The zMax CARS Tour returned to Anderson Motor Speedway for the first time in seven years Saturday, with Late Model Stocks back in action and the Pro Late Models making their debut at the track. Adding to the buzz was a 2001 MLB All-Star Game throwback scheme driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose presence on the grid brought a wave of nostalgia and excitement.
All eyes were on Earnhardt entering the day, but two young stars stole the show at night’s end. Landen Lewis captured the checkered flag in the Late Model Stock feature, while Luke Baldwin claimed victory in the Pro Late Model race.
Late Model Stock Cars
With the season slowly winding down, Lewis delivered a key drive for his CARS Tour title hopes in South Carolina.
Entering the night, the top five in the LMSC standings were Connor Hall, Lewis, Kade Brown, Mini Tyrrell and Landon Huffman. But it was Thomas Beane that surprisingly started on the pole.
Beane stole the early thunder with his quick qualifying lap, but couldn’t hold the lead for long. After an early caution, Conner Jones briefly moved to the front before Jared Fryar took control three laps later. With Pro Late Model Throwback Classic runner-up Baldwin already victorious earlier in the night, it looked as though Fryar might avenge his own second-place finish at Hickory.
Fryar held the lead until the field slowed again with 73 laps to go, when Lanie Buice and Earnhardt made contact in turn 4, sending the latter’s No. 8 into a harmless spin by the start-finish line. There was little harm done in the accident – Earnhardt regrouped after the restart and methodically climbed through the field from there, breaking into the top 10 and running as high as ninth with 20 laps to go.
Just as Earnhardt was settling into the top 10, it became clear that battle for the win was between Fryar and Lewis. Making a late charge, Lewis repeatedly closed to Fryar’s bumper, only for Fryar to pull away through turns 3 and 4. But with 14 laps to go, Lewis finally made his move, slipping to the inside after contact and snatching the lead away.
That move proved to be the difference. Fryar wasn’t able to mount a comeback, instead being overtaken by a hard-charging Huffman and settling for third while Lewis marched off to the win.
After the disappointment at Hickory, Lewis was overjoyed with a victory in “probably the most fun Late Model Stock race I’ve ever raced in my life.”
“I wouldn’t want to win it at any other place with all of these fans in the stands,” he told FloRacing.
Lewis’ excitement reflected the significance of the win in the championship battle. He entered the race 12 points behind Hall, who ran near the front of the pack for much of the day, but ultimately finished fifth.
Chase Burrow came home ahead of the championship frontrunner in fourth. Tyrrell, Tristan McKee, Brown, Parker Eatmon and Earnhardt wrapped up the top 10.
Late Model Stock Car Results
- Landen Lewis
- Landon Huffman
- Jared Fryar
- Chase Burrow
- Connor Hall
- Mini Tyrrell
- Tristan McKee
- Kade Brown
- Parker Eatmon
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Donovan Strauss
- Lanie Buice
- Ronnie Bassett Jr
- Doug Barnes Jr
- Carson Loftin
- Thomas Beane
- Brandon Pierce
- Conner Jones
- Gary Greenwood Jr
- Jake Bollman
- Ryan Howard
- Taylor Satterfield
- Ralph Carnes
- Neil Meredith
- Riley Gentry
- Jeremy Burns
- David Roberts
- Ryan Wilson
Pro Late Models
After starting on the pole, Ben Maier held the early lead. Taylor Hull had the scariest moment of the night early in the race, getting loose, riding the wall and damaging the flag stand to bring out a red flag.
Once the race resumed, Maier was able to extend his lead as Tyler Reif and McKee battled hard for second behind him. But what followed after the next caution didn’t go in Maier’s favor. After a spin by Tristan Pena, Maier and McKee restarted on the front row. Early in the battle for the lead, contact between them sent Maier back to sixth and McKee free falling to 12th.
The biggest beneficiary of the incident was Baldwin, who charged into the lead. He never looked back from there, finishing the day with a dominant drive to victory by a margin of 6.685 seconds. The win was a welcome change of fortune for Baldwin, who had come up short in the final moments of the Throwback Classic at Hickory.
“I don’t know if I ever saved tire harder in a Pro Late Model than I was in the last 15 laps. … Thank all you guys for coming out,” Baldwin told FloRacing afterward. “I know you’re here to see Dale, but hopefully that was a good show for you.”
Isaac Kitzmiller settled for second at night’s end, with Seth Christensen following in third. Despite the contact with McKee, the night wasn’t all bad for Maier. He was able to finish in fourth and extend his points lead over Brandon Lopez and Dylan Garner.
Reif completed the top five, with Garner, Lopez, Trey Burke, Ashton Higgins and Jade Avedisian wrapping up the top 10.
Pro Late Model Results
- Luke Baldwin
- Isaac Kitzmiller
- Seth Christensen
- Ben Maier
- Tyler Reif
- Dylan Garner
- Brandon Lopez
- Trey Burke
- Ashton Higgins
- Jade Avedisian
- Rodney Dowless
- Hudson Canipe
- Timothy Sozio
- Toro Rodriguez
- Tristan McKee
- Tristan Pena
- Taylor Hull
Up Next: The CARS Tour travels to Florence Motor Speedway in Florence, South Carolina, where the Pro Late Models and Late Model Stock Cars will hit the track on Friday, August 29.
