Hello and Happy Monday!

This weekend marked the first three nights of action at the 60th annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway. Two Super Late Model races and two Pro Late Model features got in, with the Super shows being a little calmer than the Pro races. The results and some story links make up the bulk of the content for this Monday Digest.

Gabe Sommers kicked off the festivities Friday with his first New Smyrna triumph, in the Wisconsin star's 29th career feature at Speedweeks dating back to 2018 (inset photo from Bruce Nuttleman/ Ultimate Lap Photo). The next night brought another first-time Speedweeks winner in Jade Avedisian, whom Donnie Wilson Motorsports brought up from Pro cars this off-season.

The crate-engine class hit its time limit on opening night and again yesterday evening. Cole Robie wound up on top Friday for his first Speedweeks win; his first go-round in Florida was last year. Last night Raphael Lessard scored the victory; he had a trouble-ridden Speedweeks in 2025, and his only other February visit to New Smyrna was in 2016.

Saturday also found winners in Keelan Harvick at Florence, S.C., and Jeff Peterson at Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Neither of whom is a surprise. Scroll down to find the results, story links and a few photos.

We're also leaving the 2025 rookie of the year list in one more time, for two reasons. First, the info on one such newcomer honor didn't get to us until the end of last week. And more importantly, there will be a few more rookie profiles in this week's Friday Features, along with one close-up from Florence.

Since each major Late Model race from the weekend has links available, we will not have a Wednesday Winners release this week. We hope you'll find the one-day wait worth it, because we'll have a Thursday Throwback on the anniversary of a notable win from New Smyrna.

To continue seeing LMD releases (other than the Monday Digest) in your email box after this week, you'll need to subscribe at a cost of $30 per year. The cost winds up being about 27-28 cents per release. And once you subscribe, we encourage suggestions from subscribers on topics for Thursday Throwback and Friday Features articles (Wednesday Winners subjects are more obvious).

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Above: Cory Hall (83) heads down pit road with a mechanical problem after leading early in the Super Late Model opener at Florida Speedweeks. (image from FloRacing)

From the same night, midrace leader Derek Kraus (9) had a flat tire take him out of contention and led him to skip the next night’s race. (Bruce Nuttleman/ Ultimate Lap Photo)



—WORLD SERIES OF ASPHALT STOCK CAR RACING

—SUPER LATE MODELS

—New Smyrna Speedway, Samsula, Fla.

February 6: 1. Gabe Sommers; 2. Spencer Davis; 3. Max Reaves; 4. Kyle Steckly; 5. Michael Hinde; 6. Ryan Preece; 7. Jade Avedisian; 8. Conner Jones; 9. Nicholas Naugle; 10. Brandon Lopez; 11. Derek Griffith; 12. George Phillips; 13. Anthony Bello; 14. Hunter Wright; 15. Matt Craig; 16. Isaac Kitzmiller; 17. Will Robinson; 18. Derrick Kelley; 19. Kole Raz; 20. Jeff Brown; 21. Brad May; 22. Billy Braun; 23. Kyle Benjamin; 24. Derek Kraus; 25. Joe Brainard; 26. Cory Hall; 27. Steve Weaver Jr.

Lap leaders: Hall 1, Kraus 2-35, Sommers 36-60 • Cautions: 2 • Fast qualifier (of 29 drivers): May, 17.548 seconds

Racing America

Short Track Scene

February 7: 1. Jade Avedisian; 2. Dawson Sutton; 3. Spencer Davis; 4. Casey Roderick; 5. Michael Hinde; 6. William Sawalich; 7. Kyle Steckly; 8. Nicholas Naugle; 9. Matt Craig; 10. Derek Griffith; 11. Gabe Sommers; 12. Max Reaves; 13. George Phillips; 14. Conner Jones; 15. R.J. Braun; 16. Isaac Kitzmiller; 17. Anthony Bello; 18. Brandon Lopez; 19. Hudson Bulger; 20. Will Robinson; 21. Derrick Kelley; 22. Kole Raz; 23. Hunter Wright; 24. Brad May; 25. Kyle Benjamin; 26. Joe Brainard; 27. Steve Weaver Jr.

Lap leaders: Roderick 1-5, Avedisian 6-60 • Cautions: 1 • Fast qualifier (of 30 drivers): Sawalich, 17.928 seconds

Racing America (also includes NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour)

Short Track Scene

Below: Jade Avedisian (24) scored her first Super Late Model victory on the second night of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing presented by Orlando-Longwood Auto Auction. (Jason Reasin Photography)



Above: Cole Robie (29) and Brandon Lopez (6) were running first and second when a time limit cut the Pro Late Model race short on opening night at the historic half-mile just west of New Smyrna Beach, Fla. (photo courtesy King Competition)

Also shown is one of the two multi-car pileups which pushed the scheduled 60-lap crate-engine feature past its time limit. (photo courtesy FloRacing)

—WORLD SERIES OF ASPHALT STOCK CAR RACING

—PRO LATE MODELS

—New Smyrna Speedway, Samsula, Fla.

