HICKORY, N.C. — Drivers and fans at Hickory Motor Speedway had to wait an additional 24 hours to see who would take home a combined total of $80,000 in race winnings for the zMAX CARS Tour’s prestigious Throwback Classic.
Inclement weather halted the on-track action Saturday evening after 44 laps were completed in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour feature. Initially set for resumption at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon, rain returned shortly before the green flag, pushing the conclusion of the Throwback Classic into the evening.
The racing proved to be frantic and intense as CARS Tour competitors battled for two of the largest purses in the history of their respective disciplines. Mini Tyrrell emerged victorious in a hectic Late Model Stock race to claim $50,000, all while Spencer Davis edged Luke Baldwin in a photo finish for $30,000 in the Pro Late Model division.
Historic $50,000 paycheck years in the making for Mini Tyrrell
For Mini Tyrrell, competing at Anderson Motor Speedway and Florence Motor Speedway was contingent on how the Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway unfolded.
Good fortune was on Tyrrell’s side once the CARS LMSC Tour feature commenced late Sunday evening. After a late restart crash eliminated other top contenders, all Tyrrell needed was to fend off fellow Late Model Stock veteran Jared Fryar for the biggest victory of his career.
Tyrrell did just that, who was thrilled and relieved to celebrate such a marquee accomplishment with his team.
“This is everything to me,” Tyrrell said. “We’ve had so much speed, but this shows how much [crew chief] Brandon Butler and all the guys at the shop are working their tails off. I’m thrilled to death and I’m so speechless. I’m not going to roll off of this high for a long time.”
Although Tyrrell does not turn 21 until next month, he is very much a veteran of the LMSC Tour with 83 starts to his name dating back to South Boston Speedway in 2018.
Since then, Tyrrell has experienced all the positives and negatives associated with Late Model Stock competition in the southeast. He did not earn his first CARS Tour checkered flag until Tri-County Motor Speedway in 2021, but now finds himself in the middle of a career year, having amassed two checkered flags prior to Hickory.
Many of Tyrrell’s crew members have been with him since he first started racing nearly a decade ago. That chemistry has been essential towards Tyrrell’s program becoming one of the more consistent in the LMSC Tour, all of which gave him plenty of confidence as he prepared to chase a $50,000 paycheck.
Tyrrell’s car proved to be one of the quickest in the 29-car field, but he tailed leader Tristan McKee for most of the evening while trying to gain track position. With 10 laps remaining, contact between McKee and Landen Lewis triggered a huge crash on the frontstretch, knocking both out and allowing Tyrrell to inherit the lead.
Constant pressure from Jared Fryar over two ensuing restarts kept Tyrrell vigilant, but he showcased veteran poise and managed to maintain the lead. As each lap clicked off, the idea of bagging $50,000 gradually set in for Tyrell, who thought about everything he and his team had gone through to reach this point.
Tyrrell believed Sunday night was a dream at first. Reality could not have been more rewarding for Tyrrell, who looks forward to building up his program further after the victory.
“I never thought I’d be standing here [in Cook Out Victory Lane],” Tyrrell said. “I’m incredibly blessed. I’ve worked so hard in trying to be a better person and with trying to be a better race car driver. I’ve surrounded myself with the right people and all I’ve been doing is be like a sponge to every piece of information I can get. I feel like I’m dreaming. It’s pretty surreal.”
Spencer Davis battles to $30,000 prize at Hickory
The sting of narrowly missing out on a CARS PLM Tour championship by 10 points in 2024 was one of many things on Spencer Davis’ mind when he pulled into Hickory Motor Speedway for the Throwback Classic.
Davis showcased the efficiency that put him in championship contention by dominating the second half of the PLM Tour feature, but he faced a challenge from Luke Baldwin as the laps dwindled. The two exchanged contact several times in the waning moments, culminating in a finish that came down to the final corner.
A bump and run by Davis on Baldwin was enough to prevail by only a few inches, a moment that further reinforced the cohesion Davis possesses not only with Ben Kennedy Racing, but also veteran crew chiefs Tony Eury Sr. and Jr.
“This means so much after sitting here for a couple of days,” Davis said. “I’ve been through the whole reins all the way up to [the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series]. We’ve rejuvenated [Ben Kennedy Racing’s] program and this is win number five for them. These guys have so much faith in me. It just clicks and allows me to do what I can do.”
The Throwback Classic was only Davis’ second PLM Tour start of 2025, but he has kept himself busy in events all around the country. Among Davis’ accomplishments on the year include a victory in the World Series of Asphalt’s Pro Late Model division, along with a win at Hickory back in April.
Utilizing the knowledge he acquired from prior trips to Hickory, Davis felt confident he had a baseline setup more than capable of contending for a $30,000 paycheck. Davis battled with Kaden Honeycutt during the Saturday portion of the PLM Tour feature, but took over the lead on Sunday after Honeycutt was assessed a penalty.
Davis needed to play defense to fend off Baldwin’s valiant charge but had no regrets towards his race-winning maneuver despite Baldwin’s frustration. He said both cars avoiding major damage and being able to cross the start-finish line straight is a desirable outcome with $30,000 on the line.
