Connor Hall, Jade Avedisian Take CARS Tour ’25 Opener Wins At New River All American Speedway
Story By: CARS TOUR – JACKSONVILLE, NC – JR Motorsports has grown accustomed to starting each zMAX CARS Tour season in Cook Out Victory Lane.
Two of the last three season-openers featured Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s iconic No. 8 taking home the checkered flag. Carson Kvapil was the driver on both occasions, but Saturday’s opening race for the CARS LMSC Tour required JR Motorsports to keep the status quo in place at the third different venue with a new driver.
Connor Hall faced minimal issues in helping JR Motorsports continue setting that efficient benchmark in Saturday’s National Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram 225 at New River All American Speedway. A near-flawless performance from Hall enabled him to prevail in his debut LMSC Tour race with the storied organization.
Joining Hall in Cook Out Victory Lane was Jade Avedisian, who made history as the first woman to win a CARS Tour event since the series’ inception back in 2015. Avedisian achieved the historic milestone after the original CARS PLM Tour winner T.J. DeCaire was disqualified due to an infraction in post-race inspection.
Connor Hall cements himself as early LMSC Tour title favorite
New River All American Speedway was the site of Connor Hall’s first CARS LMSC Tour triumph back in 2022.
A lot has transpired for Hall since that maiden victory, but he found himself back in New River’s Victory Lane on Saturday, this time piloting a JR Motorsports car. The closing laps of the race created some apprehension for Hall, but he was more than thrilled to kick off a potential championship run on a perfect note.
“I would have liked to see it go green,” Hall said. “I knew Bobby [McCarty] had a real good short run car, but I didn’t know what those guys [behind me] were going to do. The racing on the tour this year is a whole different ballgame as far as the respect level, but I’m just pumped and I’m excited to get the year going with these guys.”
Hall already had a victory with JR Motorsports on his resume prior to making the trip to New River. He made his debut with the organization during the Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway last November, where he fended off Landon S. Huffman in a thrilling battle to the checkered flag.
Saturday was slightly more procedural for Hall, who had to be conservative with his tires while simultaneously maintaining soldi track position from the pole. Despite facing challenges from Bobby McCarty, Kade Brown and others, Hall’s composure never wavered, even when he was required to hold his advantage on a late restart.
With how delicate tire conservation can be at abrasive tracks like New River, Hall knew his car would have to be perfect to stay in contention all evening. If he and JR Motorsports can continue putting together strong outings just like they did on Saturday, Hall believes the LMSC Tour championship will run through them.
“After what I saw in the [PLM Tour] race, I thought track position here was so crucial,” Hall said. “The exit of the corners are so sharp that the guy on top can pinch the guy on the bottom down so bad, but I can’t say enough about this car. There’s a lot more that goes into this program than people realize and I’m thankful to be a small part of it.”
Bobby McCarty finishes second in debut outing with his own team
The offseason served as a fresh start for Bobby McCarty, who departed R&S Race Cars to focus on building his own Late Model Stock operation, McCarty Motorsports.
New River proved to be a stellar first showing for McCarty’s new team, as the three-time CARS LMSC Tour champion placed runner-up to Connor Hall after leading several laps. McCarty was unsure of what to expect before the green flag waved, but Saturday provided him plenty of optimism about his team’s trajectory.
“Give me a few more races,” McCarty said. “When we walked through the gate this morning, my first thought was to not go a lap down. That was my biggest concern for the day, but the race got going and I thought we were pretty good. I thought I had it, but it trended free on exit and that’s where Connor [Hall] was beating me at.”
Having been full-time with the LMSC Tour since 2018, McCarty has always held himself to a high standard on the track. With only two victories on his resume the past three years, McCarty was motivated to take a more hands-on approach to racing with the limited resources at his disposal.
One of those triumphs came at New River last year, which occurred after he passed reigning LMSC Tour champion Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen with 29 laps to go. McCarty felt New River would be an ideal starting point for his team, but he expected some challenges going up against seasoned operations like R&S and JR Motorsports.
