The Cook Out 225 at Florence Motor Speedway was more than just a race; it was a chance to secure a prime starting position for the prestigious South Carolina 400 in November. The winner, Ryan Millington, was the victor who will be starting the South Carolina 400 from the front. This is part of a tradition that began at Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1993 and has been carried on by Florence since 2020.

The CARS Tour race attracted the top talent, including Late Model Stock competitors from the southeast and NASCAR legends like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick. The co-owners of the series went up against the best drivers in the CARS Tours. Also in the lineup was another NASCAR driver, Rajah Caruth, who found it very challenging to keep up with the series regulars.

Rajah Caruth says CARS Tour is tougher than the Trucks Series

The NASCAR Cup Series is entering its final race of the regular season at Darlington. The Cook Out Southern 500 weekend was preceded by the Cook Out 225 at nearby Florence Motor Speedway. And what a way to kick off the weekend. The CARS Tour event saw two new drivers emerge as winners in the 2024 season. While Ryan Millington took the Late Model Stock Victory, Spencer Davis, too, claimed the Pro Late Model checkered flag. The only difference between the two is the number of laps, while LMSC has 125, PLM has 100.

Millington has been close to victory. Who can forget the violent Hickory race, which clearly showed Millington’s desperation? With just a few laps remaining, Ryan Millington spun Connor Hall, when Hall took a last-minute lead over him. The incident led to Millington receiving a black flag, disqualifying him from the race. As a result, Ronnie Bassett Jr., who was running in third, was awarded the victory. The current one was also a close battle, but here Millington was successful in keeping the lead over Brenden Queen in P2 and Matt Cox in P3.

Also present in the race was Dale Jr, making his second appearance in a CARS Tour event. Regardless, the veteran managed a P10 finish. On the other hand, Harvick raced in the Pro Late Model event and came in 8th. While veterans struggled, it is understandable why Bubba Wallace’s mentee, Rajah Caruth, was calling the race tougher than the NASCAR Truck Series. Caruth was in Jr.’s race and came in the 20th position. Completely exhausted after the 125 laps, Caruth had to sit down in the middle of his post-race interview to talk about his experience. Smiling through the pain; he said, “These guys kicked my B-tt, I wouldn’t lie to you!” Well, he indeed wasn’t lying. After all, he went against the best of the best!

When asked if Late Model racing is tougher than the NASCAR Truck Series? He was quick to reply, “One hundred percent! Hell yeah! Just lighter cars with different brakes. I run with stiff brakes in my truck. It’s way different (in Late Models). These guys are really good.” Caruth is one of the Truck Series’ most consistent drivers, which is also a challenging series.

He was a bit disappointed with his performance and thought he could have done better. When asked about if he’ll be running more races, Caruth’s answer was more or less a ‘no’. Answering the question, he said, “All the racing is not cheap.” Meanwhile, even Dale Earnhardt Jr. drew comparisons between the level of competitiveness in the CARS Tour and that of NASCAR.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says CARS Tour is just as tough

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Jr. is not just saying this because he owns the series and wants to boast about it! But because he was literally in it and had a first-hand experience of the competitiveness running against Millington, Connor Hall, and Brendon Queen. The two-time Xfinity Series champion and multiple-time Cup Series winner came in 10th. So it is proof enough of how tough it really is. Jr. took to X to share his thoughts. He wrote, “The competition in the @CARSTour is as tough as anywhere in oval racing.” The credit majorly goes to Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, and all the other co-owners.

As is typical at Florence Motor Speedway, the race was heavily influenced by strategic decisions and careful tire conservation. For the race, the tires were changed last moment. According to Dale Jr, that is what the drivers wanted, and he further expanded on how the Tour belongs to the ones racing in it. And they have an equal say in all things. Reiterating this, he said, “Our drivers are eager to be a part of that conversation. They’ve helped, some tires got brought this weekend. Some of our competitors went out and ran on yesterday to try to get some more answers and find some solutions. But in the end, we’re going to go the direction that our competitors are most confident in because they’re the Tour. This series belongs to the racers and the teams,”

Perhaps this is the reason the CARS Tour is becoming so competitive and more and more popular. Did you watch the race? Let us know what you feel about it in the comments below.