“You got to do what you got to do,” Davis said. “I probably ruffled [Baldwin’s] feathers, but I watched him try to do the same thing to Paul Hartwig Jr. in the SMART Modified Tour race. Luke’s a well-respected racer and I would hope if the shoe was on the other foot and I was catching him, he would take those gloves off and throw all he can at me.”
Jared Fryar one spot short of massive payday
Although he was happy to see his friend Mini Tyrrell secure $50,000 in the Throwback Classic, Jared Fryar could not help but ponder what he could have done differently to find Cook Out Victory Lane.
Another beneficiary of the massive restart crash, Fryar positioned himself into second and made two decent runs at Tyrrell for the lead. Both attempts came up short, but Fryar was more than satisfied to finish runner-up on an evening that presented many unknowns due to the weather and expanded race-winning purse.
“I wasn’t sure what we had with all the rain,” Fryar said. “We didn’t qualify as good as I’d like to, but we were able to pass cars and follow Mini [Tyrrell] to the front. I felt like we equal to Mini until contact kind of knocked the tow out. After that, I didn’t feel the same. I’m lucky to run second and have a strong car. It was fun to pass that much.”
Fryar is no stranger to excelling in strenuous circumstances. Along with being a champion in both the CARS LMSC and Super Late Model divisions, Fryar also has a crown jewel Late Model Stock victory in the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway back in 2022.
Obtaining another marquee checkered flag required Fryar to embrace his patient, methodical driving style that had already guided him to two LMSC Tour wins in 2025. After qualifying 11th, Fryar found his way inside the top five inside of 10 laps remaining, with the restart crash providing him the opening he needed to make a charge for the win.
The weekend may not have ended in a trip to Cook Out Victory Lane for Fryar, but he said performing so well in a big field only highlighted the strength of his program. With plenty of big Late Model Stock events still on his schedule, Fryar intends to take all the lessons learned from the Throwback Classic and keep improving.
“This is the most money we’ve raced for all year,” Fryar said. “It means a lot and it’s awesome to race with the CARS Tour and run this good. I wish we were in Victory Lane, but I’m happy to sit here in second with the car in one piece. Our program is on the right track right now and everything is clicking.”
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Next up for the zMAX CARS Tour is a return to Anderson Motor Speedway on Aug. 16, which will be the first visit for the Pro Late Model division and the first for Late Model Stocks since 2017. FloRacing is set to provide coverage of all the on-track action as CARS Tour competitors regroup following a long weekend in the Throwback Classic.
For more information on the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour, visit www.carsracingtour.com. Be sure to stay active and social with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on X (formerly known as Twitter) and scrolling through photos on Instagram cars_tour.
Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC, at 704-662-9212.
LMSC Results:
1. 81 Mini Tyrrell
2. 14 Jared Fryar
3. 48 Conner Jones
4. 39 Landon Huffman
5. 3 Doug Barnes Jr.
6. 19 Kade Brown
7. 8 Caden Kvapil
8. 03 Lanie Buice
9. 08 Deac McCaskill
10. 25 Graham Hollar
11. 00 Chase Burrow
12. 84 Landon S. Huffman
13. 44 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
14. 88 Connor Hall
15. 4 Donovan Strauss
16. 95 Michael Bumgarner
17. 31 Brody Monahan
18. 2B Sam Butler
19. 8D Mason Diaz -1
20. 97 Landen Lewis -5
21. 12 Trevor Ward -6
22. 7 Tristan McKee – OUT
23. 17 Kaden Honeycutt – OUT
24. 22 Carson Loftin – OUT
25. 16 Chad McCumbee – OUT
26. 98 Treyten Lapcevich – OUT
27. 2R Layne Riggs – OUT
28. 16B Jake Bollman -15
29. X Jordan McGregor* — OUT
30. 05 Mason Bailey – DNS
*Note: Jordan McGregor replaced Thomas Beane, who originally qualified the No. X
PLM Results:
1. 96 Spencer Davis
2. 51 Luke Baldwin
3. 7 Tristan McKee
4. 32K Caden Kvapil
5. 62 Casey Roderick
6. 7C Seth Christensen
7. 47 Kaden Honeycutt
8. 71 Katie Hettinger
9. 17 Dawson Sutton
10. 54 T.J. DeCaire
11. 6 Ben Maier
12. 43 Nick Loden
13. 10 Mason Diaz
14. 44 Conner Jones
15. 7J Justin Crider
16. 92 Jace Hale
17. 32 Keelan Harvick -1
18. 49 Jeff Batten -1
19. 8 Toro Rodriguez -3
20. 97 Dylan Garner -5
21. 1X Brandon Lopez -6
22. 35 Cameron Clifford – OUT
23. 24 Brody Gunter – OUT
24. 61 Austin MacDonald – OUT
25. 76 Isaac Kitzmiller – OUT
26. 18 Rodney Dowless – OUT
27. 11 Dylan Cappello – OUT