The zMAX CARS Tour heads to Florence Motor Speedway this weekend for the Cook Out 225, and the Labor Day weekend event is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated short-track races of the 2026 season.
With the NASCAR Cup Series racing at nearby Darlington Raceway, Florence has attracted a loaded field that features several of the sport’s biggest rising stars — along with some major NASCAR names looking to add another late-model victory to their resumes.
The action gets underway Friday, September 4, at Florence Motor Speedway in Timmonsville, South Carolina. The Pro Late Model feature is scheduled for 100 laps at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the 125-lap Late Model Stock Car feature at 8:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying begins at 5 p.m. and the entire event will be streamed live on FloRacing.
A Star-Studded Late Model Stock Field
The biggest storyline entering the weekend is the collection of NASCAR talent joining the CARS Tour field.
Shane van Gisbergen will make his CARS Tour debut behind the wheel of the No. 51 Red Bull-backed Hettinger Racing Chevrolet. The Trackhouse Racing Cup Series driver has experience racing virtually everything from Supercars to stock cars, but Florence will provide a new challenge in a CARS Tour Late Model Stock.
Joining him will be Connor Zilisch, who returns to CARS Tour competition in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Zilisch previously made 14 CARS Tour starts across the 2023 and 2024 seasons and scored a victory at Hickory Motor Speedway.
The regular CARS Tour contenders won’t be giving the NASCAR stars an easy night, either.
Caden Kvapil enters Florence leading the Late Model Stock championship standings, holding a 21-point advantage over Treyten Lapcevich and a 38-point lead over Conner Jones. Chad McCumbee and Chase Burrow round out the current top five.
With the championship battle tightening, Florence could be a pivotal race for the title contenders.
Florence Is a Driver’s Track
Florence Motor Speedway is only a 0.400-mile oval, but its abrasive surface makes the track much more difficult than its size might suggest.
Tire management will be one of the biggest factors of the night. The CARS Tour notes that drivers must save their tires during the opening stages because of the amount of wear generated by the surface. That puts a premium on patience, consistency and knowing when to attack.
The track has hosted five previous CARS Tour Late Model Stock races, with Nolan Pope, Kaden Honeycutt, Carson Kvapil, Ryan Millington and Landen Lewis each earning one victory.
That history makes Florence particularly intriguing because there isn’t one driver who has completely dominated the venue.
Don’t Count Out the Local Drivers
One of the most interesting storylines will be the Kelley brothers.
Casey and Cody Kelley grew up racing at Florence and have accumulated countless laps around their home track. Cody already has a CARS Tour pole at Florence, while Casey captured the track’s Late Model Stock championship in 2024.
Both drivers know that home-track knowledge could be critical when the tires begin to fall off late in the race.
For Cody, a victory would be especially meaningful.
“Being at home at Florence, the big stage [of] the CARS Tour, everybody’s watching,” Cody said.
The Kelleys will have to contend with some of the best Late Model Stock teams in the country, but Florence could give them the opportunity to surprise the established CARS Tour regulars.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Returns to the Spotlight
The Pro Late Model division will have its own major attraction as Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his CARS Tour Pro Late Model debut.
Earnhardt Jr. will pilot the No. 23 GMS Race Cars machine in the 100-lap Pro Late Model feature.
The Pro Late Model championship battle is also worth watching, with Mason Walters leading the standings by 10 points over Conner Jones and 17 over Brody Monahan. Kaden Honeycutt sits fifth, 39 points behind Walters.
The division also features several other notable names, including Treyten Lapcevich, Kaden Honeycutt, Brody Monahan and Bayley Currey.
A Major Weekend for Short-Track Racing
Florence comes at an ideal time on the racing calendar.
With NASCAR’s stars gathered just down the road at Darlington, the CARS Tour gets a chance to showcase why short-track racing remains such an important part of the stock-car racing ladder.
The Cook Out 225 has everything you’d want from a CARS Tour event: a championship battle, talented young drivers, experienced short-track racers, local favorites and NASCAR stars stepping into unfamiliar equipment.
And with the abrasive Florence surface likely to make tire management a deciding factor, the driver who is able to remain patient early and capitalize late could be the one celebrating under the lights.
The Cook Out 225 takes place Friday night at Florence Motor Speedway, with Pro Late Models at 7 p.m. ET and Late Model Stocks at 8:30 p.m. ET.
For a race featuring this much talent, Florence is set to deliver a must-watch night of short-track racing.