Monahan, Jones Win CARS Tour Races on Hot Sunday at Tri-County

Brody Monahan scored the victory in the Pro Late Model feature, capitalizing on a physical battle between Conner Jones and T.J. DeCaire.

Jones and DeCaire spent the better part of 30 laps swapping the lead back and forth, trading paint multiple times over the course of the duel. As they battled, Brody Monahan closed the gap, taking the lead on lap 80 of the 100-lap feature.

Even after Monahan passed by Jones and DeCaire continued to battle physically, with Jones ultimately finishing second and DeCaire holding on for third ahead of Mason Walters.

Monahan admitted he probably didn't have the car to win Sunday's Pro Late Model race, but put himself in position to score the victory as tensions escalated around him.

"Me and my spotter, we were talking about it the whole time," said Monahan in victory lane on FloRacing. "We were catching them racing really hard. We were just really struggling for drive off, I felt like, today. Those guys were working each other hard and gave us the opportunity to slide in there, take the lead and get away with it.

"I didn't feel like we were as good as we needed to be to win, to be quite honest. The track changes, weather plays a factor. We were good enough to be there."

While Monahan and his team began to celebrate their win, Jones, DeCaire and their respective crews exchanged words on the frontstretch. Jones expressed his frustration in his post-race interview on the FloRacing broadcast.

"I felt like I raced him pretty clean on the top. I felt like every time he got under me, he just drove into my door, so I just got tired of it, you know? Enough's enough, at some point. He does that to me about every race. Then his team wanted to come over here and yell at me and call me racial slurs, so I don't know that I'm gonna do much with that.

"The CGR group brought me a really good car, and I'm excited to go on to the next one."

As for DeCaire, he eschewed further comment on the conflict between himself and Jones.

"I feel like we had one of the best race cars all weekend. Cody Glick, A.J. Frank and Mikey Kile did a great job preparing this car all weekend. Earnest Performance, everybody, Race City Steel did a great job. It's good to be out on the racetrack again. Early in the season, I didn't really know if I'd be back in a CARS Tour race ever again. I'm really grateful to be here. I'm just looking forward to the next one.

"I feel like we had the car to win. It just didn't shake out like we wanted it to. We're on to the next one."

Mason Walters finished fourth, with Evan McKnight rounding out the top five.

After the disappointment in the Pro Late Model feature, Jones rebounded by winning the 125-lap Late Model Stock feature. Jones held off Caden Kvapil and Treyten Lapcevich throughout the race and fended off a late charge by Carson Loftin for the victory.

"It's fun," said Jones after the win. "Caden had a really good clean race there. He wouild get under me. I just felt like my car was a little better on top at certain points of the race than it was on the bottom. I was moving around, trying to find whatever was fast.

"It means a lot. We've struggled a little bit in the past couple of races. Not been able to get the finishes we wanted, struggled in the points."

With qualifying rained out on Saturday before the CARS Tour event was moved to Sunday, the fields for both races were set by owners' points. This led to Loftin starting in 11th and putting him on the charge throughout the race.

Coming off a win with the series at Anderson Motor Speedway, Loftin came up just short in his rally to the front.

"I really didn't know what we had without qualifying. I feel like, if we qualified, it could have been a different story. We were turning really good. I could get the bottom working there. Man, just one more lap, I could have had him. I didn't want to wreck him or rough him up or anything like that, because I was too far back.

"I'm super thankful for all these guys. I've been a little under the weather the past couple of days. They stuck behind me. We've had a really good car all weekend long."

Kvapil held on for a third-place finish. While a good points day was helpful in his pursuit of the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock championship, his sights were set on a win.

"When you're that close, racing for the win, you're kind of just going for the win at that point. It was a really good race between me, Conner and Treyten. They all raced me super clean, so thanks to them for that. It was a pretty good show.

"We struggled with the car all race. We started too free in and off. We got passed, and I think that ultimately hurt us. If we were able to stay out front on the restarts and control it, I think we'd have a better shot at winning it."

Chase Burrow finished fourth, with Mini Tyrrell rounding out the top five. A flat tire late derailed Lapcevich's shot at a strong finish, ultimately placing him 17th.

The next race for the zMAX CARS Tour is scheduled for October 3 at Newport Speedway.

-Photo credit: CARS Tour

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