NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – One thing was certain after a long day of racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway for the zMAX CARS Tour; Kaden Honeycutt gave it his all.
Physically and mentally exhausted to the point of needing fluids, Honeycutt’s will and determination were on full display as he powered through 175 laps in the sweltering North Wilkesboro heat. After narrowly holding onto a victory in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour, Honeycutt proceeded to dominate the ensuing Late Model Stock feature.
Honeycutt’s two triumphs on Friday marked the second time in 2026 alone he swept a CARS Tour weekend. The first occasion was back at Ace Speedway in May; a historic weekend for Honeycutt that saw him win four races over a two-day period, which included his maiden victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Watkins Glen International.
While he could not chase four victories at North Wilkesboro, prevailing in the Skyline National Bank 100 and Spears Manufacturing 75 on Friday did provide a solid, if not draining warmup prior to pursuing one more checkered flag in the Truck Series the following day.
Kaden Honeycutt’s resolve guides him to two North Wilkesboro wins
For as stellar as Kaden Honeycutt has been in nearly every type of auto racing discipline, he is not afraid to admit that success does not come easy.
As the years have progressed, Honeycutt’s desire to win has only grown. Staying consistent against so many other talented drivers requires Honeycutt to stay composed behind the wheel and maintain steady communication with his teams; a process that can be equal parts rewarding and challenging.
The arduous aspects were on display at North Wilkesboro Speedway as Honeycutt was forced to defend his leads while battling dehydration. Despite the situation, Honeycutt was determined not to leave North Wilkesboro on Friday without taking two elevator rides to Cook Out Victory Lane.
“I definitely don’t show up to run second, third, fourth or fifth,” Honeycutt said. “That’s why I am kind of a hard guy to work with, but when we have results like this, it makes it all worth it, right? I’m 23, but I don’t claim to know the answer to everything. I try to give [my teams] the best possible advice I can to be a couple spots better and we’ve done that this year.”
The two programs Honeycutt guided to victory on Friday were Tom Usry Racing in Late Model Stocks and JC Motorsports in Pro Late Models; the same two that were a part of Honeycutt’s historic four-win weekend earlier this year.
As a co-owner of Tom Usry Racing, Honeycutt takes great pride in ensuring the small operation can hold their own against the elites of the discipline. Although Tom Usry Racing exhausted more resources by fielding a second car for Andres Perez, Honeycutt felt the program did not miss a beat with his setup, as he led all but one lap in the Skyline National Bank 100.
The Spears Manufacturing 75 proved to be the more challenging of the two events from a racing perspective, as Honeycutt admitted his car was not the quickest in the second half. A couple of well-timed cautions played into Honeycutt’s favor, giving him enough of a cushion to successfully fend off a hard-charging T.J. DeCaire.
Honeycutt’s first win on Friday not only served as his third consecutive in the PLM Tour this year, but it inched him closer to the points lead despite not committing to the full schedule. Late Model Stocks have also been a success for Honeycutt in 2026, with his accolades including the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway last month.
Despite how strong his year has been, Honeycutt knows he can still be better, especially when it comes to staying in the hunt for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title. Yet every victory is a moment to cherish for Honeycutt, who hopes to enjoy more success with Tom Usry Racing and JC Motorsports while simultaneously balancing out his NASCAR commitments.
“It’s been really humbling and incredible,” Honeycutt said. “On the late model side, I’ve felt so much more comfortable this year. I can’t say it’s because I’m getting older, but I guess it’s showing up to the racetrack and not have to try and think so hard. I’ve ran multiple races, so I know what to expect and I can adjust my race car.
“That’s what we’ve done a really, really good job of on the late model side is adjusting for race trim. That’s helped out a lot.”
Corey Heim charges from dead last to earn $10k Flodium bonus
The first day of Corey Heim’s weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway was a lot more eventful than he initially anticipated.
After a mechanical failure sidelined him after 55 laps in the CARS PLM Tour feature, Heim was then forced to start from the rear of the field in the Skyline National Bank 100. Never one to back down from a challenge, Heim gradually picked off his competition to earn a runner-up finish and secure the $10,000-to-win Flodium bonus in the process.
“It was a down and up day, in chronological order,” Heim said. “We struggled pretty mightily in the Pro [Late Model] race. I hit the wall on lap one and I wish I could redo that. I started dead last in this one, worked our way to eighth or 10th by the halfway break and that put us in a pretty good spot. Kaden did a great job navigating lapped traffic. A deserving winner.”
Heim has enjoyed plenty of success at North Wilkesboro since the track was brought back to life in 2022. He won a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race there back in 2024 and led a race-high 162 laps while attempting to defend that victory in 2025, only to be relegated to 17th after being collected in a last-lap wreck.
Before he began his quest for redemption in Saturday’s Truck Series race, Heim wanted at least one CARS Tour win to serve as momentum. Starting at the rear in the CARS LMSC Tour put Heim at an early disadvantage, but through patience and determination, he got within range of Honeycutt’s back bumper shortly before the checkered flag waved.
