A long and grueling summer stretch for the world of short track racing has nearly come and gone. The outside temperatures aren’t the only things heating up, as several tracks and series are seeing their respective championship battles come down to the wire and heat up as well.
For the pavement late model genre of motorsports, perhaps the two biggest grassroots series with the ASA STARS National Tour and the zMAX CARS Tour are starting to near the end of their seasons. While ASA has just three races to go before a champion is crowned, the CARS Tour has only four races remaining.
Much like we did earlier in the summer, we thought we’d try our hand at a little crossover piece in the form of a combined power rankimng between both CARS Tour and ASA STARS National Tour competitors.
Whether they drive a Late Model Stock Car (LMSC) or a Super Late Model (SLM), these pavement late model drivers have put on some fantastic shows throughout the summer. This week’s edition of Short Track Weekly will showcase a combined list of short track heroes who are rising to the top as things wind down in 2025.
10. Stephen Nasse
Florida’s Stephen Nasse is nothing if not consistent. The Super Late Model racer has put together a healthy string of impressive finishes throughout the 2025 ASA STARS National Tour season, especially over the summer months. Since the last rendition of these power rankings, Nasse has scored three podiums and five top five finishes in overall SLM competition.
The phrasing of “overall SLM competition” is important, as Nasse has hit a bit of a snag in the ASA STARS points standings in particular. Nasse failed to attend the most recent ASA STARS date at Owosso Speedway, and also failed to attend a regional ASA Southern Super Series show at Mobile International Speedway.
Choosing to regroup and focus on running closer to home for the time being, Nasse finished fourth in a local Super Late Model show at Auburndale Motor Speedway. Despite the momentary pause in ASA competition, Nasse’s summer of consistent finishes cannot be overlooked. -Reid Scott
9. Gavan Boschele
Gavan Boschele and Wilson Motorsports have proven to be viable contenders across SLM events all year this year. Boschele has been hot on Carson Brown’s trail for ASA STARS Rookie of the Year honors, and has come close to victory on many occasions.
Boschele’s impressive performance in last month’s Redbud 400 at Anderson Speedway (IN) comes to mind, where he overcame heavy front-end damage sustained in an early wreck to finish behind race winner and teammate Cole Butcher. Most recently, Boschele was involved in a late-race incident at the Michigan 300 at Owosso Speedway, losing the lead but rebounding to secure a sixth-place result.
It’s easy for some to overlook Boschele with his teammate Cole Butcher’s immaculate season this year, but Boschele’s tenacity and ability to overcome obstacles has made him a seriously impressive short track prospect. -Reid Scott
8. Kade Brown
Through all the chaos going on in the zMAX CARS Tour point standings, it’s been pretty easy to forget that Kade Brown has been right in the thick of it the entire time. Yet, there sits Brown, third in points with four races to go, just 17 points back of Connor Hall for the top spot.
Brown has been the model of consistency in the R&S House car, scoring more top 10s than any other driver with nine. However, while he outscores Hall and Landen Lewis in top 10s with nine to their seven, he’s well down the list in top five’s with only two compared to their five.
So in other terms, Brown has been consistently with the guys, just hasn’t been THE guy. He’s still in the title fight, but in order to move up the standings, here and with the series, he’s going to need some race winning speed to close out the year.
7. Carson Brown
Sitting second in the ASA STARS National Tour points standings, Carson Brown currently leads the hunt for the series’ Rookie of the Year title. Brown might have a lengthy distance between himself and points leader Cole Butcher, but he’s proven that he belongs with the SLM heavyweights over the summer.
After picking up his first ever ASA victory at Madison International Speedway back in June, Brown managed to score a strong top-five finish at the Redbud 400 in July. Brown was even in position to potentially win the Michigan 300 at Owosso earlier this week, but unfortunately got caught up in a late-race “big one”.
Brown and Anthony Campi Racing have a lot to be proud of so far throughout their 2025 campaign. Very few teams have been able to compete with Cole Butcher and Wilson Motorsports, so it’s an accomplishment all of its own to be the next best team in the standings. -Reid Scott
6. Landon Huffman
Just about opposite of Kade Brown above him, Landon Huffman has been all over the place this CARS Tour season. Huffman’s biggest problem has been qualifying, starting well outside the top 10 multiple times this year just to show race winning speed at the end.
Unfortunately, 125-lap races don’t grant enough time to make full-field charges, and that’s the mountain Huffman has had to climb all season long. It’s been a strange season for the No. 57 crew, one filled with misfortune and missed opportunities.
