TO THE BITTER END – 2024 CARS Tour And SMART Modified Tour Championship Finale

“All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, and endure the last hour toil.”

Henry David Thoreau

We knew from the very beginning that this year’s central east coast short track racing seasons for the region’s premier touring series’ titles would be, if you will, a series of battles that wouldn’t be decided until the very end. Coming into the season finale for both the CARS Tour and the SMART Modified Tour, it was obvious how right we were. To be honest of course, there was no way of knowing exactly how the seasons for both tours would play out. With the talent in the area on full display in 2024, we knew the road to the championships would be nothing less than an epic fight. Only fitting then that both titles were decided in the end with a trip to a speedway that knows a thing or two about epic battles for survival. Anyone that paid attention through the year should have known it wouldn’t be a quick adventure in deciding the final outcome, but a knock down, drag out to the very end. After the smoke cleared, with all three divisions coming into the night in heated championship battles and many teams feeling like their ultimate goals had been left unfulfilled to some extent, every driver and every team came into Saturday night looking to put it all out on the line. How did it all play out? Well one thing is for certain, they definitely left nothing on the table. Let’s take a closer look at how it all went down, winners and losers, and who left the speedway with the prestigious distinction of earning the right to be called champion.

ZMAX CARS TOUR PRO LATE MODEL CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE

Firing off one of the best laps of his career, # 15 TJ DeCaire laps North Wilkesboro in 17.378 seconds to earn his first career zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model MAHLE pole. Accompanying him in the top three will be the title contenders # 47 Kaden Honeycutt and # 29 Spencer Davis. zMAX CARS Tour flagman Brandon Willard looks over the stacked Pro field one last time in 2024, approves the formation, and we’re green! Honeycutt gets a fantastic launch, kicking DeCaire to second early. Davis holds off the # 67 of Cameron Bolin to keep third and now makes a move on DeCaire. And they make contact! Points leader Davis is off the pace! He comes to a stop on the backstretch, causing the first SHITI Coolers Caution to fly! Due to intentionally bringing out the yellow, Davis will be held three laps on pit road, a huge championship break for Honeycutt! After all is said and done, your new top three for the restart will be Honeycutt, Bolin, and # 35 Caden Kvapil. Honeycutt once more executes a fantastic restart, while Kvapil motors past Bolin. And around goes # 8 Tate Fogleman in between turns one and two! It’ll be Honeycutt, Bolin, and Kvapil after the choose, with the same song and dance taking place on the restart. But this time, all eyes are on the # 6 of Tristan McKee, as he makes a move on Kvapil. He’ll make it stick, now setting his sights on Bolin. Move McKee to second as there’s major problems behind! The # 24B of Lanie Buice blows up in the middle of turns three and four, dropping fluid all over the racing line! Logan Jones in the # 44 piles into # 33 Daniel Webster hard in the aftermath, with both drivers okay but visibly shaken up after the fact.

Honeycutt, McKee, and Bolin lead the field after a lengthy clean up, as Honeycutt once more rockets away off the get go. Kvapil regains third while the field looks to settle into a rhythm. That rhythm will be disturbed after a while as Travis Braden in the # 51 has a right front issue and draws the yellow. The zMAX CARS Tour will allow drivers to come down pit road for adjustments, changing the complexion of the field. Honeycutt, McKee, and Kvapil fire off for the restart, with McKee and Kvapil battling tooth and nail for second. McKee will edge Kvapil out as Honeycutt looks to build a gap. McKee has other plans though, eventually peeking his nose under Honeycutt! Honeycutt continuously shuts the door but there’s a scare with the lap machine of # 22 Dusty Garus! They make it by without incident as McKee again dives low. And he makes contact with Honeycutt! Honeycutt slides way out of the groove, allowing McKee and Kvapil by as the final competition yellow flies. Honeycutt speeds beside McKee to show his displeasure under caution. McKee now leads Kvapil and Honeycutt with laps coming down to the wire. And it unravels on the restart! Bolin jacks # 24 Gio Ruggiero up and into McKee, taking him into the turn two wall! Honeycutt sustains damage as well, but it’s minor enough to keep going. The same can’t be said for McKee and Ruggiero as they will unfortunately be done for the night. And to top it all off, Kvapil is docked for jumping the restart, making the top three Honeycutt, DeCaire, and Jimmy Renfrew Jr in the # 00! Honeycutt scoots away with Bolin eventually able to muscle past the # 00. Back up front, DeCaire has made his way to Honeycutt’s back bumper! He looks to the inside and later tries one last dive, but it’s not enough as Honeycutt takes the win as well as the 2024 zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model championship!

