When zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour competitors head to Florence Motor Speedway, there will be more on the line than just a victory.

The driver who places first in Friday’s Cook Out 225 automatically earns the pole for the South Carolina 400 on Nov. 23. Since 2020, Florence has proudly continued the end-of-year crown jewel started by the now-defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1993, which regularly attracts many of the best Late Model Stock competitors in the southeast.

With so much on the line, notable names like Dale Earnhardt Jr. are joining the grid for a busy docket of racing that includes the return of the CARS PLM Tour. They will have to stand their ground against the local heroes of Florence who seek to gain a vital advantage ahead of their track’s most prestigious event.

Track Facts:

Track: Florence Motor Speedway

Location: Timmonsville, South Carolina

Length: .4 mile

Laps: 125 (LMSC), 100 (PLM)

CARS LMSC Tour races: 3

Florence LMSC winners: Nolan Pope (1), Kaden Honeycutt (1), Carson Kvapil (1)

Ryan Millington rides momentum into Florence

The 2024 CARS LMSC Tour season has been equal parts exhilarating and frustrating for veteran competitor Ryan Millington.

On several occasions, Millington has been a contender in his No. 15 Leisure Tyme Rentals Chevrolet, yet the win column remains empty for him after 13 races. Despite this, Millington is keeping his optimism high and believes Friday’s Cook Out 225 is the perfect opportunity for him to finally obtain a victory.

“It’s been a very good year,” Millington said. “We brought another fast car to Wake County [Speedway] and were practically dominant in practice all day Friday, but once we put the race tires on, we fell off. We ended up qualifying 12 and finishing fifth, so not a bad night for us, but I’m really excited to head to Florence.”

Millington is no stranger to Cook Out Victory Lane in the LMSC Tour. He picked up his lone triumph at Ace Speedway in 2020, in which he fended off current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor Layne Riggs in a photo finish.

It’s been a long four years since that day, yet Millington finds himself getting closer to notching another win. Among the factors that have bolstered Millington’s performance include his team switching over to an R&S Race Cars chassis at the start of the year, along with more testing that has helped Millington obtain valuable data.

A victory is the only item missing from what has been a career season for Millington on the LMSC Tour that includes two top fives and a pole. Millington is confident he can break his prolonged winless drought on Friday evening, but emphasized the importance of being patient on Florence Motor Speedway’s abrasive surface.

“For the rest of the year, we have one goal, and that’s to win a race,” Millington said. “You’re definitely going to need a good race car [at Florence] because that place is hard on tires, so there’s going to be a lot of riding around. I’d bet money that whoever is leading at halfway is not going to be the one who wins, so you’re going to need a good car and a good driver.”

Matt Cox hopes for success in first CARS Tour race since 2020

It has been nearly four years since Florence Motor Speedway regular made his last appearance in the CARS LMSC Tour.

With a shot at the South Carolina 400 pole right in front of him this weekend, Cox had no intention of skipping the Cook Out 225. Cox anticipates a tough challenge against the LMSC Tour regulars, but hopes his experience at Florence and the strength of his car will give him a hometown advantage.

“I think we have a pretty decent shot,” Cox said. “We’ve been good at Florence and have won a lot of races there. The car we’re running this weekend is the one we used two weeks ago as a shakedown and we dominated the first twin [race] with it. We have some confidence going into it, and I think we can run up front.”

Originally a regular at Myrtle Beach Speedway, Cox followed Steve Zacharias and his staff over to Florence when they took over the facility in 2020. He quickly became one of Florence’s best Late Model Stock competitors, having claimed two track titles and two South Carolina state championships while racing there.

Cox’s consistency has carried over into the South Carolina 400, as he qualified inside the top five in all four of the events at Florence, which included the pole in 2020. Misfortune has prevented Cox from adding his name to the list of South Carolina 400 winners, but the laps logged at Florence has prepared him for what Friday’s 125-lap Late Model Stock feature will offer.

The plan for Cox is to exercise caution during the opening stages and position himself to make a run for the checkered flag. Managing tires will be paramount for Cox to accomplish that goal, who also hopes to have luck fall on his side so he can depart Florence content over not having to stress about qualifying for the South Carolina 400.

“It’s always nice to go to any of those races and know you’re guaranteed to start on the pole,” Cox said. “That way you can focus on long-run speed, which is very important at Florence, but these CARS Tour races are extremely hard to win. This is the elite of Late Model Stock racing right now, so winning one is a big accomplishment.”

Caden Kvapil confident, composed following LMSC stint

Following a two-week stint as a replacement for his brother Carson Kvapil in JR Motorsports’ Late Model Stock, Caden Kvapil is back to explicitly focusing on the CARS PLM Tour.

Being able to lean off so many talented people at JR Motorsports is something Caden believes will assist him in his push to defend the PLM Tour championship. The next stop in that journey for Caden is Friday’s Cook Out 225, which will also serve as the PLM Tour’s inaugural visit to the facility.

“It’ll be a little different getting out of a Late Model [Stock] and back into a Pro [Late Model],” Caden said. “The cars handle a lot different, but I’m excited to get back to what I’m use to. We’re coming off a Pro win at Ace, and I think we’ll have a good car at Florence. It’s new for everyone in the Pro stuff, so it’ll be pretty tough.”

Oscillating between Late Model Stocks and Pro Late Models at Ace Speedway provided Caden an understanding of each car’s respective differences, particularly when it came to using brakes. With Ace being dependent on braking, Caden said the knowledge obtained from the Late Model Stock was a factor in helping him obtain the PLM Tour victory that same night.

Even with two CARS LMSC Tour appearances now on his resume, Caden is unsure of what to expect on Friday with Florence being a blank slate for most of the PLM Tour field. He has the benefit of leaning on Carson’s notes from past LMSC Tour events, but added there will likely not be significant tire conservation with his race being only 100 laps in length.

Caden understands a victory at Florence will be pivotal towards breaking the control Kaden Honeycutt and Spencer Davis have on the PLM Tour standings. By continuing the momentum established at Ace, Caden is confident he can make up his points deficit and celebrate another title at North Wilkesboro Speedway in October.

“We’re nine points back right now, so we need to have some good runs and click off some wins,” Caden said. “These next three tracks we’re going to are going to be really good for us I think. We just need to follow up on the win at Ace and it’s going to be important for me to get a lot of points.”

Joining the CARS LMSC and PLM Tour on Friday are three of the local divisions at Florence Motor Speedway, which consist of the Bandoleros, Legends and Allison Legacy Series. FloRacing begins live coverage of the Cook Out 225 at 4:30 p.m. ET starting with LMSC Tour qualifying.

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.

CARS Tour LMSC Point Standings

Connor Hall

Brenden Queen -3

Brent Crews -16

Mini Tyrrell -27

Ryan Millington -41

Treyten Lapcevich -48

Carson Kvapil -82

Bobby McCarty -107

Kade Brown -141

Chad McCumbee -141

CARS Tour PLM Point Standings

Kaden Honeycutt*

Spencer Davis

Caden Kvapil -9

Jimmy Renfrew Jr. -16

T.J. DeCaire -32

Jake Bollman -33

Tristan McKee -40

Conner Jones -78

Kyle Campbell -94

Brandon Lopez -114

*Note: Kaden Honeycutt holds the tiebreaker with Spencer Davis by virtue of his win at Orange County Speedway

Late Model Stock Car At Florence Entry List

Pro Late Model At Florence Entry List