ALTAMAHAW, N.C. – The weekend Kaden Honeycutt put together between Watkins Glen International and Ace Speedway is one many drivers can only dream about.
After winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series races at Watkins Glen on Friday, Honeycutt made the short flight back to North Carolina for Saturday’s zMAX CARS Tour features at Ace Speedway. The goal was simple for Honeycutt, overcome any fatigue from Friday and take his second sweep of the weekend.
Honeycutt’s performance on Saturday cemented his place in the motorsports record books. He won the 100-lap CARS Pro Late Model Tour feature from the pole before visiting Cook Out Victory Lane again over an hour later in a Late Model Stock, which he accomplished by passing polesitter London McKenzie with 75 laps remaining.
With his two triumphs at Ace, Honeycutt became the first driver in CARS Tour history to pull off a weekend sweep. Tacking on two victories at a road course the day before further highlighted the versatility and resolve that guided Honeycutt from the CARS Tour to NASCAR.
Kaden Honeycutt thrilled, exhausted after flawless weekend
The gravity of what Kaden Honeycutt accomplished was not lost upon him, he understood how improbable it was for a driver to win four races in one weekend between four disciplines.
So much racing in a short amount of time finally began to impact Honeycutt’s stamina as he climbed out of his Tom Usry Racing No. 17 in Cook Out Victory Lane. The herculean effort had yielded Honeycutt one of the greatest moments of his young career so far, but putting it together required unbreakable endurance and the trust of so many great teams around him.
“I’m so wore out,” Honeycutt said. “Thank you to Kenneth Packer and my whole R&S [Race Cars] team. I can’t believe it. I’ve tried so many times to pull off the double and we effin did it. Holy crap, what a race. Thank you to everybody. This was so unbelievable.”
Honeycutt’s first victory of the weekend came with Bruce Cook’s ARCA Menards Series program at Watkins Glen International on Friday. He then back that triumph up by securing his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory, holding off talented road course drivers like Connor Zilisch, Shane van Gisbergen and Brent Crews.
Once he was done celebrating those two wins, Honeycutt had to regroup and focus on Ace Speedway. Being at Watkins Glen the day before meant Honeycutt had no time to practice until Saturday afternoon, though he did obtain a CARS LMSC Tour victory at Ace back in 2022 with Nelson Motorsports.
Even with his past success at Ace, Honeycutt faced an immediate challenge to his potential four-peat in the form of Treyten Lapcevich. Several late cautions provided Lapcevich opportunities to take the top spot, but Honeycutt successfully fended him off to secure his second straight PLM Tour checkered flag with JC Motorsports.
“It was tough,” Honeycutt said after the PLM Tour feature. “For some reason, this place is really good around the middle [lane] on heat cycles, but I didn’t want to give up the bottom just in case. That last restart I had was money and I was able to get by [Lapcevich]. It was a great race with Treyten.”
Just like in the PLM Tour feature, Lapcevich once again battled Honeycutt in Late Model Stocks, acting as the last obstacle standing in the way of his perfect weekend. Lapcevich gradually erased Honeycutt’s lead in the closing laps but ran out of time, which forced him to watch Honeycutt make history with his fourth victory in two days.
Overwhelmed by both emotion and fatigue, Honeycutt made sure to credit both JC Motorsports and Tom Usry Racing. Honeycutt admitted he could have very easily called it a weekend after his Watkins Glen sweep, but the actual thought never crossed his mind, he was going to be at Ace Speedway no matter how Watkins Glen turned out.
At the end of the day, Honeycutt just wants to race, regardless of the physical or mental toll.
“I just got so tired,” Honeycutt said. “I’ve been beat to death the last couple days. Staying up to 4 a.m. last night partying didn’t help. This is unbelievable. I can’t do this without [my team]. Kenneth Packer is the reason why I get to race these race cars, without him I wouldn’t be able to do nothing.”
Treyten Lapcevich scores two top threes at Ace
While Treyten Lapcevich’s weekend was not quite as hectic compared to Kaden Honeycutt’s, it was still a successful one.
