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October 20, 2024

Brenden Queen, Kaden Honeycutt earn their first CARS Tour championships


(Photo: Ted Malinowski/CARS Tour)

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — During driver introductions for the zMAX CARS Tour’s season-ending ECMD 125 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, one of the drivers to receive the loudest ovations was Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen.

The past two years have seen Queen refine his identity as a competitor, cultivating a devoted fanbase affectionately known as ‘Bean Nation.’ A part of that process involved efficient on-track results, with Queen’s list of accomplishments including seven CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour victories to go along with triumphs in the Hampton Heat and South Carolina 400.

North Wilkesboro was far from Queen’s most stellar performance on the 2024 season, but by finishing fifth in the ECMD 125, he managed to procure his first CARS LMSC Tour title over Connor Hall. Although Queen went winless in the final eight races, finishing top five on every occasion enabled him to overtake Hall in the point standings.

Joining Queen on the championship stage was Kaden Honeycutt, who took advantage of a poor showing from Spencer Davis to earn his first CARS Pro Late Model Tour championship.

Butterbean reigns supreme with Lee Pulliam

When Brenden Queen climbed out of his No. 03 Folsom/Best Repair Company Toyota as a CARS LMSC Tour champion, one of the first people to greet him was his car owner Lee Pulliam.

The list of accolades Pulliam had accumulated during his stellar career did not include a CARS Tour title prior to Saturday’s ECMD 125 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. With the amount of careful diligence Pulliam regularly puts into his cars, Queen was determined to see that rigorous effort get rewarded.

“I wanted it more for [Pulliam] than I did myself,” Queen said. “He deserves it. Those guys work so hard and I’m the lucky guy who gets to hold the steering wheel. There ain’t another Lee Pulliam Performance, I can tell you that.”

It was Pulliam’s recognition of the talent Queen displayed at Langley Speedway that set into motion one of the most successful partnerships in recent Late Model Stock history.

Queen and Pulliam displayed almost immediate chemistry during their first major race together in the 2022 South Carolina 400. Starting in the 17th position that evening, Queen relied on Pulliam’s knowledge of patience and tire conservation to methodically carve through the field and park Pulliam’s car in Victory Lane.

The standard of efficiency established by Queen and Pulliam in the South Carolina 400 carried over into the LMSC Tour. Queen tallied four victories during his maiden full-time season but ended up finishing five points behind Carson Kvapil in the final standings after running out of fuel while leading the Old North State Nationals at Tri-County Motor Speedway.

Narrowly missing out on an LMSC Tour championship only served as motivation for Queen heading into 2024. The first half of the year featured two victories but also a handful of poor runs that left Queen in a points deficit, yet the commitment of everyone at Lee Pulliam Performance remained intact as they gradually fought their way back into contention.

All the positives Queen has experienced since the end of 2022 have left him grateful for the time spent as one of Pulliam’s drivers. Being on the same wavelength as Pulliam in nearly every aspect made life much easier for Queen and allowed him to blossom into the competitor he is today.

“We’re just brothers,” Queen said. “Him and I think alike, we act alike. It’s almost scary, but that’s what makes us so special. You have that with certain crew chiefs and owners. I’d put Lee up against anybody on any Saturday night. He’s accomplished everything in the Late Model world, now he can knock this one off the list.”

Conner Jones wraps up 2024 with two consecutive victories

In his first 45 starts with the CARS LMSC Tour, Conner Jones had only visited Victory Lane once at Tri-County Motor Speedway in 2022.

By securing the ECMD 125 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday night, Jones ends the 2024 campaign having claimed the last two races on the calendar. Jones admitted he was in disbelief over his recent success but is ready to showcase the speed of his Late Model Stock at the upcoming big money events in the winter.

“A lot is going through my mind,” Jones said. “I’m very thankful I have such a good team behind me right now. That new car has been really good to us. I don’t know what it is, but these Forrest Reynolds cars have been strong lately. I’m excited to go to the [South Carolina] 400 and the Battle of the Stars.”