February 6: 1. Cole Robie; 2. Brandon Lopez; 3. Vito Cancilla; 4. Gage Gilby; 5. Jayden Johnson; 6. Ben Mack; 7. Josh Stade; 8. Jarrett Butcher; 9. Kevin Folan; 10. Wesley Slimp; 11. William Roberge; 12. Ryan Pawlowski; 13. John Weitz; 14. Jimmy Renfrew Jr.; 15. Evan McKnight; 16. Hunter Wright; 17. Toro Rodriguez; 18. Brad May; 19. Chad Rutherford; 20. Will Robinson; 21. Eric St-Gelais; 22. Chloe Mazzagatti; 23. Chet Monaweck; 24. Weston Marthaler; 25. Buddy Head; 26. Thomas Krasonis; 27. Marco Gilbert; 28. Brody Monahan; 29. Max Reaves; 30. Conner Jones; 31. Kyle Benjamin; 32. Raphael Lessard; 33. Presley Johnson.

Lap leaders: Robie 1-9, Renfrew 10-38, Robie 39-43 • Cautions: 6 • Red flag: 1 • Fast qualifier (of 35 drivers): Reaves, 18.006 seconds

Short Track Scene

February 8: 1. Raphael Lessard; 2. Gabriel Casagrande; 3. Vito Cancilla; 4. William Roberge; 5. Conner Jones; 6. Josh Stade; 7. Buddy Head; 8. Gage Gilby; 9. Thomas Krasonis; 10. Cole Robie; 11. Toro Rodriguez; 13. Wesley Slimp; 15. Eric St-Gelais; 16. Chet Monaweck; 17. Jarrett Butcher; 18. Todd Delisle; 19. Will Robinson; 20. Marco Gilbert; 21. Derrick Kelley; 22. Ben Mack; 23. Ryan Pawloski; 24. Jayden Johnson; 25. Chloe Mazzagatti; 26. John Weitz; 27. Brandon Lopez; 28. Brad May; 29. Jimmy Renfrew Jr.; 30. Kyle Benjamin; 31. Mia Lovell.

Lap leaders: Monahan 1-23, Lessard 24, Monahan 25-46, Lessard 47-53 • Cautions: 3 • Red flag: 1 • Fast qualifier (of 32 drivers): Monahan, 18.073 seconds

Short Track Scene

Racing America

Below: Raphael Lessard (48) won the Sunday night feature, which also didn't reach its scheduled 60-lap distance due to frequent cautions and a one-hour time limit. (image courtesy FloRacing)

Above: Keelan Harvick led the last 45 laps to win the Icebreaker at the 3/8-mile oval near Florence, S.C. (photo courtesy Kevin Harvick Inc.)

—NASCAR LATE MODEL STOCK CAR EVENT

—Florence Motor Speedway, Timmonsville, S.C.

—February 7

Icebreaker presented by Aaron’s: 1. Keelan Harvick; 2. Matt Cox; 3. Jake Bollman; 4. Carson Brown; 5. Parker Eatmon; 6. Doug Barnes Jr.; 7. Sam Yarbrough; 8. Casey Kelley; 9. Mason Diaz; 10. Jacob Derrick; 11. Landon Huffman; 12. Helio Meza; 13. Ryan Glenski; 14. Hudson Sharp; 15. Alex Meggs; 16. Truett Miranda; 17. Mason Walters; 18. Aidan Potter; 19. Brandon Dean; 20. Cody Kelley; 21. David Roberts; 22. Daniel Vuncannon. DQ-3: Lee Pulliam.

Lap leaders: Yarbrough 1-8, Bollman 9-80, Harvick 81-125 • Cautions: 1 • Fast qualifier: Brown, 17.247 seconds

The Fourth Turn

Short Track Scene

Yahoo/Athlon Sports

(Look for more in this week’s Friday Features release)

—SPECIAL PRO LATE MODEL EVENT

—Havasu 95 Speedway, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

—February 7

NAPA Championship Day presented by Star Nursery Garden Centers and Printing Plus: 1. Jeff Peterson; 2. Ryan Pannone; 3. Austin Pannone; 4. Gavin Bucy; 5. Mike Weimann; 6. Jacob Woodward; 7. Eric Martin.

Lap leader: Peterson 1-50 • Cautions: 1 • Fast qualifier (of 8 drivers): Peterson, 15.593 seconds

Below: Carson Brown (5) and his teammate and car owner Lee Pulliam (1) race at Florence. Pulliam completed the pass on the track, but his third-place finish was disallowed for a truck-arm violation in tech. Brown finished fourth in his first race since joining Lee Pulliam Performance. (Blake Harris/H3 Photography)

---2025 TOURING ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

American-Canadian Tour: Justin Storace

ASA/CRA Super Series: Gavan Boschele

ASA Midwest Tour: Kody King

ASA Southern Super Series: Gavan Boschele

ASA STARS National Tour: Carson Brown

Carolina Pro Late Model Series: Xavier Diaz

CARS Late Model Stock Tour: Carson Loftin (below right; photo courtesy Nelson Motorsports)

