Tucked away in the heart of South Georgia, Cordele Motor Speedway stands as a beacon of grassroots racing heritage. It played host to a chaotic debut for the zMAX CARS Tour on Saturday night.
Late Model Stocks
In a night where chaos reigned under the Cordele lights, it was Connor Hall who stood tall, mastering the madness to claim his second Late Model Stock victory of the 2025 season. He did so by prevailing in a tense battle with early championship rival Mini Tyrrell.
“I don’t exactly know what clicked” Hall said to FloRacing of his night. “I guess watching Mini [Tyrrell] drive away from me for the last fifty laps made me decide to move up. Really glad we did, it was a completely different race car once we moved up.”
With nerves of steel and near-perfect timing, Hall reaffirmed his place among the discipline’s elite and etched another win into a season already steeped in drama. In a year where only he and Tyrrell have tasted victory, Hall didn’t just win the battle, he helped elevate it into something unforgettable.
Tyrrell launched off from pole and set the early tempo, locked in a high-speed chess match with Hall as Tristan McKee – fresh off a Pro Late Model win from minutes earlier – shadowed them with calculated intent.
But the race’s tone shifted early when Doug Barnes Jr. lost grip exiting turn 2 and careened into the backstretch’s now-famous watermelon patch—a surreal visual to an already poetic scenery.
When the field regrouped, Hall struck first, seizing the high line and the lead. Tyrrell responded accordingly, finding his rhythm and charging back to challenge last year’s championship runner-up.
The competition caution brought a reset and another classic Hall-Tyrrell skirmish, with more to come after a crash with 15 laps to go. Lanie Buice spun after contact, sliding up the track and briefly stalling Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s charge, leaving a scar on the front of his white-and-camouflage No. 8.
On the ensuing restart, Tyrrell’s tires failed him. He slipped, fell, then caught a break via timing and scoring. Ryan Wilson and Michael Hinde tangled, then Ronnie Bassett Jr. clipped McKee and momentarily took flight before launching up the track, drawing a red flag.
As the race gasped toward its conclusion, Earnhardt plowed into a slowing car on the restart. The contact ended his night early with a mangled front end, ruining what was poised to be a top-five run.
The cautions and subsequent restarts brought many challenges, but Hall was unshakable. He timed the final launch to perfection with Tyrrell clawing at his heels and marched off to his second victory of the young season.
Tyrrell settled for second at night’s end. Landon Huffman, Landen Lewis and Connor Jones completed the top five, with Kade Brown, Buddy Isles Jr., Hinde, Carson Loftin and Barnes capping off the top 10. The fan-favorite Earnhardt wound up 21st in his latest guest appearance.
Late Model Stock Results
- 88 Connor Hall
- 81 Mini Tyrrell
- 57 Landon Huffman
- 29 Landen Lewis
- 44 Connor Jones
- 4 Kade Brown
- 11 Buddy Isles Jr.
- 69 Michael Hinde
- 22 Carson Loftin
- 888 Doug Barnes Jr.
- 16 Chad McCumbee
- 1 Daniel Webster
- 54 Michael Fose
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
- 40 Taylor Satterfield
- 12 Hudson Bulger
- 2W Ryan Wilson
- 45 Donovan Strauss
- 7 Tristan McKee
- 03 Lanie Buice
- 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- 2 Brandon Pierce
- 71 Jake Bollman
- 24 Cody Demptser
- 28 Landon S. Huffman
- 4E Parker Eatmon
- 15 Ryan Millington
Pro Late Models
In a race defined by chaos and perseverance, it was McKee who rose above the fray, claiming his fourth career zMAX CARS Tour victory with the poise of a seasoned veteran.
Despite being just 14-years-old. McKee delivered a drive that was equal parts daring and disciplined. With 20 laps remaining, the Spire Motorsports prospect swept around Colin Allman on the high side to take a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.
“I tried my hardest right there,” McKee told FloRacing. “I think we didn’t have quite the best car, but I made use of the top. (It) came in after that long run.”
The evening began with young Keelan Harvick, son of NASCAR great Kevin Harvick, on the pole in his much-anticipated zMAX CARS Tour debut. He wasted no time asserting control, pulling away from the pack as Allman and TJ DeCaire fought furiously for second. Deeper in the field, a gritty battle for ninth unfolded between Casey Roderick and Brody Monahan.
The opening stint went green, but a routine competition caution set the stage for calamity. On the ensuing restart, Stuart Dutton made contact with Logan Jones and pounded the outside wall in turn 1, sending shockwaves through the race’s rhythm.
Moments later, on a lap 59 restart, DeCaire failed to fire off cleanly, kicking off a chain-reaction crash that launched Ben Mayer into the inside retaining wall and triggered a pileup that collected much of the field.
Allman, Jett Noland and DeCaire followed. Harvick faded to fifth in the closing laps, securing a solid finish that was only a letdown based on the lofty expectations set with his early performance.
Hudson Bulger, Luke Yarbrough, Seth Christensen, Dylan Garner and Isaac Kitzmiller completed the top 10.
The zMAX CARS Tour returns to action April 26th at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C.
Pro Late Model Results
- 7 Tristan McKee
- 67 Colin Allman
- 50 Jett Noland
- 54 TJ DeCaire
- 62 Keelan Harvick
- 17 Hudson Bulger
- 62X Luke Yarbrough
- 54C Seth Christensen
- 97 Dylan Garner
- 25 Isaac Kitzmiller
- 99 Cody Martell
- 16S Timothy Sozio
- 16H Patrick Hodgers
- 38 Cody Haskins
- 33 Hunter Johnon
- 08 Spencer Bragg
- 17 Carson Ware
- 6 Brandon Lopez
- 6M Ben Maier
- 62R Casey Roderick
- 31 Brody Monahan
- 15 Rodney Dowless
- 35 Gage Gilby
- 43 Augie Grill
- 47 Tyler Reif
- 5 Garrett Gumm
- 44 Logan Jones
- 32 Stuart Dutton
- 2 Jaxon Bishop
- 12 Brandon Brilliant