The evening unfolded about as perfectly as McCarty could have expected, who was in mild disbelief over his runner-up showing. Being both an owner and driver for a small team is not an easy job for McCarty, but he said his performance at New River was indicative of the commitment he is going to show across a part-time LMSC Tour schedule.
“I hope this is a sign of what’s to come,” McCarty said. “We qualified third in this deal and to run second is pretty cool for me. Everybody knows what it takes to run this deal. I had some funding, but not a tun. I know we didn’t win, but with what we’re working with, this feels like a win to me.”
Jade Avedisian makes history after T.J. DeCaire’s disqualification
Saturday’s CARS PLM Tour opener at New River All American Speedway saw Jade Avedisian cement herself into the series record books, albeit in an unorthodox manner.
T.J. DeCaire’s infraction in post-race inspection allowed Avedisian to inherit the victory, making her the first woman to win a CARS Tour-sanctioned event. The moment carried plenty of emotions for Avedisian, who was primarily satisfied to see her hard work with Donnie Wilson Motorsports pay off with a checkered flag.
“I wanted to cross the finish line first, but a win is a win, and we’ll take it,” Avedisian said. “We’ll keep our head down, keep going and see how many more we can get.”
The past few years have seen Avedisian develop a reputation as a standout dirt track racing prospect. Among her achievements include qualifying for the Chili Bowl Nationals in her first attempt, ultimately finishing 18th in the A-Main.
Avedisian’s transition from dirt tracks to pavement has been seamless. In only her second Pro Late Model appearance, Avedisian found her way to Victory Lane at Hickory Motor Speedway, which provided her some momentum as she focused on a busy 2025 that included starts in the PLM Tour.
Running a Pro Late Model in the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway provided Avedisian a preview of what to expect on Saturday evening. Even though it only took her one race to become a PLM Tour winner, Avedisian wants to keep learning so she can be prepared to contend for more victories throughout the year.
“We logged our laps [at New Smyrna], now it’s time to deliver,” Avedisian said. “I’m still learning, but I feel like I have a great group of guys behind me and great partners with everyone at Toyota believing in me. I just want to win, but I’m going to stay hungry and do the best I can.”
Following an eventful opening race at New River All American Speedway, CARS LMSC Tour competitors will get nearly a month to prepare for their next outing at Wake County Speedway on March 29. The next time PLM Tour drivers hit the track will be when both divisions make their inaugural trip to Cordele Motor Speedway on April 12.
LMSC Results:
- 88 Connor Hall
- 6 Bobby McCarty
- 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
- 22 Carson Loftin
- 15 Ryan Millington
- 8 Caden Kvapil
- 88B Doug Barnes Jr.
- 4 Kade Brown
- 4S Donovan Strauss
- 03 Lanie Buice
- 29 Landen Lewis
- 11 Buddy Isles Jr.
- 08H Carson Haislip
- 4E Parker Eatmon
- 57 Landon Huffman
- 47M Ryley Music
- 1 Andrew Grady
- 7 Tristan McKee
- 16 Chad McCumbee -1
- 08 Deac McCaskill -1
- 81 Mini Tyrrell -1
- 17 Kaden Honeycutt – OUT
- 1J Clay Jones – OUT
- 41 Mason Diaz – OUT
- 2 Brandon Pierce – OUT
- 47 Bryce Applegate – OUT
- 71B Jake Bollman – OUT
- 18 Max Reaves – OUT
- 14 Jared Fryar – OUT
- 44 Conner Jones – OUT
PLM Results:
- 24 Jade Avedisian
- 7 Tristan McKee
- 25 Isaac Kitzmiller
- 6M Ben Maier
- 47 Tyler Reif
- 97 Dylan Garner
- 15 Rodney Dowless
- 6 Brandon Lopez
- 44 Logan Jones
- 31 Brody Monahan
- 94 Garrett Hall
- 43 Joshua Horniman – OUT
- 51 Mason Maggio – OUT
- 54 T.J. DeCaire — DQ
