A Look at the CARS Tour Class of 2024

The start of the 2024 zMAX CARS Tour pro late model season is just days away, with the Pro Late Models set to begin their season at Southern National Motorsports Park on March 2, before the late model stock cars take center stage a week later on March 7. 

While the pro late model season is set to be outstanding in its own right, the late model stock cars Class of ‘24 is the most competitive the series has ever seen on paper, with a mix of series veterans and newcomers alike.

With new title sponsor zMAX and the new ownership group now in its second year, the series is at the dawn of a new era, potentially with its best season yet on the horizon. 

Here’s everything you need to know about the late model stock car class of ‘24, and the outlook for the season as it’s set to begin in just over a week’s time. 

The Title Favorites

One season ago, the chase for the 2023 title came down to just five points between eventual champion Carson Kvapil and runner-up Brenden Queen, as Kvapil ultimately walked away with his second consecutive series championship. With the stacked full-time field heading into 2024, these two should remain the title favorites until someone else proves otherwise. 

For Kvapil, being the two-time reigning champ speaks for itself, and that’s just the start of Kvapil’s list of accomplishments of the course of his time with JR Motorsports. It’s no secret the JRM No. 8 is top of the line equipment, but it takes a wheelman to make sure said equipment still ends up in victory lane often, and Kvapil has done just that. 

With four wins in 2022 followed by five in 2023, nobody has found victory lane more than Kvapil and the No. 8 team over the past few years. In fact, the team even started off its 2024 with a win, winning the annual Ice Breaker event at Florence Motor Speedway against a full field of late model stock competition in February. 

The only knock on Kvapil to this point is that he’s already guaranteed to miss at least one race in 2024. It was recently announced that Kvapil would make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Martinsville Speedway in April, a race that conflicts with the CARS Tour event at Hickory — a race Kvapil won last year. This isn’t a first for Kvapil. His 2022 championship campaign included a one-race absence due to suspension, so it’s a challenge that is entirely possible to overcome, although it does create an opportunity for the rest of the field. 

The…