After placing third in the CARS PLM Tour feature following a spirited battle with Honeycutt, Lapcevich ended up second for the ensuing CARS LMSC Tour race. Lapcevich felt he had cars capable of besting Honeycutt but was still proud of both efforts at Ace Speedway on Saturday, especially with his runner-up in Chad Bryant Racing’s Late Model Stock.
“I don’t think I’ve ever driven harder in my life honestly,” Lapcevich said. “So close. We were kind of trading lap times there at the end, but man, they had a great race car and Kaden did a great job. It’s one that got away, but I’m excited we have some good momentum going into the next race.”
Lapcevich finds himself in a unique position for the 2026 CARS Tour season, as he is chasing championships in both Late Model Stocks and Pro Late Models. Entering Ace, Lapcevich was third in the LMSC Tour points, while a blown engine at Caraway Speedway relegated him to sixth in the PLM Tour standings.
While he did not have any PLM Tour starts at Ace on his resume, Lapcevich contested both LMSC Tour events there in 2024, finishing top 10 in both. That experience proved beneficial to Lapcevich in his first Ace PLM Tour event, which he used to gather valuable data on how to find speed for the ensuing LMSC Tour feature.
The third place run for Lapcevich in the PLM Tour was his second top five of the season, while the runner-up to Honeycutt in the LMSC Tour served as his first top five in that division since 2024. Lapcevich knows how to win in both disciplines and expressed optimism that he is getting closer to returning to Cook Out Victory Lane following his strong weekend at Ace.
Pulling off a CARS Tour championship sweep remains a significant challenge for Lapcevich, but he is determined to build on his strengths in Bryant’s Late Model Stock and with Rette Jones Racing in the PLM Tour.
Caden Kvapil earns $10k Flodium bonus with third in LMSC Tour race
Despite finishing third in Saturday’s Accelerated Graphics 250 presented by Larry Walker & Sons Body Shop at Ace Speedway, Caden Kvapil still had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
Not only did Kvapil’s comfortable CARS LMSC Tour points lead stay intact, but he also obtained a $10,000 bonus courtesy of the Flodium program. While Kvapil admitted his night at Ace could have unfolded much better, he was still more than happy to take home additional money for his efforts.
“I’ve won both [Flodium bonuses] so far this year,” Kvapil said. “That shows we’ve been really consistent. It was a tough race tonight. We didn’t really have the best car, kind of like Caraway [Speedway]. We had to start mid-pack and kind of made our way up there through restarts, chaos and all that, but it was a good night.”
Introduced for the 2026 season, the Flodium program, backed by FloSports, divides each respective season into three-race segments, with $10,000 being awarded to the driver who posts the best finish at the end of each segment. A total of $50,000 is up for grabs in the LMSC Tour through Flodium, along with $40,000 in the PLM Tour.
Consistency not only led Kvapil to another Flodium bonus, but it has also been a key component towards him being the LMSC Tour championship leader. Kvapil did not finish worse than eighth through the first four events, with his performances including two victories at Southern National Motorsports Park and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
With a Late Model Stock victory out of reach at Ace, Kvapil turned his attention towards defeating Landen Lewis in the closing stages, who was also contending for the Flodium bonus. Kvapil was proud to at least accomplish that goal, adding the money from Flodium can only help him and JR Motorsports reinforce their status as the LMSC Tour title favorites.
“When I was racing [Lewis], I remembered the Flodium money was on the line,” Kvapil said. “I [didn’t] care if I [got] third, fourth or whatever, I just [wanted] to finish in front of him. That was pretty cool to be able to get that money. I wish we were a little better, but we definitely have something to build on and I’m excited for the next one.”
Jake Johnson’s first PLM Tour start of 2026 ends with runner-up showing
Saturday’s Accelerated Graphics 250 presented by Larry Walker & Sons Body Shop at Ace Speedway was only the second CARS PLM Tour start of Jake Johnson’s career.