There were many aspects about North Wilkesboro that surprised Heim as he navigated his way through traffic in the Late Model Stock, particularly how strong the bottom groove was compared to the top. Heim did not think that knowledge would be applicable to the Truck Series, but he did appreciate being able to pass other cars efficiently on Friday evening.
“The bottom today was a little better than what I’m used to,” Heim said. “The top was terrible. I was really wishing and hoping the top would come in because I really enjoy running up there and getting close to the fence, but it was terrible [on Friday] and I don’t know why, which was disappointing.”
T.J. DeCaire scores runner-up finish in debut with LowCountry Motorsports
The first CARS PLM Tour start of 2026 for T.J. DeCaire was one position away from unfolding perfectly.
A faster DeCaire made a valiant pursuit to run down the eventual winner in Kaden Honeycutt during the closing laps but ultimately did not have enough time at his disposal. Simply being in contention was rewarding in of itself for DeCaire, who was ecstatic to kick off his partnership with LowCountry Motorsports on such a positive note.
“I’m really, really happy with what we had,” DeCaire said. “We brought a great product to the racetrack. [Everybody at LowCountry Motorsports] did a phenomenal job. We unloaded yesterday and I don’t think we made a change all weekend. The car was just that good.”
In many ways, the ending to the Spears Manufacturing 75 evoked a sense of déjà vu for DeCaire. He still vividly remembers the waning moments of the 2024 PLM Tour finale at North Wilkesboro where he raced Honeycutt aggressively but cleanly, yet that evening culminated in a runner-up finish just like Friday.
DeCaire wanted to be respectful since Honeycutt was racing for a PLM Tour title, but no such factor was in play on Friday. The electric atmosphere permeating throughout North Wilkesboro only fueled DeCaire’s motivation to earn his second PLM Tour victory and he knew the car prepared by LowCountry Motorsports was strong enough to do so.
Nothing would have thrilled DeCaire more than to take the famous elevator ride to Cook Out Victory Lane at North Wilkesboro, but the opportunity will have to wait another day. DeCaire felt he needed a front row starting position to get an advantage on Honeycutt, yet he departed North Wilkesboro with more confidence in his ability to win Pro Late Model races.
“I think I truly was that much better early in the race,” DeCaire said. “I didn’t really have a gameplan because I thought we were that much better, but I needed to get there first before we could do anything else. North Wilkesboro is a great facility and everyone who makes this what it is really makes it special.”
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Another marquee event for the zMAX CARS Tour is up next on Aug. 8; the Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway. Racing begins at 7 p.m. ET that evening with the CARS Pro Late Model Tour, which will be immediately followed by the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour. FloRacing will have the coverage.
Additional details about the Throwback Classic will be announced in the coming weeks.
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 at 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:
- 17 Kaden Honeycutt
- 12 Corey Heim
- 71 Jake Bollman
- 4H Connor Hall
- 03 Brenden Queen
- 32 Carson Kvapil
- 44 Conner Jones
- 16 Chad McCumbee
- 20 Carson Loftin
- 5 Carson Brown
- 18 Max Reaves
- 88 Caden Kvapil
- 95 London McKenzie
- 8 Chase Elliott
- 77 Landon S. Huffman
- 57 Landon Huffman
- 77L Treyten Lapcevich
- 27 Andres Perez
- 16C Kyle Campbell
- 4 Parker Eatmon
- 81 Mini Tyrrell
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr. -1
- 41 Ty Frederickson -1
- 15 Jace Hale -1
- 6 Brandon Lopez -1
- 7 Jesse Love -1
- 5B Chase Burrow -1
- 51K Kasey Kleyn -2
- 2 Brandon Pierce -3
- 99 Dylan Fetcho – OUT
- 29 Landen Lewis – OUT
- 23 Kade Brown – OUT
- 51 Michael Bumgarner – OUT
PLM results:
- 54 Kaden Honeycutt
- 7 T.J. DeCaire
- 44 Conner Jones
- 47 Luke Baldwin
- 6 Mason Walters
- 3 Kasey Kleyn
- 62 Keelan Harvick
- 31 Brody Monahan
- 15 Case James
- 33 Albert Francis
- 6L Brandon Lopez
- 51 Carson Ware
- 55 Gio Ruggiero
- 9 Chase Elliott
- 11 Jack Baldwin
- 97 Dylan Garner
- 50 Seth Christensen
- 30 Treyten Lapcevich
- 17 Mini Tyrrell
- 95 London McKenzie
- 17H Hudson Halder
- 25 Rodney Dowless Jr.
- 28 T.J. Duke
- 18S Mike Scorzelli -1
- 13 Brandan Marhefka -3
- 78 Corey Heim – OUT
- 11C Dylan Cappello – OUT
- 5 James Seeright – OUT
- 90 Joe Maruca – OUT
- 20 Evan McKnight – OUT
Flodium winners:
LMSC – Corey Heim
PLM – Kaden Honeycutt