SMART MODIFIED TOUR POWERED BY PACE-O-MATIC SEASON FINALE

Not a lot of surprise to see Matt Hirschman in the # 60 lay down the fastest lap in qualifying with a time of 17.196 seconds. But after an invert of three, # 51 Justin Bonsignore will lead the pack followed by SMART 5 championship contender # 1 Burt Myers and Hirschman. Willard likes what he sees and we’re SMART racing one last time in 2024! Bonsignore gains the advantage on the backstretch as Hirschman and SMART 5 contender # 7 Luke Baldwin move up a spot, pushing Burt Myers to fourth. Logging laps is the key early for these SMART competitors, but pushing it a little too hard coming out of four is # 18BL Bobby Labonte as he spins! He’ll drive away as Bonsignore, Hirschman, and Baldwin make up your top three. Bonsignore fires away as # 16 Jonathan Cash gets into the outside wall hard on the frontstretch after contact with # 12 Jake Crum! Cash walks away unscathed as we’re back underway in no time. Baldwin gets a big push from SMART 5 contender # 23 Carson Loftin, taking them to second and third respectively. And Hirschman goes around off of the bumper of Crum in turn one! Title challenger # 2 Ryan Newman, # 25 Tom Buzze Jr, and # 24NJ Andrew Krause all sustain damage, with Krause’s night coming to a halt!

Bonsignore still leads joined by Baldwin and Loftin. The top three single file out while the # 21 of Jimmy Wallace spins in turn two with a little help from # 11 Norman Newman! A quick shootout will determine who wins Bell Helmets Stage One with Bonsignore again getting an almost perfect jump. Bonsignore bags the stage victory, followed by Baldwin and # 06 Sammy Rameau. With the end of the stage comes a chance at pit stops, with every driver taking advantage. After the choose, Rameau moves up to second but it won’t be enough as Bonsignore breaks free. The # 179 of northern Modified stalwart Austin Beers claims third as # V4 Tim Connolly spins into the inside frontstretch wall after some nerfbar contact with # 69 John Holleman IV. Another position change takes place on the choose as Loftin is back in third. Baldwin gives Bonsignore a big challenge this time around, but misses out as Rameau slithers back into the top three. Loftin won’t have it though, fighting back and leaving Rameau to deal with the wolves behind. He’ll get a reprieve as Norman Newman goes around on the frontstretch. This gives teams another chance to change tires and make any necessary adjustment for the run to the finish. Both Holleman IV and Hirschman decide to stay out with Baldwin lining up to the outside of Bonsignore behind. Hirschman makes it work but Holleman IV doesn’t have the same luck, falling through the field. Bonsignore and Baldwin take over second and third as they pile up hard behind! It starts with the Holleman IV machine stacking up the field on the outside, causing Burt Myers, # 79 Anthony Bello, # 02 Joey Coulter, championship contender # 24NC Danny Bohn, # 43 Matthew Kimball, and Rameau all to sustain damage on the frontstretch! Bohn and Myers watch their titles hopes go down the drain as they’re towed back to the pits. Thankfully all are okay as the red flag is unfurled.

Hirschman, Bonsignore, and Baldwin head the field to green after all of the carnage is swept up, with Bonsignore sealing the lead again. Baldwin follows through as Hirschman hangs onto third. Now Baldwin starts to take up Bonsignore’s rear view mirror. He’s a little bit sideways as well, allowing Hirschman around. Hirschman tries to give Bonsignore a little bit of a tap, but it’s all for naught as Bonsignore collects his first career SMART Modified Tour victory! And coming home third is your 2024 SMART Modified Tour champion, Luke Baldwin!

CARS TOUR LATE MODEL STOCK SEASON FINALE

17.803 seconds is the time put up by 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie # 8 Carson Kvapil, good enough for tonight’s CrossRoads Harley-Davidson Pole. Starting second is current points leader # 03 Brenden Queen followed by a fantastic effort from # 1 Andrew Grady. For one last time in 2024, Willard gives a peek to the herd of drivers, puts the thumbs up, and we’re green! Kvapil heads the pack for now as # 11 Buddy Isles Jr takes over third. Isles Jr looks under Queen and makes minor contact! A little bit of a scare for Queen and now they make even more contact! They gather it back up as the bottom is proving to be a bit treacherous tonight in between one and two. Second in points # 22 Connor Hall begins to make his way to the front but his bid will have to wait as # 28 Landon S. Huffman makes some contact with # 77 Treyten Lapcevich and tags the outside frontstretch wall, bringing out the first SHITI Coolers Caution. There’s a bit of a stack up on the ensuing restart as both Queen and Grady stumble a bit, causing some hood damage to Hall! He’ll ride it out for now while Kvapil pulls away up front. Defending Tri-County winner # 44 Conner Jones is able to slide around Isles Jr but meanwhile the yellow is out again for Landon S. Huffman popping a tire going into turn three and slamming the wall. He’s okay but the car will be through as Kvapil, Jones, and Queen are your top three coming to green. Kvapil gets a fantastic launch as # 29 Brent Crews makes his move on Queen. They make slight contact, with Crews ultimately passing by. Frontrunner Isles Jr will come to a stop in turn four, setting up another restart.

