It is not a common occurrence for the penultimate event of any racing season to take place at a new venue.

Newport Speedway holds that distinction for the zMAX CARS Tour’s Late Model Stock and Pro Late Model Tour this weekend, both of which are visiting the track for the first time. Saturday’s Spears Manufacturing 225 also serves as part of an ongoing revitalization of Newport under the ownership of Chuck Ward.

For over six decades, Newport served as a cornerstone of Tennessee’s asphalt short track racing culture by hosting local racing and national touring divisions until it closed in 2017. Ward and his team have succeeded with ushering in a prosperous era for Newport that has seen the track host an ASA STARS National Tour race the past two years.

Anyone visiting Newport for the first time will likely immediately notice the complex’s steep turns that feature 26 degrees of banking, which gave the track its nickname of ‘Little Bristol’. With Newport’s design favoring multiple grooves of racing, the next-to-last event of the 2026 CARS Tour calendar is expected to feature frenetic on-track action.

Track Facts:

Track: Newport Speedway

Location: Newport, Tennessee

Length: .400 mile

Laps: 125 (LMSC) / 100 (PLM)

LMSC standings:

1. Caden Kvapil

2. Conner Jones -50

3. Treyten Lapcevich -55

4. Chad McCumbee -91

5. Chase Burrow -91

6. Carson Loftin -114

7. Carson Brown -139

8. Landon Huffman -149

9. Parker Eatmon -151

10. London McKenzie -167

PLM standings:

1. Mason Walters

2. Conner Jones -6

3. Brody Monahan -10

4. Treyten Lapcevich -27

5. Kaden Honeycutt -38

6. Evan McKnight -44

7. Rodney Dowless Jr. -60

8. Case James -63

9. Dylan Garner -74

10. T.J. DeCaire -124

Dale Earnhardt Jr. bringing Sun Drop scheme to Newport

The third CARS Tour start for NASCAR Hall of Famer and series co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2026 will see him take on Newport Speedway.

During his formative years in late models, Earnhardt Jr. did not get the chance to visit Newport for any races. With Newport currently going through a renaissance, Earnhardt Jr. will look to thrill the facility’s vibrant local fanbase in his iconic No. 8 Sun Drop Chevrolet.

Both of Earnhardt Jr.’s LMSC Tour starts this year will have taken place inside the state of Tennessee, each of them at a new venue for the division. The Tootsies Music City Showdown at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in April saw Earnhardt Jr. come home with a 12th place finish after starting in 21st.

Yet the most recent CARS Tour appearance for Earnhardt Jr. at Florence Motor Speedway saw him score a runner-up finish in his CARS PLM Tour debut, his best showing on the platform to date. Earnhardt Jr. will look to carry over the momentum from Florence into Newport as he chases his first LMSC Tour checkered flag.

Carson Loftin hopes to finish out whirlwind year on a high note

The sophomore season for Carson Loftin in the CARS LMSC Tour has been a lot more eventful than he would have envisioned back in February.

Loftin departed Nelson Motorsports in June for Mike Darne Racing, a combination that yielded his breakthrough LMSC Tour victory at Anderson Motor Speedway in August. Fresh off a runner-up showing with Darne at Tri-County Motor Speedway, Loftin feels confident about being competitive in his first trip to Newport Speedway of any kind.

“When I switched to Mike [Darne], it was definitely a hard decision,” Loftin said. “We’ve had speed everywhere we went and got results going for us. There’s a lot of momentum around my name right now. [Newport] is a new challenge for everybody, so we’re all in the same playing field. I’m looking forward to it.”

Darne’s experience as a driver, which includes track championships at Southern National Motorsports Park and Old Dominion Speedway, has been invaluable to Loftin. While he does not regret his time with Nelson, Loftin said being able to constantly lean on Darne for input has helped him become more comfortable with the team after every race.

The burgeoning cohesion Loftin shares with Darne will be put to the test at Newport on Saturday. All the effort Loftin and Darne exerted into preparation for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 left little time to discuss Newport prior to this week, but Loftin saw many similarities between Newport and Bristol when he watched the ASA STARS National Tour race there.

Now that the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 is behind him, Loftin’s focus is centered on everything pertaining to Newport’s history and how a 125-lap Late Model Stock race might unfold there on Saturday. Loftin has dealt with plenty of surprises on what has been a hectic 2026, so he is embracing all the unknowns Newport has to offer.

