Race season is finally here.
It’s been a little over four months since the zMAX CARS Tour was last on track in 2024 (131 days for those counting), but the wait is finally over. The 2025 season kicks off this Saturday (March 1) at New River All-American Speedway.
Much has changed since the tour was last on track at North Wilkesboro Speedway in October. There are old faces in new places, series newcomers and new stops on the schedule.
It can be a lot to take in, but don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
Here’s everything you need to know about this upcoming CARS Tour season.
Old Faces In New Places
At this time, there are 19 drivers signed up to attempt the full 15-race Late Model Stock season. Quite a few of them are names you’ve come to know in the CARS Tour, but many will have new looks in 2025 after a wild silly season over the winter months.
We have to star with Connor Hall, the 2024 series runner up and odds-on championship favorite. Those title expectations are partly due to his undeniable talent behind the wheel, but Hall will also step behind the wheel of the JR Motorsports No. 88 this season after departing Nelson Motorsports last fall.
Hall will look to add to his 2024 success while driving for the most successful team in series history.
Another driver on the move is Kade Brown, who moves over to R&S Race Cars as its flagship driver in 2025. Brown had a disappointing season with Matt Piercy Racing in 2024 and will hope to turn things around in the R&S No. 4.
Fan favorite Landon Huffman will take another crack at being a CARS Tour full-timer, this time driving for Carroll Speedshop in the No. 57. Everything that could go wrong, did for Huffman in 2024, ultimately knocking him off the full-timers list midseason. But a new year brings new opportunity.
Nice To Meet You, New Guys
While there are quite a few drivers who simply switched teams during the offseason, there are also plenty who are new to the full-time scene altogether in 2025.
We’ll start with a pair of Lee Pulliam Performance teammates, Doug Barnes Jr. and Lanie Buice. Barnes was inactive for a large part of 2024, but put up some impressive runs in the South Carolina 400 and Thanksgiving Classic to end the year. That success led to a deal with Pulliam, allowing him to take on the Tour full-time in the No. 88.
Buice made five starts in the series in 2023, scoring a top-10 in the final race of the season. After making zero appearances in 2024, she’ll join Pulliam with some big shoes to fill. The Georgian will take over the No. 03 previously driven to the championship by Brenden Queen.
Another new face to the CARS Tour and Late Model Stock scene overall is Carson Loftin. Replacing Hall in the Nelson Motorsports No. 22, the 16-year-old set the short track world ablaze last year with an incredible rookie season in the SMART Modified Tour.
After a runner-up finish to Luke Baldwin in the SMART standings last season, Loftin will take his talents to Late Model Stock racing with one of the best in the business, Barry Nelson.
Last but not least, Parker Eatmon will make his first ever full-time bid at the CARS Tour in 2025. Eatmon will pilot the No. 4 for Mike Darne Racing after attempting the final three races of the 2024 season. He comes into the season fresh off of a big win in the Thanksgiving Classic to end the year, eager to make a splash in his rookie CARS Tour campaign.
The Guys Staying Put
While many are changing, there are others staying the course. Many of these are the family owned teams with series regulars who we’ve come to know and love.
Look no further than Mini Tyrrell and Ryan Millington.
Both drivers come in fresh off their best seasons to date with the Tour, finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the 2024 championship fight. Both return with their family-run teams – Tyrrell in the No. 81 and Millington in the No. 15 – looking to build on their success from a season ago.
Another series mainstay back for more this season is Ronnie Bassett Jr. Much like the two above, Bassett will once again run for his family-owned No. 04 team. Bassett scored his first series win at Hickory Motor Speedway last season.
Landen Lewis will also return to the series after multiple starts and a win in 2024, sticking with Kevin Harvick Inc. Lewis will move over from the No. 62 to the team’s flagship No. 29 and look to chase a championship.
Where Are We Racing?
Now the we’ve covered the who, let’s take a look at the where.
The Tour will tackle 14 different venues for a total of 15 races in 2025, with North Wilkesboro being the only track to host more than one event this season. Much like 2024, the Tour will join NASCAR at North Wilkesboro for All-Star Race week in May, before returning to crown a champion in October.
For the first time ever, the Tour heads south to the peach state of Georgia, venturing to Cordele Motor Speedway in April. Late Model Stock cars invade Super Late Model country for the first time ever, with series co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. joining the field for the race.
Rejoining the Tour for the first time since 2017 is South Carolina’s Anderson Motor Speedway in August. The race will mark the second time that the series has raced at Anderson.
Also returning are the mainstays including South Boston Speedway, Caraway Speedway Orange County and Florence Motor Speedway, who retain their dates on the schedule from 2024.
Florence will once again be held in conjunction with NASCAR’s labor day weekend trip to Darlington Raceway. Orange Country, Caraway and South Boston stay put in April, July and September, respectively.
The series will run from March through Oct. 18, when a champion is crowned at North Wilkesboro.
2025 CARS Tour Schedule
March 1: New River All-American Speedway
March 29: Wake County Speedway
April 12: Cordele Motor Speedway
April 26: Orange County Speedway
May 2: Ace Speedway
May 14: North Wilkesboro Speedway
May 31: Langley Speedway
June 14: Dominion Raceway
July 2: Caraway Speedway
Aug. 2: Hickory Motor Speedway
Aug. 16: Anderson Motor Speedway
Aug. 29: Florence Motor Speedway
Sept. 13: South Boston Speedway
Oct. 4: Tri-County Speedway
Oct. 18: North Wilkesboro Speedway
Expected Full-Time Drivers List
No. 00: Chase Burrow (Chase Burrow Motorsports
No. 03: Lanie Buice (Lee Pulliam Performance)
No. 04: Ronnie Bassett Jr (Bassett Racing)
No. 1: Andrew Grady (TORP)
No. 2: Brandon Pierce (Carroll Speedshop)
No. 4: Kade Brown (R&S Race Cars)
No. 4: Parker Eatmon (Mike Darne Racing)
No. 4: Donovan Strauss (Hettinger Racing)
No. 11: Buddy Isles Jr. (VanDyke Racing Performance)
No. 15: Ryan Millington (Saville Millington Motorsports)
No. 22: Carson Loftin (Nelson Motorsports)
No. 29: Landen Lewis (Kevin Harvick Inc.)
No. 44: Conner Jones (Mike Darne Racing)
No. 47: Bryce Applegate (MKM Racing Development)
No. 57: Landon Huffman (Carroll Speedshop)
No. 71: Aaron Donnelly (Hettinger Racing)
No. 81: Mini Tyrrell (Timmy Tyrrell Racing)
No. 88: Connor Hall (JR Motorsports)
No. 88: Doug Barnes Jr. (Lee Pulliam Performance)
Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023. Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.