The second race of the 2026 zMAX CARS Tour season features the smallest track on the calendar; the quarter-mile bullring of Wake County Speedway.

Nestled on the outskirts of North Carolina’s state capital in Raleigh, Wake County has entertained generations of race fans since 1962, initially as a dirt track before being converted to asphalt in 1987. Many notable names have competed at Wake County, including Ken Schrader, J.D. McDuffie and 1973 NASCAR Cup Series champion Benny Parsons.

Amidst the ongoing growth in and around Raleigh, Wake County continues to boast a proud, thriving short track culture that includes events for Legends, Bandoleros and Late Model Stocks. With recent improvements to the track’s infrastructure that include a repave, Wake County is poised to remain an asphalt short track racing hub for many years to come.

Saturday’s CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour race features a unique twist compared to previous events at Wake County, an increased race distance from 125 laps to 175. This crucial adjustment will require drivers to utilize more patience and strategy if they wish to find their way to Cook Out Victory Lane at the end of the evening.

Track Facts:

Track: Wake County Speedway

Location: Raleigh, North Carolina

Length: .25 mile

Laps: 175

CARS LMSC Tour races: 5

Wake County LMSC winners: Sam Mayer (1), Deac McCaskill (1), Carson Kvapil (1), Landen Lewis (1), Mini Tyrrell (1)

Mini Tyrrell seeks to defend Wake County victory in LMSC Tour return

A lot has changed for Mini Tyrrell since he visited Cook Out Victory Lane at Wake County Speedway last spring.

Now a full-time competitor for Kaulig Racing’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program, Tyrrell will return to his Late Model Stock roots on Saturday in pursuit of a second straight Wake County win. There is no shortage of busy days for Tyrrell with Kaulig, but he is grateful for the opportunity to climb back into his familiar No. 81.

“It means a lot to be back with the Timmy Tyrrell Racing camp,” Tyrrell said. “I’ve missed being in the Late Model [Stocks] for sure. The Trucks are a blast, and it’s been a total dream come true getting to drive at that level. I’ve been in a seat more than I ever have in my life, so I’m looking forward to taking some things I’ve learned in the Truck and apply it to the Late Model [Stock].”

Tyrrell found his way to one of Kaulig’s four full-time Truck Series rides through Ram: Race for the Seat, a reality TV show that put him up against 14 other short track competitors. There were plenty of familiar CARS Tour opponents Tyrrell had to battle, along with drivers from other disciplines such as reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Austin Beers.

Without the CARS Tour as a platform, Tyrrell is unsure if organizations like Kaulig would have ever recognized him for the talent he knew he possessed. The presence of other CARS Tour drivers in Ram: Race for the Seat like Landon Huffman and Jared Fryar is something Tyrrell believes is indicative of how hard the ownership group works to promote its drivers.

Year one in the Truck Series has seen Tyrrell encounter some anticipated growing pains, but he remains optimistic stronger finishes will eventually materialize. Saturday is all about focusing on the CARS LMSC Tour for Tyrrell, as he is determined to shake off the rust and pick up from where he left off at Wake County last year.

“[A win] would show that I can still do it in the CARS Tour,” Tyrrell said. “It’d give me a boost of confidence too. I’m still learning so much at [the Truck Series] level and we’re all trying to build [Kaulig’s] program as well. It’s been a little bit of struggle trying to figure it out, but personally, a win [on Saturday] would mean a lot.”

Carson Haislip ready to shine in front of hometown crowd

No one was more dominant in a Late Model Stock at Wake County Speedway in 2025 than Raleigh native Carson Haislip.

Of the 18 races Haislip entered last year, he won 11 of them, which allowed him to secure Wake County’s Late Model stock championship. Carrying over that momentum into Saturday’s Delta Heating Cooling & Plumbing 175 is not going to be an easy feat for Haislip, but he feels more ready than ever to take on the CARS LMSC Tour regulars.

“We’ll definitely have to qualify up front,” Haislip said. “Our goal is to qualify in the top five or top 10 so we can keep ourselves up there. That way we’re not having to fight through the field super early and burn up our equipment. When the leader is going green off turn four, the car that is starting last is right in the middle of the backstretch.”

Haislip executed this exact strategy perfectly during his first LMSC Tour attempt at Wake County back in 2024, which also served as his series debut. After qualifying on the outside pole, Haislip avoided trouble all evening around the quarter-mile bullring to settle for a seventh-place finish in his family-owned No. 08.

The second LMSC Tour start for Haislip at Wake County ended before it had a chance to begin, as his car sustained heavy damage in a multi-car accident on lap 15. Due to this wreck, Haislip abandoned his plans to attempt more LMSC Tour events in 2025, choosing instead to concentrate his efforts on the Wake County track championship.

All the experience Haislip acquired at Wake County during his title run has prepared him to face what will likely be the largest Late Model Stock car field inside the bullring this year. Haislip has plenty of confidence in the capability of his small program and wants nothing more than to pull off a cathartic upset victory in front of the hometown crowd.

“If I were to win a CARS Tour race anywhere, it would mean a ton to me, but it’d be a lot cooler in my hometown where all this started at,” Haislip said. “I’m looking forward to [Saturday]. This is always a really big race we run each year, so to go out and even compete is not the easiest thing. We’re going to give it all we have and I think we’re going to be just fine.”

Carter Langley takes reigns of Landon S. Huffman’s No. 77

With Landon S. Huffman set to drive for CR7 Motorsports in Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series East event at Hickory Motor Speedway, his crew chief Carter Langley will climb into his seat for Saturday’s Delta Heating Cooling & Plumbing 175.

An experienced racer, Langley has not competed in a CARS LMSC Tour event since 2023 when he finished 28th at South Boston Speedway due to a brake failure. While he has enjoyed being atop Huffman’s box, Langley is excited about the opportunity to compete in the CARS LMSC Tour again with a team he knows can contend for the win.

“I can’t thank Shane, Wendy and Landon enough for letting me fill in and having trust in me getting back into a race car,” Langley said. “It’s been about a year and I’m excited to get back to it, especially in the CARS Tour with a lot of my buddies and friends, along with some of my old crew chiefs and co-workers.”

Despite being out of the CARS Tour for nearly three years, Langley has not struggled to keep himself busy. Langley won the Late Model Stock championship at South Boston Speedway back in 2023 and continued to make frequent appearances at the facility until a crash in the 2025 season-opener forced him to scale back his racing plans.

After bouncing around a couple of different organizations, Langley settled into being Huffman’s crew chief near the end of 2025. The two runner-up finishes Huffman scored at Tri-County Motor Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway to close out the year, both of which saw him lead late, gave Langley plenty of optimism about the two building on that momentum.

Langley is determined to put together a strong performance in Huffman’s No. 77 while the two are simultaneously chasing victories in different parts of North Carolina on Saturday. Having won at Wake County five times across nine starts back in 2024, Langley considers the track a perfect location for him to make his overdue LMSC Tour return.

“I haven’t won a race since the end of [2024] and have only been in a race car once or twice since then,” Langley said. “[A win] would be a big confidence booster in my head knowing that I can still go out there and compete with the best guys in the business. I’m going to do my best to have a good showing for Landon, Shane and everybody else over here.”

——-

Two of Wake County Speedway’s support divisions will accompany the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour on Saturday, the Any Car and Virginia Vintage Modified classes. On-track action begins at 7 p.m. ET with the Delta Cooling Heating & Air 175, all of which will be broadcasted 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 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 at Wake County Speedway Entry List