THORNBURG, VA. – Up until Saturday’s Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another 125, there had not been a repeat winner in the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour at Dominion Raceway across nine previous visits.
Fittingly, Mini Tyrrell would be the one to finally change that trend. Saturday marked the fourth consecutive year Tyrrell’s charity, Mini’s Mission, sponsored the Dominion CARS Tour event, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was started by Tyrrell to raise awareness towards childhood cancer following his childhood friend Ella’s own diagnosis.
A lot has changed for Tyrrell since his first CARS LMSC Tour victory at Dominion last year. He is now a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor with Kaulig Racing after winning RAM’s Race For The Seat, but an off weekend gave Tyrrell the opportunity to enjoy an event that has grown into a proud CARS Tour tradition.
It took Tyrrell almost the entirety of Saturday’s 125-lap feature, but he found his way to the lead after a daring three-wide pass on Conner Jones and his Kaulig teammate Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen with five laps left. Perfect execution on the ensuing restart was all Tyrrell needed to earn his second straight Dominion win and his fifth overall in the LMSC Tour.
Clutch drive guides Mini Tyrrell to victory at Dominion
For most of the Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another 125, Mini Tyrrell could only watch as Carson Brown and Conner Jones contested the top spot amongst themselves.
Several late cautions kept Tyrrell’s chances of a repeat victory alive before finally making the race-winning maneuver. The triumph was a pleasant surprise for Tyrrell, but he was determined to persevere and find the way to Cook Out Victory Lane in his home race, especially with his special guest ‘Scout’ looking on.
“I didn’t think we had it,” Tyrrell said. “Carson [Brown] and Conner [Jones] were the two best cars. I thought we were equally as good, we just didn’t have the track position on them. They got to racing down there in [turns] one and two, I saw my opportunity and just knew that was the only way I could win the race. We held on and fought to the end.”
Prevailing at Dominion also helped ease some of the frustration Tyrrell endured during his first CARS LMSC Tour start of 2026 at Wake County Speedway. Tyrrell led a race-high 95 laps that evening, but his race ended up being derailed after contact with Doug Barnes Jr. while leading, relegating him to 21st.
Due to his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series commitments, there are only a handful of weekends in which Tyrrell can attempt an LMSC Tour race without conflict. That is why Saturday’s race at Dominion was even more special than usual for Tyrrell, it was a chance to go back to his roots and enjoy a tradition he helped create.
Even if Tyrrell did not win on Saturday, he was always going to come away with plenty of pride over everything he and the CARS Tour did to support families like Scout’s. Now Tyrrell is Dominion’s first two-time LMSC Tour winner, a milestone made all the more special by the rigorous effort on and off track it took to reach it.
“It’s so much more satisfying because it was hard fought,” Tyrrell said. “Last year we led so many laps, had a dominant car and won the race. This year we really had to work for the win. It feels good, I got my mojo back in me a little bit. It means the world to me [that everyone] comes out here to support this mission, this race and I’m so blessed to have Scout here with me.
“This is the strongest girl I know; she’s so inspiring and she has no idea. That’s why we do this.”
Additional information about Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another and Tyrrell’s efforts to combat childhood cancer can be found here.
Parker Eatmon one spot short of first LMSC Tour win
If one more restart had impacted Saturday’s Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another 125 at Dominion Raceway, Parker Eatmon felt he had a great shot at finally earning his first CARS LMSC Tour victory.
Eatmon worked his way to second during the final sprint to the finish but ultimately did not have enough time to erase his deficit to Mini Tyrrell. Although he was disappointed to barely miss out on a trip to Cook Out Victory Lane, Eatmon felt the runner-up at Dominion proves he and Matt Piercy Racing are on the edge of a breakthrough.
“[We needed to] be a little faster at the end,” Eatmon said. “Mini [Tyrrell] had a really good car. We finished second to Mini in Mini’s Mission, so you can’t be too made about it. [We’re] just one step closer to the win.”
Dominion was the second time Eatmon finished second in an LSMC Tour race this year, the other one occurring at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. That outing was a heartbreaking one for Eatmon, as he led 115 of the 125 laps from the outside pole, only to lose to Caden Kvapil following a poor restart.