Taking the famous elevator ride up to North Wilkesboro Speedway’s Victory Lane required Jones to outduel one of the best in defending LMSC Tour champion Carson Kvapil.

The opening stages of the ECMD 125 saw Kvapil put together a standard dominant performance that had yielded him two titles, yet he never managed to fully shake Jones. As the laps dwindled, Jones relentlessly harassed Kvapil for the lead before finally getting the run he needed to assume control and pull away with the victory.

Jones singled out everyone at Mike Darne Racing for their effort in preparing a car that has enabled him to excel against so many Late Model Stock stalwarts over the past two weeks. Winning at North Wilkesboro required him to ascertain how to maximize his car’s speed around the facility’s unique racing line.

“[North Wilkesboro] is nowhere close to Tri-County,” Jones said. “[The two tracks] have totally opposite corners. In one corner [at North Wilkesboro], you almost have to run up against the fence and then in the other corner, you have to run all the way down at the bottom. It means a lot to win [at North Wilkesboro], especially since I haven’t won a lot of CARS Tour races.”

Although he does not know what his 2025 plans entail, Jones wants to keep running Late Model Stocks so he can build off his two season-ending victories.

Eventful year for Kaden Honeycutt culminates with PLM Tour title

For as many challenges as Kaden Honeycutt endured throughout the 2024 CARS PLM Tour season, Saturday’s season-finale at North Wilkesboro Speedway was about as flawless and as he could have imagined.

Early trouble for his championship rival Spencer Davis meant Honeycutt could focus solely on pursuing a victory to wrap up an eventful, but stellar year. T.J. DeCaire and Tristan McKee both gave Honeycutt significant challenges, but the versatile competitor fended off both to secure the win and his first CARS Tour championship.

“This means so much for me and my family,” Honeycutt said. “[Bryson Lopez Racing] gave me the opportunity to finish out the season, but [Mavrick Page Motorsports] got me into this position. A lot of people have done so much for me and I can’t thank them enough. To win here at [North] Wilkesboro and get the championship at the same time is so unbelievably cool.”

Having developed his reputation in the CARS LMSC Tour, Honeycutt elected to compete full-time on the PLM Tour in 2024 with two separate goals; to build up Mavrick Page’s operation and to win races.

The duo carried momentum from a season-ending victory at Caraway Speedway in 2023 by winning at Orange County Speedway and establishing themselves as a legitimate contender for the PLM Tour title. Despite their success, Honeycutt and Mavrick Page parted ways after the first North Wilkesboro event, leaving the former’s title hopes in doubt.

A phone call from Bryson Lopez Racing, a new team to the PLM Tour for 2024, provided Honeycutt a surprising but impactful jolt. While piloting Bryson Lopez’ No. 47 Pro Late Model, Honeycutt did not record a single finish outside the top five and capped off the year with two consecutive victories at Tri-County Motor Speedway and North Wilkesboro.

The chemistry Honeycutt developed with Bryson Lopez in a short amount of time left him wishing he could have done a full season with the program. While their time together was brief, Honeycutt knows the hard work displayed by everyone at Bryson Lopez will set them up for success in future seasons.

A full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign with Niece Motorsports awaits Honeycutt after his PLM Tour title. Without the CARS Tour, Honeycutt said he any many other alums likely would not have found a feasible pathway into NASCAR’s premier ranks.

“The CARS Tour has ignited my career since 2021,” Honeycutt said. “This is the way to go to move up to the Truck Series, ARCA [Menard Series] or what not. If you can win in this deal, you can win in just about anything. The series will continue to get better, especially with the new staff. It’s definitely going to go a long way.”

Early contact costs Spencer Davis a shot at PLM Tour championship

Spencer Davis departed North Wilkesboro Speedway with a CARS PLM Tour championship, just not the one he would have preferred.

A broken track bar stemming from contact with T.J. DeCaire inside the first five laps resulted in Davis losing four laps early, two of which were under penalty for causing a caution. Davis managed to make up two of those laps, but the only reward for his effort was obtaining the PLM Tour owner’s championship.

