HUDSON, N.C. – The SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes was a tale of two races for Conner Jones.
In the first event of the day on Sunday, the 100-lap zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour feature, Jones had to grapple with a bitter defeat. Jones did everything possible to pass and then fend off T.J. DeCaire, but the fierce scuffle between the two eventually led to Brody Monahan stealing the victory from both.
Frustrated over how the CARS PLM Tour feature turned out, Jones channeled that energy into the ensuing CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour event. After eventually finding his way around polesitter Caden Kvapil, Jones proceeded to take control at Tri-County, scoring his second victory of 2026 and fifth overall on the LMSC Tour.
Conner Jones triumphs at Tri-County once again
Preferably, Conner Jones would have loved to win two CARS Tour events in the same day, something previously accomplished by Kaden Honeycutt twice this year.
But one victory was better than none for Jones at the end of a hot afternoon at Tri-County, with the race being delayed from Saturday evening due to rain. Jones had to play defense most of the day against Caden Kvapil, but his composure never faltered as he found Cook Out Victory Lane for the first time since Wake County Speedway in March.
“Me and Caden [Kvapil] had a really good, clean race there,” Jones said. “I felt like my car was a little better on the top at certain points in the race than it was on the bottom. I was moving around, trying to find where it was fastest. These Carroll Speedshop guys brought a really, really, really bad to the bone IBCI Chevrolet.”
Of the five victories Jones now possesses in the CARS LMSC Tour, three of them have taken place at Tri-County Speedway.
Jones has always loved the fast, high-grip ovals on the LMSC Tour schedule. One of the other tracks Jones has won at in LMSC Tour competition is North Wilkesboro Speedway, which features a similar layout to that of Tri-County, albeit slightly larger.
Yet a key difference between Jones’ two prior Tri-County triumphs and his North Wilkesboro victory was the track conditions. The SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes being moved to Sunday meant Jones would have to deal with a much warmer and slick track surface if he wanted to get his first win there in nearly two years.
Jones acclimated to the different weather conditions perfectly, successfully rebounding from a disappointing conclusion to the CARS PLM Tour race earlier in the day. Earning more victories is now Jones’ top priority for the rest of the 2026 season, something he feels is possible if he and Carroll Speedshop can replicate the speed they showed on Sunday afternoon.
Late charge from Carson Loftin results in runner-up finish
A restart with five laps remaining in the SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes turned Carson Loftin’s good day at Tri-County Speedway into a great day.
Loftin rocketed from fourth to second but did not quite have enough time at his disposal to chase down Conner Jones for the win. Despite this, Loftin was proud of the way he performed while under the weather, which he felt showcased the chemistry he has developed with Mike Darne Racing over the past three months.
“I didn’t really know what we had without qualifying,” Loftin said. “We were turning really good and I could get the bottom working. One more lap and I might have had [Jones]. I didn’t want to wreck him or rough him up because I was too far back. We’ll build off this, go to the next one and try to get one spot better.”
Loftin joined Mike Darne Racing after he and Nelson Motorsports mutually agreed to part ways during the summer. While the consistency between the two sides is still a work in progress, Loftin did manage to claim his first CARS LMSC Tour checkered flag in a thrilling finish at Anderson Motor Speedway.
A Modified driver by trade, Loftin has been working diligently to make progress during his transition into full-bodied stock cars. The journey has been more arduous than Loftin would have preferred, but he is not going to give up on this pursuit and believes more success with Darne’s operation is pending.
With two stellar LMSC Tour performances to go along with three straight SMART Modified Tour victories to his name, Loftin’s confidence has never been higher. All Loftin wants is to sustain that success in the Late Model Stock discipline, especially if he is able to chase a CARS Tour championship next season.
“The last month or so has been a dream for me,” Loftin said. “I’ve been struggling with these Late Model Stock cars, but we’re finally getting some momentum going with the win at Anderson and having a good run here. Mike’s done a really good job polishing me up. We still have a long ways to go, but I’m super thankful to him for giving me fast race cars every week.”
Brody Monahan capitalizes on intense duel between Conner Jones, T.J. DeCaire
The final green flag run in the CARS PLM Tour portion of the SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes primarily featured a heated, back-and-forth duel between Conner Jones and T.J. DeCaire.
