive race, Giannini finished second.

“I wish we were in victory lane, but the car is in one piece, so I can’t complain,” Giannini said. “Overall, we had a really fast race car but just one spot short. Hopefully, we can end the season on a high note at Kern in a few weeks.”

Sawyer finished third, capitalizing on title rival Keller’s misfortune and leaving Las Vegas with the championship advantage heading into the season finale.

“We’ve been working on consistency and we’ll take the third-place finish,” Sawyer said. “It’s a good night and we are going to walk out of here with our heads held up high.”

White recovered to finish fourth, with Herzog rounding out the top five.

RACE RESULTS: CARS Tour Southwest Pro Late Models- Kyle Busch Classic 118
The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
October 2, 2026

1. Jeremy Doss
2. Jaron Giannini
3. Robby Sawyer
4. Linny White
5. Tyler Herzog
6. James Hamlin
7. Bristol Borneman
8. Brendan Langois
9. Jaiden Reyna
10. Sydney Hamlin
11. Brad Clarke
12. Eric Schmidt
13. Jeffrey Peterson
14. Kyle Keller
15. Kyle Gottula
16. Adam Coonfield
17. Spencer Gallagher