Nelson Motorsports Makes Driver Change For Remainder Of CARS Tour Season

Nelson Motorsports and Carson Loftin have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately.

Jun 2, 2026 by Rob Blount

Dale Jr. Debrief: CARS Tour At Langley Speedway10:34

Nelson Motorsports and driver Carson Loftin have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately, both parties said in an announcement Tuesday evening. Loftin was in his second season as driver of the No. 22 Toyota Late Model Stock Car for Nelson Motorsports.

2026 CARS Tour at Dominion Raceway

“Over the past few years, Carson Loftin has been an integral part of our organization, and we are grateful for the dedication, professionalism, and competitive spirit he brought to our team,” said Nelson Motorsports team owner Barry Nelson in a statement. “Together, we celebrated many memorable achievements, including earning the 2025 CARS Tour Rookie of the Year title, securing a front-row starting position for the 2025 ValleyStar Credit Union 300, and numerous other milestones that contributed to our program’s growth and success. We sincerely thank Carson for his commitment both on and off the race track, and we wish him continued success in his race career and future endeavors.”

“After a lot of thought and consideration, Nelson Motorsports and I have decided to go in different directions,” said Loftin. “I want to thank Mr. Nelson for the opportunity to drive for him and his belief in me. I wish he and the entire team nothing but the best moving forward. I’m looking forward to racing with the zMAX CARS Tour and SMART Modified Tour as I move forward. I’ll announce my plans for the rest of the season soon.”

Loftin and Nelson Motorsports first partnered together at the 2024 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, which was Loftin’s first Late Model Stock Car start. The multi-time winner with the SMART Modified Tour finished fifth that night after starting 33rd.

Together, as mentioned in Nelson’s statement, the 18-year-old Loftin and Nelson Motorsports scored four top-five finishes and 10 top 10 finishes in 21 CARS Tour races together with a best finish of third at South Boston Speedway last September. Another highlight for the team came at Martinsville Speedway last September when Loftin led 26 laps before finishing 10th in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.

Loftin and Nelson Motorsports most recently just finished sixth in the CARS Tour race last weekend at Langley Speedway.

Nelson Motorsports said an announcement regarding their future drive lineup will be made in the coming days, and also added that the team will bring both the No. 22 and the No. 12 to Dominion Raceway next week for the CARS Tour race on June 13.