CARS Tour Returns to a Wide Open Tri County Speedway
The CARS Tour returns to Tri County Speedway Saturday night, and while the home track advantage may seem obvious, this weekend’s field makes that anything but a guarantee.
The SoundGear 225 presented by Stoke Shoes brings both the Late Model Stock and Pro Late Model divisions to the .400 mile oval for the penultimate CARS Tour championship race of the season. What makes this one especially difficult to predict is the depth of recent Tri County experience throughout both fields.
There are drivers coming to the track who have already won here. There are championship contenders who have spent years racing here. There are teams with deep ties to the track. And several drivers have already turned laps at Tri County this week.
This could be anybody’s race.
Huffman Has the Home Track Advantage
Landon Huffman remains the driver most closely associated with Tri County Speedway.
The defending track champion has already won multiple Late Model races at the track this season, including the September 5 feature where he led the final 85 laps.
Huffman also came close to winning the 2025 CARS Tour race at Tri County before a late incident ended his run while battling for the lead.
He will be one of the favorites Saturday, but the field around him makes a repeat of that home track advantage anything but automatic.
Beane Still Has Something to Prove
Thomas Beane has unfinished business at Tri County.
He led the first 65 laps of last year’s championship deciding Late Model race before an incident with 10 laps remaining ended his night and his championship hopes. Huffman went on to claim the championship, while Beane finished third in the final standings.
Beane has continued to be a familiar name near the front at Tri County and will have another opportunity Saturday to turn that history into a CARS Tour victory.
Bassett Has Already Won Here
Ronnie Bassett Jr. brings something else to the equation: a 2026 Tri County victory.
Bassett won the May 2 Late Model feature over Beane and Lanie Buice. He followed that with another strong performance May 16, qualifying fastest and leading 52 laps before Huffman took the win.
That makes Bassett another driver who has already demonstrated he can run at the front of Huffman’s home track.
Fresh Laps and Familiar Names
Several CARS Tour drivers also competed in Wednesday night’s ASA STARS National Tour Ebb Logistics 250, giving them fresh race laps before Saturday.
Conner Jones fought through a pit penalty and multiple stops to finish eighth. Vito Cancilla, Keelan Harvick and Brandon Lopez also competed in the ASA event.
Kaden Honeycutt has spent much of the week working at the track, testing, setting up and driving cars for Christopher Bell and Brandon Lopez. Bell went on to win Wednesday night’s ASA race.
Honeycutt, who was the keynote speaker at the 2025 Tri County Speedway Championship Banquet, will return Saturday in the Pro Late Model field.
The list of drivers with Tri County experience continues beyond those names. Caden Kvapil, Kade Brown and Treyten Lapcevich all bring recent success or extensive experience at the track, while the Pro Late Model field includes championship contenders Mason Walters and Conner Jones, both of whom know Tri County well.
The Pro Late Model Championship Could Be Just as Good
The Pro Late Model race deserves particular attention.
Walters leads Jones by only nine points entering the weekend, putting the championship battle directly into a race at a track both drivers know well.
Neither driver has to learn Tri County on Saturday. They have both spent enough time there to understand what it takes to be competitive, and they will have to navigate a field filled with other experienced drivers.
That could make the Pro Late Model race one of the most interesting battles of the night.
Landon Huffman: The home track favorite with multiple wins at Tri County this season and one of the strongest recent records at the track.
Thomas Beane: A driver with unfinished business after coming within 10 laps of a championship last year and another strong opportunity Saturday.
Caden Kvapil: The championship leader, a recent CARS Tour winner and a driver who already knows how to win at Tri County.
Joshua Horniman: Horniman could be the breakthrough candidate. With extensive Tri County Speedway experience, Saturday could be the night he turns that familiarity into his first CARS Tour Pro Late Model victory.
Conner Jones: Jones enters with championship pressure and fresh Tri County laps from Wednesday’s ASA race, where he fought through adversity to finish eighth. He is only nine points behind Walters, making every position important.
Mason Walters: The championship leader brings plenty of Tri County experience into Saturday’s race. With only nine points separating him from Jones, Walters has an opportunity to protect the points lead while competing at a track he knows well.
Home Track Advantage or Not?
That is the question.
We can highlight Huffman, Beane, Bassett, Kvapil, Walters, Jones and plenty of other names, but the bigger story is the depth of the field.
Both CARS Tour races are packed with drivers who have experience at Tri County Speedway. Many have won here. Others have come close. The championship contenders already know the track, and several drivers will arrive with fresh laps from this week’s ASA race.
The home track advantage may belong to Huffman or Beane, but the opportunity to win belongs to everyone.
That is what makes Saturday night’s CARS Tour doubleheader one to watch.
By Ethan Boyles