What jetlag? Kaden Honeycutt goes from worst to first in the PLM Tour
Kaden Honeycutt arrived at Caraway Speedway a couple hours before the green flag having already earned Top 10s in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series West finales at Phoenix Raceway.
There was no noticeable fatigue from Honeycutt on track as he tackled both the CARS LMSC Tour and PLM Tour features in the North-South Shootout. Along with a solid sixth place run in the Late Model Stock, Honeycutt showcased his talent by driving from worst to first in the 100-lap PLM Tour race.
“That just showed how good the car was,” Honeycutt said of his PLM Tour win. “I’m very thankful of the opportunity from E33 Motorsports. They all did an excellent job working their tails off on this car. We needed a little bit more, but it didn’t matter because we still won.”
With Honeycutt being unable to practice his car on Friday due to his commitments in Phoenix, he was tasked with coming from 13th on the starting grid to the front, which he knew would be a challenge with how hot and slick Caraway’s surface was.
It only took Honeycutt 60 laps to accomplish that objective. Once he overtook Caden Kvapil for the lead, Honeycutt successfully managed what was left of his tires to hold the top spot and claim a checkered flag in his first PLM Tour appearance.
An exhausted Honeycutt reflected fondly on a weekend that also saw him grab the West Series owner’s championship and a career-best finish in the Truck Series. Honeycutt plans to regroup after Caraway mentally and physically but said the consistency from his grueling four-race stretch highlighted his versatility as a driver.
“I’m tired now,” Honeycutt said after the LMSC Tour race. “I’m going to go home, have a nice rest and come back in time for the South Carolina 400. This was a very successful weekend, we did what we needed to do by exceeding expectations in the Truck Series, winning the Pro Late Model race and almost getting a Top 5 in the hardest series in the country.”
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Sharing the championship stage with each other at Caraway Speedway was a major source of pride for the Kvapil brothers.
The two have gradually matured into some of the brightest prospects in the southeast by relying on one another and using their knowledge to best many other rookies and veterans in the CARS Tour. Now they enter the offseason on top of their respective division.
Caden said 2023 primarily served as a learning experience despite being so strong in the second half of the season. By becoming more familiar with his environment and how he needed to approach each event, Caden feels confident about his outlook in 2024 regardless of how his plans materialize.
“We learned a lot throughout the year,” Caden said. “The more seat time, the better for me. I learned a lot about the cars and how the tracks race from day to night. This season really helped me a lot as a driver and allowed me to help my crew. You have to be perfect in the CARS Tour and that’s really difficult to do.”
For Carson, he does not plan to celebrate his accomplishment for an extended period. Another challenging CARS LMSC Tour season is on the horizon, which only gives Carson motivation to keep making strides and bring another championship trophy home to the Kvapil household.
“The work never ends,” Carson said. “We’re running a few more races this season, so it’s right back to shop working, working, working.”
A brief winter awaits the Kvapils and the rest of the CARS Tour competitors as teams begin preparing for what is expected to be an eventful 2024 season. Details on the upcoming year, including the release of the 2024 schedule, will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information on the CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the 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 Twitter and scrolling through photos on Instagram cars_tour.
Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in
Mooresville, NC, at 704.662.9212.
LMSC Results:
- 03 Brenden Queen
- 6 Bobby McCarty
- 22 Landon Huffman
- 14 Jared Fryar
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
- 10 Kaden Honeycutt
- 21 Lanie Buice
- 2 Brandon Pierce
- 16 Chad McCumbee
- 59 Heath Causey
- 8 Carson Kvapil
- 77W Trevor Ward
- 77 Connor Hall
- 7W Dylan Ward
- 75B Coy Beard -1
- 1 Andrew Grady -1
- 95 Jacob Heafner -1
- 4 Dylon Wilson -1
- 15 Ryan Millington -1
- 8B Chase Burrow -1
- 67 Cameron Bolin -2
- 15C Logan Clark -2
- 24 Mason Diaz -10
- 32 Zack Miracle – OUT
- 81 Mini Tyrrell – OUT
PLM Results:
- 51 Kaden Honeycutt
- 96 Caden Kvapil
- 28 Jimmy Renfrew Jr.
- 13 Austin MacDonald
- 6 George Phillips
- 15B Aiden King
- 77 Logan Jones -1
- 55 Charlie Keeven -1
- 44L Michael Lichtfeld -1
- 7CT Cory Casagrande – OUT
- 8 Rusty Skewes – OUT
- 43H Joshua Horniman – OUT
- 9 Ashton Higgins – OUT
Note: Results are unofficial
-CARS Tour Press Release