The Rehoboth, Massachusetts native made the most of his opportunity, as he ended up in second behind Kaden Honeycutt. Johnson’s objective was to drive a clean, methodical race around Ace, which he felt set him up perfectly to make a run towards the front in the final laps.
“I guess it’s just the Modified [driver] in me to keep the tires under it and let it rip [at the end],” Johnson said. “That’s exactly what we did today. We kept the fenders on it and at the last 25 [laps], we pulled the pin to see if we had anything. We couldn’t keep up with [Honeycutt], so congrats to him, he did a great job.”
Although Johnson is known for his success in Modifieds, which included winning in the famous Ole Blue at Monadnock Speedway in 2024, he also has an extensive background driving Pro Late Models. The 2020 Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway saw Johnson climb from the 31st starting position to win the prestigious Pro Late Model event.
Despite this, Johnson’s only other PLM Tour start occurred at North Wilkesboro Speedway just last year, a race that saw him finish ninth after starting 20th. Johnson would not have to come from as far back for his first trip to Ace, as he qualified his No. 15 Pro Late Model eighth on the 24-car starting grid.
As the laps dwindled, Johnson maintained a comfortable pace and proceeded to pick off his competition one by one, with a handful of late cautions aiding him in that pursuit. Johnson’s veteran mindset enabled him to finish less than a second behind Honeycutt by the time the checkered flag waved.
In only two PLM Tour starts, Johnson has established himself as a quietly efficient driver against fellow veterans and the young prospects. Whenever his next race is, Johnson will likely employ the same patient strategy that led him to a runner-up showing at Ace.
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Kaden Honeycutt made a promise to himself for when he scored his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory; he would shotgun a beer with the fans in the grandstands. Due to logistical reasons at Watkins Glen International, Honeycutt could only shotgun the beer on the frontstretch.
No such obstacle impeded Honeycutt at Ace Speedway on Saturday. He ended his historic weekend in the only fitting way, celebrating with the fans and his team, all while cherishing every part of the journey that guided him towards such a pivotal career milestone.
The zMAX CARS LMSC Tour returns to action at the end of May with a long trip up to Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia. CARS PLM Tour competitors will not see the track again until July 17 when they head to North Wilkesboro Speedway as part of a busy weekend that will see the first NASCAR Cup Series points race there since 1996.
FloRacing will provide live 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 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
- 77L Treyten Lapcevich
- 88 Caden Kvapil
- 29 Landen Lewis
- 12 Corey Heim
- 95 London McKenzie
- 89 Dylan Fetcho
- 5B Chase Burrow
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
- 1 Lee Pulliam
- 57 Landon Huffman
- 88B Doug Barnes Jr.
- 4 Parker Eatmon
- 77 Landon S. Huffman
- 44 Conner Jones
- 16M Chad McCumbee
- 15 Jace Hale
- 16 Sam Butler
- 10 Blake Stallings -1
- 7 Aiden King -2
- 05 Mason Bailey -2
- 2 Brandon Pierce -3
- 99 Brandon Dean -4
- 6 Brandon Lopez -5
- 41 Mason Diaz – OUT
- 5 Carson Brown – OUT
- 40 Ryan Millington – OUT
- 22 Carson Loftin – OUT
PLM Results:
- 54 Kaden Honeycutt
- 15J Jake Johnson
- 30 Treyten Lapcevich
- 67 Ben Maier
- 62 Keelan Harvick
- 44 Conner Jones
- 6 Mason Walters
- 25 Rodney Dowless Jr.
- 47 Luke Baldwin
- 20 Evan McKnight
- 51 Carson Ware
- 15 Case James
- 17 Joel Smith
- 97 Dylan Garner
- 49 Jeff Batten
- 11 Tony Cosentino -1
- 13 Ben Mack -2
- 5 James Seeright – OUT
- 50 Tristan Pena – OUT
- 22 Chase Burgeson – OUT
- 31 Brody Monahan – OUT
- 12 Colton Hale – OUT
- 55 Palmer Haag – OUT
- 82 Taylor Hull – OUT
