What to Expect From CARS Tour Championship Weekend

It’s time to crown some champions.

Back in March, the zMAX CARS Tour kicked off a new era of racing at Southern National Motorsports Park. There were new owners, a new title sponsor and so much more.

Seven months and 16 races across three states later, the series is ready to settle a title fight at racing’s field of dreams – North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Both championship battles are separated by less than 10 points, headlined by the culmination of Connor Hall and Brenden Queen‘s season-long war over the Late Model Stock title.

Championships will be won while others turn the page to new chapters of their careers,. Two lucky drivers will ride the lift gate to North Wilkesboro victory lane.

Here’s everything you should know heading into the CARS Tour’s championship weekend.

Hall vs. Butterbean, Round 17

After a back-and-forth heavyweight battle throughout the season, Queen and Hall’s legendary championship battle will come to a close on Saturday night. Queen leads Hall by nine points heading into North Wilkesboro, with all the momentum leaning in Butterbean’s favor.

Hall started the season on a tear, storming to the points lead and seeming to be the car to beat through the early summer stretch. The Virginian and his Nelson Motorsports team started the season with eight top-10 finishes through the first 10 races of the season.

But everything seemed to fall apart after a crash at North Wilkesboro in August. Starting with that night, Hall has had an average finish of 9.6 in his last six races, down from 5.3 in the first 10.

Nothing has seemingly gone right for Hall and the No. 22 team lately, leaving the group facing an uphill battle to claim the title this weekend.

On the opposite side of the fight, Butterbean and the No. 03 team have done everything but find victory lane down the stretch, finally reclaiming the points lead from Hall at Tri-County Speedway this past Saturday.

Queen started the season off comparatively rocky, holding an average finish of 9.6 through the first nine races, albeit with two wins. In complete feast or famine fashion, Queen had four top-two finishes and five finishes outside the top 10 during this stretch.

But since a DNF at Caraway in July, Queen has flipped the switch. He has seven-straight top fives and an average finish of 3.8, helping him erase a championship gap to the struggling Hall and emerge with the points lead heading into the finale.

All the momentum has…