Crews now starts third as Kvapil gets away. Queen tries to challenge Crews, but # 7M Tristan McKee makes an aggressive move on Queen, causing both to slide sideways in turn three! Seeing his championship hopes flash before his eyes yet again, Queen keeps it straight outside of the top five. Looking to the inside for the lead is now Jones! Kvapil has the preferred lane, but Jones is a thorn in his side. As they battle, # 26 Peyton Sellers gets a nudge from # 45 Parker Eatmon and goes around in turn one! # 77 Trevor Ward tries to shoot the gap, but the hole isn’t big enough as he slams Sellers, knocking Ward’s left front wheel off in the process! Both are okay, but the end of the race has shadowed them both. After the red flag is lifted, it’s Kvapil, Jones, and Crews your top three. Crews makes a bold move to take second but it’s all Kvapil up front. Another car off the pace, this time being Lapcevich, means another yellow. No problem for Kvapil though as he masters yet another restart. Meanwhile, Crews and Jones are having a great battle for second, with Crews winning out. But the yellow fever isn’t over as we have a nasty crash in turns one and two! Eatmon and # 2 Ryan Wilson come together, sending Wilson in back first with a hellacious impact. # 00 Chase Burrow, # 71B Jake Bollman, # 55 Isabella Robusto, # 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr, # 82 Connor Mosack, and # 2 Brandon Pierce are all involved. Wilson is later diagnosed with a concussion, and we send our prayers over to him as he begins recovery.

Kvapil continues to lead when we go back green as the field looks to just get some green flag laps in. # 81 Mini Tyrrell pressures Crews for third as lap traffic soon begins to play a factor. After what seems to be a neverending battle, Tyrrell secures a spot in the top three before the final competition yellow comes out. Kvapil. Jones. Tyrrell. Who rides the lift? Kvapil gets another fabulous launch, but Jones has turned up the wick. He looks to the bottom and pulls a slide job! But Kvapil crosses over and makes it work! Jones slides once more, and they’re three wide for the lead with Tyrrell there as well! Jones finally clears as Tyrrell challenges Kvapil for second. Once the checkered flag waves though, it’s Conner Jones who grabs his second win in a row! And finishing fifth is your 2024 zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock champion, Brenden Queen!

MY TAKE

Three new champions! Luke Baldwin lives up to the King Of The Modifieds moniker he earned at South Boston Speedway earlier in the year and takes the Baldwin family name to new heights. And in the midst of it, Justin Bonsignore gave the southern modified contingent a true look at what he does best, win. Second on the all time win list, after this weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, he’ll head next weekend to Martinsville in a quest for the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship. Kaden Honeycutt on the eve of a full time Craftsman Truck Series ride in 2025 ends 2024 conquering a goal he set from the moment he sat down in a car in the CARS Tour by taking the 2024 CARS Tour Pro Late Model Championship. Quite the way to go out for the 2021 Short Track Report Blue Collar Racer Of The Year. All well deserved as Kaden Honeycutt proves time and time again that he is a true wheelman. Watching him and Spencer Davis battle it out for the 2024 Pro title has been one of the coolest things we’ve seen in racing. Truly an epic battle to the very end. The same can be said for the CARS Tour Late Model Stock battle between Connor Hall and Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen. Connor Hall proved once again that Nelson Motorsports is still a team at the top of their game, and when it comes to winning championships, you can never count them out. In another battle that went down to the wire, it was Brenden Queen coming out on top however as he and the Lee Pulliam Performance team fought off their early season woes with the never give up attitude of a group of champions, ultimately coming out on top down the stretch to win the 2024 CARS Tour Late Model Stock Championship.

It would take a bit of short sightedness not to see the night as the truly historic moment it truly was. Every driver I just mentioned has a bright future ahead of them with their full destiny in their hands. And to see them on top of their game on the grassroots level was a moment not to be forgotten. Watching Kaden Honeycutt, Conner Jones, Luke Baldwin, and Brenden Queen achieve such significant achievements at a track that was revived for such moments as these was nothing short of special. Not to mention getting a glimpse of Justin Bonsignore, one of touring Modifieds’ all time greatest drivers to do his magic… well, you’d have to be a dedicated true short track racing fan to understand I guess. And no, watching it all on TV and/or live stream is not the same. To be in person at such a significant moment…well again, only a true short track racing fan could understand the significance of that. It’s something I won’t ever forget. And so to me, in the middle of it all, there were some other true champions I’d like to mention. To the fans that stuck it out with us to the bitter end…I SALUTE YOU! It was a long day for sure, but putting all that history into one box…anyone that expected anything different were fooling themselves. It became one of the coldest nights of racing that anyone but a diehard would endure for sure as the night went long. But true fans know and nothing stops them from understanding and taking in the moment. And like the cheeseheads that pack Lambeau Field on any given football night in the winter can tell you, true fans don’t leave in the middle of greatness. And so to all of you fans at North Wilkesboro Speedway Saturday night that stayed until the last lap was ran, my hats off to you. You are our people. People that know the struggle it was to get North Wilkesboro back up and running again and what that truly means and people that don’t fall away in the midst of greatness. Until next time, as always, See You At The Track!

(Race write ups by Joshua Weatherman. Intro and My Take written by Billy Weatherman. Copyright 2024 SHORT TRACK REPORT)