“I’m going to learn as much as I can and watch a lot of old races there so I can come as prepared as I can,” Loftin said. “After getting the first [win] off my back, I feel a lot of pressure is off me. I’m just going to go have fun [at Newport] and go try to win the race.”

Derek Kraus teams back up with Shane Wilson for Newport

Of the drivers entered between the two CARS Tour divisions for Saturday’s race at Newport Speedway, Derek Kraus is among the handful that possesses a win there.

Kraus won his lone ASA STARS National Tour race to date at the complex last year after passing Dawson Sutton with 28 laps remaining. Replicating that feat in a Late Model Stock is going to be a difficult challenge for Kraus due to his inexperience in the discipline, but having veteran crew chief Shane Wilson as his car owner provides him some optimism.

“Shane has a ton of experience and knowledge,” Kraus said. “I’ve worked with him in the Truck stuff, so we’ve always had a really good relationship. It’s been a lot of fun to learn [the Late Model Stock]. It’s quite different than a Super Late Model, but I’m looking forward to going to a race track that I’m familiar with.”

Wilson debuted his Late Model Stock in last year’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 with veteran Ronnie Bassett Jr. behind the wheel. Kraus jumped into Wilson’s No. 62 for his CARS LMSC Tour debut at Langley Speedway in May, though his evening ended 13 laps from the checkered flag due to a mechanical issue.

It was a scramble just to make the field for Kraus at Langley, as the rear end broke during the final practice session. As chaotic as the weekend was, Kraus felt he acquired some valuable knowledge when it came to racing Late Model Stocks. He considers them very similar to the ARCA Menards Series chassis regarding weight and how they steer.

Kraus expects Newport to unfold much better than Langley in a Late Model Stock due to the laps he has logged at the complex since it reopened. That head start at Newport is countered by the learning curve Kraus is still going through, but he believes a Late Model Stock victory at the track is feasible if he and Wilson can get the car to their liking.

“The CARS Tour is a really big series and has a ton of competition,” Kraus said. “If we’re lucky enough to get a win, it’d be really big for myself and also Shane too. Shane and everybody really put a lot of effort into this car, so to be able to walk out of a Newport with a win would be really good for everybody. Hopefully we can do that.”

Dylan Garner chasing first PLM Tour top five

The third full-time season for Dylan Garner in the CARS PLM Tour has been a mixed bag from his perspective.

With only two races remaining, Garner will not match the eight top 10s he accumulated in 2025, having scored just three through nine races. Despite the misfortune Garner has endured, he is seeing some noticeable progress with his own program that is keeping his hopes of that elusive first PLM Tour top five alive before the year ends.

“We had a rough start this year compared to last year,” Garner said. “The fact that we were able to go to some tracks like Caraway and improve on some of our previous finishes, I’m pretty happy about that. I wish we could have gotten the top 10, top five count a little higher this year, but there’s definitely a lot of positives we can take away as well.”

Making the jump from the West Coast to full-time racing on the other side of the United States was not easy for Garner, which is why he is grateful for the sponsors that support his efforts. Among them is Hydraulic Machinery Inc., which joined Garner for 2026 and has since expanded their involvement to become an official CARS Tour sponsor.

Because of companies like HMI, DPFxFit and G Sport, Garner can live his dream and feels more optimistic than ever about his long-term future in racing. Putting together stronger, more consistent results remains the goal for Garner, but he is confident changes to the setup and increased familiarity with CARS Tour venues will help him get to where he needs to be.

Garner admitted Newport is a blank slate for him and his team, as he has never raced at a track on either the East or West Coast that has so much banking in the corners. With so much uncertainty surrounding Saturday’s race, Garner sees Newport as a perfect opportunity to finally get a top five in his 37th PLM Tour appearance.

“[My sponsor HMI] has a bottle of champagne waiting for me for a top five this year,” Garner said. “I’m getting really anxious to take a sip out of it, so it’d be huge for our team personally, coming all this way in my career from where we started to get a finish like that, top five or better. It’d just be good all around.”

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There will be one local Newport Speedway event as part of Saturday’s schedule for the Spears Manufacturing 225, which will be the final race of the night at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET. The zMAX CARS Tour’s Pro Late Model class kicks off the evening’s racing at 7 p.m. ET, with the 125-lap Late Model Stock race immediately following.

FloRacing will carry live coverage of the Spears Manufacturing 225 starting with qualifying at 5 p.m. ET.

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 at 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 Late Model Stock Car At Newport Speedway Entry List

CARS Tour Pro Late Models At Newport Speedway Entry List