“My guys built a great race car,” Davis said. “We came out here and did the best we could do, but it just wasn’t enough. Things happen, but we’ll go chase a championship next year.”

Davis had been a bastion of consistency on the PLM Tour since the first race of the season at Southern National Motorsports Park. Entering North Wilkesboro, Davis only had one finish outside the top 10, which came at Hickory Motor Speedway in July.

Two consecutive victories at Florence Motor Speedway and South Boston Speedway provided Davis the momentum he needed to consolidate his points lead, but Kaden Honeycutt remained within striking distance. Honeycutt’s victory at Tr-County Motor Speedway meant North Wilkesboro would have to go perfectly for Davis to secure the title.

Any hopes of a stellar outing effectively ended before the race began for Davis, who took full responsibility for the aggressive move on DeCaire that ended up breaking his track bar. Davis found some solidarity in taking the owner’s championship, which he said was indicative of how efficient his small program was all season long.

“I took that one car [everywhere] with the same group of guys all year,” Davis said. “Our average finish going into [North Wilkesboro] was 3.9. Before one miscue at Hickory, we were almost in the twos. That’s an amazing feat, I don’t care what series you run. This one showing does not show how strong Spencer Davis Motorsports is.”

——-

While Pulliam has had a profound influence on his driving career, he said the CARS Tour itself opened many doors for him to progress his career.

A bright future awaits a driver who was once simply a successful crowd favorite at his home track of Langley Speedway. Queen is eager to see how his career materializes following his CARS LMSC Tour championship but will always be thankful to the series and Pulliam for helping him build an identity as one of the most successful short track competitors in the country.

“[The CARS Tour] gave me a place to showcase [myself],” Queen said. “I always thought I could race at Langley [Speedway] and do my thing on a Saturday night there, but getting on this national spotlight has made it to where it improved my career and got me opportunities. It all circles back to Lee Pulliam Performance giving me fast cars for these opportunities.”

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. 44 Conner Jones
  2. 8 Carson Kvapil
  3. 81 Mini Tyrrell
  4. 22 Connor Hall
  5. 03 Brenden Queen
  6. 82 Connor Mosack
  7. 7M Tristan McKee
  8. 17 Kaden Honeycutt
  9. 15 Ryan Millington
  10. 2 Brandon Pierce
  11. 29 Brent Crews
  12. 55 Isabella Robusto -1
  13. 4 Dylon Wilson -1
  14. 7P Casey Pierce -6
  15. 57 Landon Huffman – OUT
  16. 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr. – OUT
  17. 2W Ryan Wilson – OUT
  18. 45 Parker Eatmon – OUT
  19. 00 Chase Burrow – OUT
  20. 71B Jake Bollman – OUT
  21. 77 Treyten Lapcevich – OUT
  22. 26 Peyton Sellers – OUT
  23. 77W Trevor Ward – OUT
  24. 70 Travis Baity – OUT
  25. 1 Andrew Grady – OUT
  26. 11 Buddy Isles Jr. – OUT
  27. 28 Landon S. Huffman – OUT
  28. 71 Aaron Donnelly – DNS

PLM Results:

  1. 47 Kaden Honeycutt
  2. 15 T.J. DeCaire
  3. 67 Cameron Bolin
  4. 00 Jimmy Renfrew Jr.
  5. 88 Max Reaves
  6. 51 Travis Braden
  7. 17 Hudson Bulger
  8. 65 Tyler Tanner
  9. 97 Dylan Garner
  10. 43H Joshua Horniman
  11. 35 Caden Kvapil
  12. 8C Terri Crider
  13. 22 Dusty Garus -1
  14. 29 Spencer Davis -2
  15. 6 Tristan McKee – OUT
  16. 24 Gio Ruggiero – OUT
  17. 99 Edward Cheslak – OUT
  18. 8 Tate Fogleman – OUT
  19. 16 Tim Sozio – OUT
  20. 24B Lanie Buice – OUT
  21. 33 Daniel Webster – OUT
  22. 6B Brandon Lopez – OUT
  23. 44 Logan Jones – OUT
  24. 28 Nathan Gregg – OUT

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