CARS Pro Late Model Tour: Ben Maier

CRA Late Model Sportsman Series: Nash Engdahl

Granite State Pro Stock Series: Cole Robie

Jegs CRA All-Stars Tour: Chris Shannon

Northwest Super Late Model Series: Ryan Phipps

Pro All Stars Series: Brandon Varney

Race of Champions Late Model Series: Jacob Gustafson

Reveal the Hammer Outlaw Late Model Series: Bryce Bozell

UARA Sportsman Series: Palmer Haag

APC United Late Model Series: Cory McAllister

Easy-Kleen Super Late Model Series: Brandon Albert

Ontario Outlaw Late Model Series: T.J. Edwards

Series ACT XPN: Junior Lehoux

WESCAR Late Model Touring Series: Yianni Kyrtsos

Above: Nick Morton (00) was the top newcomer in the Late Model Sportsman division at Wiscasset Speedway in Maine. (Jasen Dickey Photography)

---2025 TRACK ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

—ALABAMA

Huntsville Speedway: Gavon Veach

Mobile International Speedway: Nathan Caldwell (PLM), Colby McDonald (OS)

Montgomery Motor Speedway: Taylor Corum (PLM), Hunter Tyus (LMS)

Sayre Speedway: Jered Moore

—ALASKA

Alaska Raceway Park: Hunter Maier

—CALIFORNIA

Madera Speedway: Manny Gonzales Jr. (PLM), James Hamlin (Jr)

Shasta Speedway: Joey Stearns

—COLORADO

Colorado National Speedway: Holly Clark (SLM), Caleb Johnson (LMS)

—CONNECTICUT

New London-Waterford Speedbowl: Shawn Gaedeke

Stafford Motor Speedway: Robert Taylor Jr.

Thompson Speedway: Jared Roy

—FLORIDA

Auburndale Speedway: Carter Brown (PLM)

New Smyrna Speedway: Bryton Horner (SLM), Dylan Williams (PLM)

—IDAHO

Magic Valley Speedway: Peyton Hardenbrook

—INDIANA

New Paris Speedway: Logan Delarye

—IOWA

Hawkeye Downs Speedway: Reggie Mitchell

—MAINE

Oxford Plains Speedway: Tom Abele Jr.

Wiscasset Speedway: Nick Morton (LMS)

-MASSACHUSETTS

Seekonk Speedway: Jacob Burns (PS), David Lougee (LMS)

—MICHIGAN

Berlin Raceway: Todd Cowan

Galesburg Speedway: Anthony Foote

Kalamazoo Speedway: Mason Metzger (LMS), Logan Delarye (OL)

Norway Speedway: Devon Wilcox

Owosso Speedway: Chase Rosebrugh (OLM), Cole Munson (LMS)

—MINNESOTA

Elko Speedway: Justin Ziemięcki

—MISSOURI

Lebanon I-44 Speedway: Anthony Ross

—NEVADA

Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Cody Brown

—NEW HAMPSHIRE

Claremont Motorsports Park: Aaron Fellows Jr. (ACT), Marc Laroche Jr. (OS)

Monadnock Speedway: Daniel Petrowicz

Star Speedway: Holdyn Sullivan

—NEW YORK

Lancaster Motorplex: Colton Ingerick

—NORTH CAROLINA

Bowman-Gray Stadium: Kyler Kepley

Caraway Speedway: Bryson Brinkley

Hickory Motor Speedway: Trey Burke (LLM)

Orange County Speedway: John Goin

—OHIO

Midvale Speedway: Chloe Mazzagatti

Shadybowl Speedway: Cody Scott

Toledo Speedway: James Rae

—PENNSYLVANIA

Jennerstown Speedway: R.J. Dallape

—TENNESSEE

Kingsport Speedway: Scott Salmons

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway: Aidan Potter (PLM)

Newport Speedway: Walker Cole

—VERMONT

Thunder Road International Speedbowl: Brandon Gray

—VIRGINIA

Langley Speedway: Donovan Edwards (LMSC), Brian Rundstrom Jr. (LLM)

South Boston Speedway: Darren Krantz Jr. (LMSC), Tristan Brunelli (LLM)

—WASHINGTON

Evergreen Speedway: Kyle Lang

South Sound Speedway: Ethan Ebert (SLM), Randy Garcia (USA)

—WEST VIRGINIA

Ona Speedway: Josh Maxey

—WISCONSIN

Jefferson Speedway: Jordan Lamb

LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway: Jason Stark

Slinger Super Speedway: Mitch Haver (SLM), Jayden Johnson (LLM)

Wisconsin International Raceway: Mitch Opsahl (SLM), Sean Springstroh (QM)

—ONTARIO

Delaware Speedway: David Mathers

Grand Bend Speedway: Duane Horton

Laird Raceway: Mike Heinonen

We'll be back later in the week. Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Jim & Porsha 

Late Model Digest

jimcarsonlmd@gmail.com

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