Brody Monahan had the best view of the battle and gradually got closer while Jones and DeCaire exchanged barbs. One encounter between the two was enough for Monahan to drive underneath both and pull away for his second PLM Tour victory across his past three starts, all while Jones and DeCaire continued fighting behind him.
“Me and my spotter Colby were talking about it the whole time,” Monahan said. “We were catching them as they were racing really hard. We were just really struggling for drive off I felt like today, but those guys were working each other hard. That gave us the opportunity to slide in there, wait for the right moment, take the lead and get away with it.”
By virtue of qualifying being rained out the day before, Monahan did not have to worry about track position at Tri-County Speedway. He lined up in the fourth position for the 100-lap Pro Late Model feature and never lost sight of the lead all afternoon.
With Jones and DeCaire in constant disagreement over the top spot after the last restart, Monahan knew not to be too aggressive in case the two tangled in front of him. Monahan’s patient mindset paid dividends, as Jones and DeCaire unintentionally created a pathway for him to assume control of the lead unscathed.
Neither Jones nor DeCaire were pleased with how the other was raced, resulting in a post-race verbal disagreement that did not spill over into a physical altercation. Jones was showered with boos by the fans as he gave his side the story but maintained that DeCaire was the one who was instigating.
“I felt like every time [DeCaire] got under me, he drove into my door,” Jones said. “I just got tired of it. Enough is enough at some point. He does that to me about every race. The CJR group brought me a really, really good car and I’m excited to go onto the next one.”
DeCaire chose not to focus on his battle with Jones and instead expressed gratitude for another successful outing with LowCountry Motorsports. In five races driving a LowCountry car, DeCaire has not finished outside the top five once; that is why he is confident about being competitive to close out 2026 despite how Sunday ended at Tri-County.
“I feel like we had one of the best race cars all weekend,” DeCaire said. “Cody Glick, A.J. Frank and Mikey Kile did a great job. Earlier this season, I didn’t know if I’d be back in a CARS Tour race ever again. I’m really grateful to be here and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
For Monahan, he was thrilled to have fortunes work out in his favor at Tri-County even though the car was not 100 percent to his liking. The PLM Tour championship is still a realistic possibility for Monahan after Tri-County, so he wants to build on the momentum from his two late-season victories to keep those hopes alive.
“I didn’t feel like we were as good as we needed to be to win to be quite honest,” Monahan said. “The track changes and weather plays a factor. We were good enough to be there.”
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Only two races remain before the CARS LMSC and PLM Tour champions are crowned. The penultimate race on the 2026 calendar will be at Newport Speedway on Oct. 3; the first time the platform has visited the facility. All the on-track action at Newport will air live on FloRacing.
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:
- 44 Conner Jones
- 20 Carson Loftin
- 88 Caden Kvapil
- 5 Chase Burrow
- 81 Mini Tyrrell
- 16 Chad McCumbee
- 99 Dylan Fetcho
- 22 Jared Fryar
- 4G Matt Gould
- 15S Hudson Sharp
- 62 Keelan Harvick
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
- 8 Lee Pulliam
- 37 Chase Robertson
- 15 Jace Hale
- 4 Parker Eatmon
- 77 Treyten Lapcevich
- 88B Doug Barnes Jr.
- 7 Thomas Beane
- 57 Landon Huffman
- 10 Sam Butler
- 99S Billy Snodgrass
- 09 Riley Gentry
- 95 London McKenzie -1
- 22B Chase Burgeson – OUT
PLM results:
- 31 Brody Monahan
- 44 Conner Jones
- 1 T.J. DeCaire
- 6 Mason Walters
- 20 Evan McKnight
- 30 Treyten Lapcevich
- 6L Brandon Lopez
- 15 Case James
- 51 Parker Eatmon
- 25 Rodney Dowless Jr.
- 55 Palmer Haag
- 54 Kaden Honeycutt
- 27R Kole Raz
- 47 Carter Whalen
- 27 Vito Cancilla -1
- 43 Joshua Horniman -1
- 97 Dylan Garner -2
- 2 Austin Thompson – OUT
- 15J Jake Johnson – OUT
- 11 Jack Baldwin – OUT
- 12 Colton Hale – OUT
