All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway is poised to be one of the most significant in the history of the zMAX CARS Tour.

When Late Model Stocks take the green flag for the Window World 100, they will do so under the national spotlight for the first time. FS1 is providing live flag-to-flag coverage of the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour at North Wilkesboro in a collaborative effort with FloRacing, which will still broadcast qualifying and the 75-lap Pro Late Model race.

The presence of FS1 for the CARS Tour is another step in both the growth of the CARS Tour and the ongoing revitalization of North Wilkesboro. After primarily sitting dormant following the loss of its NASCAR Cup Series date, North Wilkesboro came back to life in Aug. 2022 when it hosted several events that included a 125-lap CARS LMSC Tour event.

Now in its third year of hosting the All-Star Race while boasting renovations like fresh pavement, North Wilkesboro currently finds itself in a prosperous era. Both CARS Tour divisions will help the historic facility kick off a busy All-Star Race weekend schedule with the PLM Tour and LMSC Tour events on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Track Facts:

Track: North Wilkesboro Speedway

Location: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Length: .625 mile

Laps: 100 (LMSC) / 75 (PLM)

CARS LMSC Tour races: 4

CARS PLM Tour races: 3

North Wilkesboro LMSC winners: Carson Kvapil (1), Brenden Queen (1), Treyten Lapcevich (1), Conner Jones (1)

North Wilkesboro PLM winners: Augie Grill (1), Tristan McKee (1), Kaden Honeycutt (1)

LMSC Standings:

1. Connor Hall

2. Landen Lewis -4

3. Kade Brown -5

4. Landon Huffman -21

5. Ronnie Bassett Jr. -26

6. Donovan Strauss -32

7. Doug Barnes Jr. -35

8. Mini Tyrrell -36

9. Ryan Millington -43

10. Buddy Isles Jr. -46

PLM Standings:

1. Ben Maier

2. Dylan Garner -5

3. Brody Monahan -11

4. Rodney Dowless -12

5. Brandon Lopez -18

6. Keelan Harvick -19

7. Isaac Kitzmiller -28

8. Tristan McKee -50

9. Jade Avedisian -54

10. Tyler Reif -55

Conner Jones Eager to Defend North Wilkesboro Triumph From 2024

The last time Conner Jones visited North Wilkesboro Speedway in a Late Model Stock, he got to take the famous elevator ride up to Cook Out Victory Lane after passing Carson Kvapil with 13 laps remaining.

Jones’ North Wilkesboro triumph was his second consecutive to close out the 2024 CARS LMSC Tour season. Although he is still working on re-establishing momentum from the end of last season, Jones believes two top fives in the last three races is an indication that his program is returning to competitive form before his North Wilkesboro return.

“I think we’ll be fine,” Jones said. “We’ve been working on a couple of bugs recently on these cars. Ever since we wrecked at New River [All-American Speedway], we’ve been trying to fix these bugs, but [we’ve built] a new car for North Wilkesboro and I think we’ll be pretty good.”

Converting his late-season surge into a 2025 LMSC Tour championship would require consistency on Jones’ behalf. Two bad races to open the year left Jones in a significant points deficit, but he knows the hard work everyone on his team displays will at least enable him to contend for plenty of victories.

Jones has considered North Wilkesboro to be one of his favorite tracks since the facility was repaved at the end of 2023. Always a white-knuckle racer, Jones said North Wilkesboro’s preferred top groove creates a small margin of error against hitting the wall, which only serves as motivation to push himself even further.

FS1 broadcasting the Window World 100 also does not intimidate Jones, as he is used to national coverage in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Even with more eyes on the CARS Tour this weekend, Jones’ strategy to sweep both North Wilkesboro races is the same from the fall, make sure the car is perfected in practice.

“Another [North Wilkesboro] win would be pretty exciting,” Jones said. “The elevator ride is one of the sketchier victory lanes because you get to the top and everyone starts rocking back and forth, but it’s fun to get up there and think about how many people have been in the exact same place you are.”

Jonathan Shafer Reunites With Nelson Motorsports for North Wilkesboro

Joining Nelson Motorsports in a second car for North Wilkesboro Speedway is a familiar face to their program, Jonathan Shafer.

