The first season for Ben Maier in the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour was one he will remember for the rest of his life.
Not only did Maier claim the BSCI PLM Rookie of the Year, but his consistent campaign also enabled him to become the CARS PLM Tour champion. Maier was joined in the former category by Carson Loftin, who took home the Bilstein Shocks LMSC Rookie of the Year in his first season with Nelson Motorsports.
Maier knew the expectations placed upon him by piloting the No. 6 Pro Late Model for Setzer Racing & Development. He was confident about being competitive with Dennis and Brandon Setzer in the PLM Tour but had no idea a year of hard work and development would translate into a title, let alone Rookie of the Year honors.
“It’s amazing,” Maier said. “We just wanted to have a good season and maybe get a couple of wins. We didn’t expect to win the championship by any means. We got the points lead early on and that changed the whole way we raced. I would have liked to win a couple of races, but it was still an amazing year and amazing to get Rookie of the Year as well.”
With Maier’s background being in road courses, he planned to lean heavily on the Setzers and his resources at Chevrolet to quickly acclimate himself to Pro Late Models. The partnership started on a promising note, with Maier winning the SpeedFest 100 at Cordele Motor Speedway in January.
Although Maier was unable to find Cook Out Victory Lane in the PLM Tour, he established himself as a consistent presence at the front of the field. Across 13 PLM Tour events in 2025, Maier scored top fives in seven of them, his best performance being second at Ace Speedway and South Boston Speedway.
Like Maier, Loftin also did not tally a victory in his rookie CARS LMSC Tour campaign but did manage to score three top fives. Loftin admitted the LMSC Tour tested him in many ways throughout the year but was proud to drive Nelson’s prestigious No. 22 and earn Rookie of the Year in the LMSC Tour.
“Coming into this year with no fendered experience, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Loftin said. “I felt like I got a little spoiled running top five and top 10 in my first three starts [with Nelson]. After that, I kind of struggled a little bit, but things turned around at the end of the year and got some results.”
Prior to the 2024 South Carolina 400, the only type of car Loftin had ever driven in his young career was a Modified. There were some aspects from Modified competition Loftin ended up applying to the Late Model Stocks, but he came away from the 2025 season knowing he could still improve in the cars, especially with qualifying.
Starting on pole and leading laps in the prestigious ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway was validation to Loftin that he could excel in full-bodied stock cars. No matter where he races in 2026, Loftin intends to build off his LMSC Rookie of the Year honors with Nelson and further refine his craft.
“I really need to find myself and find my groove,” Loftin said. “Coming from an open-wheel world to a fendered world, I feel like I’ve struggled confidence-wise, but everybody at Nelson Motorsports got behind me and supported me along the way. We got better every week, so I’ve got to keep growing and get better.”
Maier dealt with many of the same growing pains as Loftin in the PLM Tour, but he took great pride in being able to deliver the Setzer another championship on the CARS Tour platform. He credited everyone within the program for helping him ascertain ovals and how to get the most out of his car.
With his championship and PLM Tour Rookie of the Year, Maier continues a proud tradition of success associated with the Setzers that has seen drivers like William Sawalich and Tristan McKee prevail in their cars. Maier plans to keep relying on their advice as he continues his journey up the developmental ladder.
“There’s so many great people that have come through [Setzer Racing & Development],” Maier said. “To be [somebody] who wins them a championship is amazing. They’ve put in a lot of work to get their cars as good as they can. It shows because it performs every weekend.”
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.
