Previewing the zMAX CARS Tour Throwback Classic at Hickory

One of the zMAX CARS Tour’s most-cherished traditions, the prestigious Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway, carries additional significance for its eighth edition.

Late Model Stock and Pro Late Model competitors are set to contest not only two of the highest-paying events in CARS Tour history, but two of the biggest payouts in their respective disciplines. A total of $50,000 awaits the winner of the Late Model Stock feature, while the Pro Late Model victor will receive $30,000.

The momentous occasion for both the CARS Tour and short track racing in the southeast comes amidst the backdrop of an event where motorsports history is honored. Dozens of drivers in the CARS LMSC and PLM Tour are bringing special paint schemes to Hickory on Saturday that pay tribute to a legend of their choice.

With such massive paydays on the line this weekend, both entry lists for the Throwback Classic are comprised with competitors from all around the country. All of them are seeking an opportunity at history, which is to make their own mark on the Throwback Classic and take home a potentially life-changing paycheck.

Track Facts:

Track: Hickory Motor Speedway
Location: Hickory, North Carolina
Length: .363 mile
Laps: 125 (LMSC) / 100 (PLM)
CARS LMSC Tour races: 21
CARS PLM Tour races: 7
Hickory LMSC winners: Josh Berry (4), Bobby McCarty (3), Anthony Alfredo (2), Brayton Haws (1), Deac McCaskill (1), Justin Carroll (1), Taylor Gray (1), Ryan Repko (1), Corey Heim (1), Chad McCumbee (1), Connor Hall (1), Carson Kvapil (1), Mason Diaz (1), Connor Zilisch (1), Ronnie Bassett Jr. (1)
Hickory PLM winners: William Sawalich (2), Mike Hopkins (1), Cole Butcher (1), Kyle Campbell (1), Jimmy Renfrew Jr. (1), Keelan Harvick (1)

Throwback Classic schedule

LMSC Entry List (40 cars): #X Thomas Beane, #00 Chase Burrow, #03 Lanie Buice, #05 Mason Bailey, #08 Deac McCaskill, #2 Layne Riggs, #2P Brandon Pierce, #2W Ryan Wilson, #2B Sam Butler, #2E Parker Eatmon, #3 Doug Barnes Jr., #4 Donovan Strauss, #5 Aiden King, #5J Chase Janes, #7 Tristan McKee, #8 Caden Kvapil, #12 Trevor Ward, #14 Jared Fryar, #15 Ryan Millington, #16 Chad McCumbee, #16S Vicente Salas, #17 Blayne Harrison, #17H Kaden Honeycutt, #19 Kade Brown, #22 Carson Loftin, #25 Graham Hollar, #28 Landon S. Huffman, #31 Brody Monahan, #32 Jordan McGregor, #39 Landon Huffman, #41 Mason Diaz, #44 Ronnie Bassett Jr., #44J Conner Jones, #66 Zack Wells, #71 Jake Bollman, #81 Mini Tyrrell, #88 Connor Hall, #95 Michael Bumgarner, #97 Landen Lewis, #98 Treyten Lapcevich

PLM Entry List (27 cars): #1X Brandon Lopez, #6 Ben Maier, #7 Tristan McKee, #7C Justin Crider, #7S Seth Christensen, #11 Dylan Cappello, #15 Sheflon Clay, #15D Rodney Dowless, #17 Dawson Sutton, #21 Mason Diaz, #24 Brody Gunter, #32 Caden Kvapil, #32 Keelan Harvick, #35 Cameron Clifford, #43 Nick Loden, #44 Conner Jones, #47 Kaden Honeycutt, #49 Jeff Batten, #51 Luke Baldwin, #54 T.J. DeCaire, #61 Austin MacDonald, #62 Casey Roderick, #71 Katie Hettinger, #76 Isaac Kitzmiller, #92 Jace Hale, #96 Spencer Davis, #97 Dylan Garner

LMSC Standings:

1. Connor Hall
2. Landen Lewis -6
3. Kade Brown -22
4. Ronnie Bassett Jr. -42
5. Mini Tyrrell -44
6. Landon Huffman -46
7. Doug Barnes Jr. -54
8. Donovan Strauss -55
9. Carson Loftin -72
10. Conner Jones -73

PLM Standings:

1. Ben Maier
2. Keelan Harvick -6
3. Brandon Lopez -16
4. Dylan Garner -25
5. Rodney Dowless -26
6. Isaac Kitzmiller -68
7. Brody Monahan -88
8. Tristan McKee -93
9. Jade Avedisian -95
10. Tyler Reif -121

Ronnie Bassett Jr. bringing back his father’s blue No. 44

One year after securing his maiden CARS LMSC Tour checkered flag, Ronnie Bassett Jr. returns to the Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway with a family-oriented tribute scheme.

The veteran Late Model Stock competitor is honoring his father Ronnie Bassett Sr., who competed in several different divisions at Bowman Gray Stadium. Bassett enjoyed watching Ronnie Sr. find success in his dark blue No. 44 during his childhood and is thrilled to bring the scheme back as he chases his second win on Saturday.

“My dad didn’t grow up around racing,” Bassett said. “He actually got into it on the sponsorship side and decided to start racing himself. My dad has meant a lot to me throughout my racing career. He got me into racing, so it’s cool to throw something back to him and relive some of the stuff he did back in the 2000s.”

