NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The first race in zMAX CARS Tour history to be televised on FS1 saw Landen Lewis display his natural talent behind the wheel along with the raw speed of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 29 Chevrolet.
Despite having never competed at North Wilkesboro Speedway prior to Friday’s Window World 100, Lewis tackled the historic facility like a seasoned professional. From the opening green flag, Lewis established a commanding pace that enabled him to pull away from the field and secure a wire-to-wire victory.
Lewis’ triumph at Ace Speedway a couple of weeks beforehand only put him four points behind Connor Hall in the CARS LMSC Tour point standings entering North Wilkesboro. Now with two consecutive victories on his resume, Lewis has plenty of momentum on his side heading into a busy summer.
Landen Lewis solidifies his status as a championship contender
Track position being imperative at North Wilkesboro Speedway highlighted how important qualifying was going to be on Thursday for Landen Lewis.
A blistering lap of 17.769 in time trials earned Lewis the pole and provided him plenty of clean air to commence the Window World 100. Catching slower traffic later in the race only emphasized the difficulties of navigating dirty air for Lewis, who expressed his gratitude to Kevin Harvick Inc. for preparing such an efficient car.
“We were really good yesterday,” Lewis said. “We laid down a really good lap [in qualifying] and were able to get that track position early. It was hard to pass, even with the lapped traffic. Being able to have a good race car in [qualifying] trim was really important. All my guys have just worked so hard and it’s even more special to be a part of it.”
The past couple of weeks have seen Lewis and Kevin Harvick Inc. emerge as one of the strongest combinations in the CARS LMSC Tour garage. After tallying three consecutive top 10 finishes, Lewis and KHI hit their stride at Ace in a dominant showing that saw them lead 94 of 125 laps.
With confidence on his side, along with the support of 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship crew chief Rodney Childers, Lewis was eager to carry the momentum over to North Wilkesboro. Untouchable for most of the night, Lewis’ only struggles were dealing with slower cars and perfecting his restarts.
Lewis remembered the advice instilled into him by car owner Kevin Harvick and his mentor Ron Hornaday Jr., renowned for his restart efficiency. All the guidance Lewis has received from legends like Harvick, Hornaday and others during his development period helped him stay composed during his first North Wilkesboro start.
“Talking to Kevin [Harvick] was the biggest thing,” Lewis said. “I talked to him [Friday morning] and a couple of days ago about this place. He helps me so much with the driving side of it and also off the race track. He’s so big in my career, Ron [Hornaday Jr.] as well. North Wilkesboro has treated me well so far.”
Tristan McKee scores runner-up finish at North Wilkesboro
Already a North Wilkesboro Speedway winner in a Pro Late Model, Tristan McKee felt confident in taking another elevator ride to Cook Out Victory Lane on Friday behind the wheel of a Late Model Stock.
McKee ended up settling for a solid second place showing in the Window World 100, unable to match the torrid pace set by Landen Lewis. The 14-year-old prospect was disappointed to come away from North Wilkesboro empty-handed but still found satisfaction in the speed his car showed all evening.
“We were just a little bit off the whole time,” McKee said. “[Lewis] was a little bit better by about half a tenth. We just needed a little bit more, but my guys brought me a great car. We worked on it at the break, maybe a little too much. It was still a really good car, but we just needed that little bit more.”
Fresh off a sixth-place finish in Thursday’s The Reverend Sour Mash Whiskey 75, McKee was confident he could be just as competitive in the Late Model Stock. As a Spire Motorsports development driver, the assistance McKee and Matt Piercy Racing received from them presented a perfect opportunity for him to excel on the national stage.
After avoiding two accidents at the front during the first five laps, McKee settled into second behind Lewis. A handful of restarts gave McKee opportunities to challenge Lewis, but he stayed in second until the checkered flag waved, which ended up being his career-best performance in the CARS LMSC Tour.
In his three previous LMSC Tour appearances during the 2025 season, McKee’s best showing was 18th in the season-opener at New River All-American Speedway. McKee was thrilled to finally showcase the speed Matt Piercy Racing always possessed and hopes to amass several more strong runs over his remaining LMSC Tour starts.