While he sits fifth in points, its about wins for Huffman and Carroll Speedshop. A recent showing of late-race speed easily could’ve landed the No. 57 in victory lane at both Caraway and Anderson, had cautions fallen their way. The consistent late race speed and knowing what could have been puts Huffman No. six on the list.
5. Connor Hall
Some may be surprised to find the CARS Tour points leader this far from the top of the list. Yes, Connor Hall still has the points lead for the Tour, a title he’s held for the majority of the year.
However, that margin has been cut to a mere four points over Lewis, and the JR Motorsports No. 88 team hasn’t looked the same for most of the summer. Sure, they’ve managed to hold the points lead, scoring a few top 10s along the way. The difference has been the lack of raw speed. Hall has spent many races well outside the top 10, just to climb his way back in the closing stages.
The most confusing part of the entire saga is the team has been lights out during Virginia Triple Crown races, winning South Boston and running second at Langley. The team finally seemed to find their swagger once again at Anderson, so maybe this sluggish summer has come to an end. Still, the odd stretch of races for Hall slots him fifth on the power rankings.
4. Bubba Pollard
2025 was not kind to Bubba Pollard earlier in the year, but things have started to turn around in a major way over the summer. A new pairing between Pollard and VanDoorn Racing Development left a lot to be desired just a few months ago, but the results are starting to pay off after continued adjustments.
There was a stretch of time where Pollard would have been lucky to simply finish a race without issue, but he has an entirely differrent outlook now. Simply put, Pollard can’t stop winning. He’s won two straight races in ASA-affilated competiton, with a regional victory at Mobile International Speedway and a national victory in the Michigan 300 at Owosso Speedway to his credit.
While not a national level series, Pollard also leads the ASA Southern Super Series standings over Cole Butcher. After all, when you have a reputation for being the modern-day standard in SLM racing, you can’t be held down for too long before you rise back towards the top. -Reid Scott
3. Mini Tyrrell
Coming in at No. three is none other than the $50,000 man himself, Mini Tyrrell. It’s been a season of feast or famine for Tyrrell, a rollercoaster year that still finds him with a shot at the title.
Tyrrell sits fourth in the standings, 28 points out of the lead with four races to go. That simply doesn’t tell the entire story. Dominant wins at both Wake County and Dominion labeled Tyrrell as one of the favorites, while missed opportunities at Langley and Caraway seemed to knock Tyrrell out of the title fight.
Everything changed for the team that was on the brink of bowing out completely when Tyrrell scored a late race win at Hickory and in return received the biggest payday of his life. The team, and driver have been knocked down time and time again yet the bell still hasn’t rung. That $50,000 check has boosted Tyrrell towards the top, and he’s certainly still in the title race with just four to go.
2. Landen Lewis
In the second spot you’ll find the man who’s been locked on the target of Hall all season long. Since spring, Lewis has been the car to win week after week. Dominant wins at Ace and North Wilkesboro put the garage area on notice, but it’s been trouble since.
The KHI No. 29 team brought top three speed to Langley, Caraway, Hickory, the list goes on. Yet in all three cases above, self inflicted errors, by the team or driver, mistakes that seemed would be detrimental to a title chase for any driver. Yet, the struggles for Hall and a trip back to the win column at Anderson puts Lewis just four points behind Hall at the top.
Does Lewis have the speed to be No. 1, both in the power rankings and in the title fight. Yes, of course, they’ve been the car to beat all season long. The question isn’t about speed, it’s whether or not Lewis can keep out of trouble and in many ways, out of his own way.
1. Cole Butcher
Not much has changed for Cole Butcher, the fastest man in late models. Butcher’s had a stellar summer stretch, picking up victories at Slinger Speedway, Five Flags Speedway, and Anderson Speedway (IN).
When it was announced that Butcher would run a second Halmar Friesen Racing entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway in September, the news came as no surprise. The Nova Scotia native has been on an otherwordly tear in 2025, and has carried that momentum far into the summer months.
Most recently, Butcher found himself narrowly avoiding disaster in this week’s Michigan 300 at Owosso Speedway, avoiding the “big one” to come home in second behind Bubba Pollard. With that result, Butcher has opened up his points lead to more than a full race. With only three races remaining, it’s seemingly guaranteed that we will see Butcher crowned as an ASA STARS National Tour champion before the season offically comcludes. -Reid Scott
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.