The maiden CARS LMSC Tour campaign for Shafer back in 2020 saw him run nine events with Nelson, with his best run being a fourth at Dominion Raceway. Now under the Nelson banner once again with more experience to his name, Shafer is confident he can excel with the program at North Wilkesboro this weekend.

“I’m really excited to be back in the Late Model Stock division of the CARS Tour,” Shafer said. “Mr. Nelson is a great car owner and Matthew [Eshleman] is a great crew chief. [Nelson Motorsports is filled with] great people and they are a great team, so I’m excited to be back working with them.”

Shafer’s racing journey has taken him to several different places since his rookie LMSC Tour year with Nelson. He obtained his lone victory in a wire-to-wire performance at Ace Speedway in 2022 before later branching out to other divisions like the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The last time Shafer competed in the LMSC Tour was back in 2023, but he stayed in contact with many figures in the series that included Nelson. After weeks of correspondence, Shafer worked out a deal that would see him drive Nelson’s No. 12 Toyota at North Wilkesboro with sponsorship from Harrison’s Workwear and Wilson Tire.

Being with Nelson during his first venture into Late Model Stocks provided Shafer some crucial insight into what he needed to be successful not only in the discipline, but racing in general. He hopes to showcase his expanded motorsports knowledge by guiding Nelson to their first North Wilkesboro victory on Friday night.

“With [North Wilkesboro] being paved and [the race] only 100 laps, I think it’s going to be 100 qualifying laps,” Shafer said. “You’re going to be 100 percent the whole time. I’ve had some strong runs at Wilkesboro and I like that track. Nelson has also been good there the past couple of years, so we’re looking to go win. That’s the goal.”

CARS LMSC Tour All-Time Wins Leader Josh Berry Ready for PLM Tour Debut

Before he pursues an All-Star Race victory in the Wood Brothers No. 21, Josh Berry will climb into FatHead Racing’s No. 21 to chase a Pro Late Model checkered flag.

Possessing the most victories of any CARS LMSC Tour competitor with 22 in total, Thursday marks the first time Berry has competed in the CARS PLM Tour since its inception. With minimal Pro Late Model experience under his belt, Berry expects to deal with a brief learning curve before the PLM Tour race goes green.

“It’ll be fun doing something different,” Berry said. “I plan to run the car again later this year at Nashville [Fairgrounds Speedway], so I felt this was an opportunity to get some laps underneath me, get familiar with the guys and have some fun.”

Despite his unfamiliarity with Pro Late Models, Berry does have a handful of starts in a Super Late Model. Berry contested four races in the now-defunct CARS Super Late Model Tour from 2015-2021 and has also made appearances in crown jewel events for the discipline like the Snowball Derby.

The relative unknowns of how the Pro Late Model will drive, particularly at North Wilkesboro, only adds to the anticipation for Berry. He knows the Pro Late Model will provide less horsepower compared to a Super Late Model, but he plans to lean heavily on FatHead Racing to determine what he needs from his car.

Going up against many seasoned Pro Late Model competitors at North Wilkesboro is another obstacle for Berry, who is grateful for the expertise Jamie Yelton and everyone at FatHead Racing are providing. Berry is keeping a realistic mindset for the PLM Tour feature but would love to open a busy North Wilkesboro weekend with a victory.

“Winning at North Wilkesboro would be really special in anything,” Berry said. “I don’t know if my expectations are the same as they would be if I was racing a Late Model Stock just because I know it’ll be different, but I feel like [FatHead Racing] has a good program. If I can do my job and get adapted to it, we’ll have a shot at the thing.”

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Practice and qualifying for both zMAX CARS Tour divisions takes place on Thursday, with The Reverend Sour Mash Whiskey 75 occurring at 8 p.m. ET that evening. The Window World 100 for the CARS LMSC Tour commences after the conclusion of the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge on Friday, with the green flag waving at 8:15 p.m. ET.

FloRacing will broadcast all the CARS Tour on-track activity for Thursday. Coverage will be shared between FS1 and FloRacing during the Window World 100.

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 Entry List

CARS Tour Pro Late Model Entry List