Bassett triumphed in last year’s Throwback Classic piloting a throwback that honored Dee Campbell. After running in third on the last lap, Bassett inherited the victory after Ryan Millington was penalized for spinning Connor Hall coming to the checkered flag.

The moment was cathartic for Bassett, who had been transitioning back into Late Model Stocks after spending several years pursuing NASCAR. Bassett failed to qualify at Dominion Raceway a couple of races beforehand, so he considered it a blessing to rebound from the disappointment with a checkered flag in hand.

Since then, Bassett has only made more strides with his program and currently sits fourth in the LMSC Tour standings with three top fives on the year. With how much speed has been prevalent in his car, Bassett is confident he can carry Ronnie Sr.’s old scheme back to Victory Lane and bag a record payout.

“$50,000 for our program could go a long way,” Bassett said. “That keeps the car on the race track. We all race hard for $7,000-$10,000 pretty much every other week, so I think the fans are going to be in for a barnburner. Being consistent and making sure you have a car that can run a set pace all night long will be important.”

Thomas Beane utilizing Pete Silva’s ‘X’ scheme at Hickory

Of all the drivers entered between the CARS LMSC and PLM Tour in the Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway, Thomas Beane is the only one who will have a letter on his door instead of a number.

The reason behind that choice stems from the driver Beane is honoring this weekend in Pete Silva, who has track championships at Hickory and Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Beane has always admired what Silva accomplished as a driver and wanted to recognize that success by wrapping his car with Silva’s ‘X’ Busch Beer scheme.

“We know Pete and he’s kind of a legend around here,” Beane said. “[We have the No. 01] and Pete was No. 01 for a while, but then we decided to go with the coolest paint scheme he ever had and we picked [the blue Busch car]. Hopefully everyone likes it.”

A native of Waterville, Maine, Silva established himself as an efficient, hard-working competitor in the northeast and southeast during the 1980s. Silva participated in the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series season and continued racing at short tracks until he stepped away from active competition in the mid-2000s.

Beane hopes to do Silva’s iconic scheme justice in the Throwback Classic but understands it will be a tall task just to qualify for the Late Model Stock feature. A sixth place run in Hickory’s Jack Ingram Memorial on July 19 helped Beane ascertain what he needed to craft an ideal setup for Saturday with what is still a new car in his shop.

As a Hickory regular, Beane believes the Throwback Classic has the potential to be one of the most prestigious weekends in the track’s recent history, especially with the accompanying race-winning paychecks. For Beane, the opportunity to claim $50,000 in front of Silva and a packed local crowd starts with being flawless in qualifying.

“We all know Late Model Stock racing is pretty close nowadays,” Beane said. “It’s going to come down to running a perfect lap. The track is going to change throughout qualifying, so hopefully we put down a good lap and not have to run a last chance race. Maybe Pete [Silva] and I can be standing in Victory Lane at the end of the night.”

Isaac Kitzmiller throws back to Bubba Wallace’s short track roots

Among those celebrating Bubba Wallace’s victory in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday was Isaac Kitzmiller.

It is only fitting that Kitzmiller heads to Hickory for this weekend’s Throwback Classic with a scheme that honors Wallace’s time in Late Model Stocks. Wallace has helped guide Kitzmiller throughout his busy 2025 season and wanted to showcase his appreciation towards the NASCAR Cup Series veteran.

“I’ve gotten to know Bubba [Wallace] and he’s been super nice to me,” Kitzmiller said. “He had a really good personality and I liked him, so when I started running the bigger tracks like Dover [Motor Speedway] and [Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park], he helped me out and gave me tips on what to expect at those types of tracks.”

Kitzmiller is utilizing the No. 76 that Wallace carried when he competed in the UARA STARS Late Model Series and select marquee events in the discipline. Wallace picked up his lone UARA checkered flag at Caraway Speedway in 2008 before eventually embarking on a successful career in NASCAR.

Every interaction Kitzmiller shares with Wallace has been pivotal towards finding a comfort zone as he continues his transition into full-bodied stock cars. Along with possessing two CARS PLM Tour top fives, Kitzmiller also currently leads the ARCA Menards Series East standings, a division where Wallace has won six times.

The 2025 season has seen Kitzmiller endure plenty of positives and negatives, but he feels he is inching closer to his maiden PLM Tour victory with Rackley W.A.R. Doing so Saturday in the $30,000-to-win Throwback Classic with one of Wallace’s earliest paint schemes would carry plenty of sentimental value for Kitzmiller.

“It’s going to be a really good race and there will be a lot of competition,” Kitzmiller said. “The track is more racy now than it’s every been. With all the work I’ve put into my racing career, it’d mean a lot to win that $30,000.”

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A busy docket for the Throwback Classic begins Friday evening with qualifying for both the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model Tour. The Late Model Stock field will be set by a 20-lap qualifying race. Racing begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with the CARS PLM Tour feature that will be immediately followed by the CARS LMSC Tour race.

FloRacing has live coverage of all the on-track action, which will see CARS LMSC Tour drivers pursue $50,000 and CARS PLM Tour competitors chase $30,000.

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 cars_tour.

Additional series information can be obtaihined by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC, at 704-662-9212.

-zMAX CARS Tour Press Release
-Photo credit: Will Bellamy