The bitter defeat from Nashville Fairgrounds only fueled Eatmon’s motivation to earn his first LMSC Tour checkered flag, but he and Piercy have spent the past two months attempting to re-capture that magic. Following lackluster showings in the two races after Nashville Fairgrounds, Eatmon finally scored another top 10 in the most recent LMSC Tour event at Langley Speedway.
Although the circumstances surrounding his runner-up finish at Dominion were much different from Nashville Fairgrounds, Eatmon was proud of the perseverance displayed in the closing stages. If he and Piercy can find consistent speed in their Late Model Stock, Eatmon knows they will be able to celebrate that first victory together soon enough.
“We didn’t fire off the best the first 50 laps,” Eatmon said. “It eventually came to me, but we clawed and scratched there at the end. Overall, a really good car brought by Matt Piercy. These guys are the best in the business, and I can’t thank them enough. On to [South Boston Speedway] in two weeks to go get another.”
Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen finishes third in CARS Tour return
The first CARS LMSC Tour event for 2024 series champion Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen was more eventful than he would have preferred.
After enduring numerous scrapes with the outside retaining wall, Queen still found himself in a position to win the Mini’s Mission Burn Rubber to Help Another 125 before settling for third. Queen expressed some irritation over how he was raced on Saturday but was still happy to obtain a strong finish in his LMSC Tour return.
“[The early incident] was my fault,” Queen said. “Got a little high and got in the fence. The other times I got ran in the fence. A story for another day. I’m proud of these Lee Pulliam guys and what we’re doing, coming back and having speed after not being in the car for a while. It was so fun to race with Lee again with a Dodge nose on [the car].”
Queen wanted to be the one to etch his name into the record books as the first repeat LMSC Tour winner at Dominion Raceway. The first Dominion triumph for Queen came during his title campaign in 2024, where he led all 125 laps from the pole and avenged a tough defeat to Bobby McCarty the year before in a photo finish.
All the accolades Queen earned not only on the CARS Tour but in Late Model Stock competition propelled him to his current position as a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver with Kaulig Racing. Queen’s rookie Truck Series season has yielded mixed results, but he sits only 36 points outside the Chase cutoff line with two top 10s to his name.
Dominion was a refreshing change of pace for Queen, as he reunited with Lee Pulliam Performance, the program he won his LMSC Tour title with, and get within striking distance of another victory. Queen does not intend to take any of his upcoming LMSC Tour starts for granted, but he hopes to take home at least one more checkered flag before the year ends.
“I’m thankful I get to go live out my dream of being a race car driver for a living, but at the same time, it’s always fun to fill in an off weekend,” Queen said. “Thanks to Kaulig Racing for allowing me to do this. We had a lot of fun. It was a super cool weekend for everybody with Mini’s Mission and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
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Next up for the zMAX CARS Tour is a trip to North Wilkesboro Speedway for both Late Model Stocks and Pro Late Models on July 17. The CARS Tour will serve as the opener for a big weekend of racing at North Wilkesboro, which will see the first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event there since 1996.
The CARS PLM Tour feature is set to commence at 7 p.m. ET on Friday evening, with the Late Model Stock race immediately following. All on-track action for the CARS Tour will be streamed 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:
- 81 Mini Tyrrell
- 4 Parker Eatmon
- 03 Brenden Queen
- 5B Carson Brown
- 16 Chad McCumbee
- 88 Caden Kvapil
- 77 Treyten Lapcevich
- 95 London McKenzie
- 88B Doug Barnes Jr.
- 4G Matt Gould
- 41 Mason Diaz
- 7 Helio Meza
- 2 Brandon Pierce
- 5 Chase Burrow
- 45 Brady Penny -2
- 20 Carson Loftin -3
- 16H Brian Henderson -3
- 44 Conner Jones – OUT
- 22 Jared Fryar – OUT
- 57 Landon Huffman – OUT
- 15 Jace Hale – OUT
- 29 Landen Lewis – OUT
- 51 Donovan Strauss – OUT
- 05 Mason Bailey – OUT
- 12 Connor Hall – OUT