“The lapped cars helped and hurt us,” McKee said. “I caught them, and then [Lewis] pulled away a little bit when I was battling the lapped cars. He had clean air, so we really don’t know what we had if we would have been out front, but this definitely boosts our confidence for the next CARS Tour race.
Mini Tyrrell fends off Kaden Honeycutt for third-place
Coming home third in Friday’s Window World 100 at North Wilkesboro Speedway was cathartic for Mini Tyrrell in multiple aspects.
Two consecutive poor showings at Orange County Speedway and Ace Speedway left Tyrrell with a massive setback in the CARS LMSC Tour point standings. North Wilkesboro was a much-needed rebound for Tyrrell, who had to withstand a valiant charge from Kaden Honeycutt during the closing laps.
“It means so much to my team,” Tyrrell said. “10 days ago, this car was completely torn apart. We worked so hard to get here and get this thing back together. I’m super blessed to be here and have such an awesome run. A podium at a race like this is definitely not something to hold your head down for.”
Even with the Window World 100 being broadcasted on FS1, Tyrrell did not alter his mindset for North Wilkesboro. The goal for Tyrrell was to keep his car in one piece during the opening laps so he could contend his second victory of 2025.
Tyrrell battled a tight car for most of the feature, which prevented him from staying within striking distance of Landen Lewis and Tristan McKee. The competition caution at lap 25 provided Tyrrell an opportunity to free up his car, but the prevailing tight condition forced him to play stalwart defense against Honeycutt during the final green flag run.
With his composure in the final laps, Tyrrell ended up matching the finish he recorded during his two previous North Wilkesboro attempts. Placing inside the top three at North Wilkesboro once again was a refreshing change-of-place for Tyrrell, who is shifting his focus over to chasing victories while attempting to erase his points deficit.
“It’s going to be hard,” Tyrrell said. “We’re back pretty far, so I’m not really terribly worried about points. I’m kind of focused on doing one race at a time. If we finish well and win some races, the points will come where they lie.”
——-
As Lewis celebrated with Harvick, Hornaday and his family in Cook Out Victory Lane, he took time to appreciate the significance of his accomplishment.
Many NASCAR legends like Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and more had all previously stood in the exact same spot at Lewis. Now forever enshrined into North Wilkesboro’s prestigious record books, Lewis is thankful to see the facility continue to thrive after decades of being dormant.
“It’s special,” Lewis said. “I started crying when I got out of the car. This place is special to me just because of the atmosphere it brings, the history it brings. I remember seeing a picture on Facebook of Dale [Earnhardt Jr.] weed-eating grass off the race track. The moment that happened, I knew I really wanted to race here.”
Lewis will look to triumph at another storied short-track facility when the CARS LMSC Tour heads to Langley Speedway on May 31. FloRacing is set to provide coverage of all the on-track action.
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:
- 29 Landen Lewis
- 7 Tristan McKee
- 81 Mini Tyrrell
- 5 Kaden Honeycutt
- 22 Carson Loftin
- 57 Landon Huffman
- 44 Conner Jones
- 8F Tate Fogleman
- 09 Riley Gentry
- 88 Connor Hall
- 2 Brandon Pierce
- 11 Buddy Isles Jr.
- 1 Andrew Grady
- 4 Kade Brown
- 4S Donovan Strauss -1
- 71 Parker Eatmon -1
- 16 Alex Meggs -1
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr. -1
- 32 Dylon Wilson -1
- 88B Doug Barnes Jr. -1
- 01 Camden Gullie -1
- 00 Chase Burrow -6
- 41 Mason Diaz – OUT
- 15 Ryan Millington – OUT
- 12S Jonathan Shafer – OUT
- 97 Michael Bumgarner – OUT
- 8 Caden Kvapil – OUT
- 12 Corey LaJoie – OUT
- 32K Carson Kvapil – OUT
- 28S Dustin Storm – OUT
- 71B Jake Bollman – OUT
- 03 Lanie Buice – OUT
- 28 Landon S. Huffman – OUT
- 14 Sam Butler – OUT
- 2W Ryan Wilson – OUT
- 17 Daniel Silvestri – OUT
