Caden Kvapil, Dawson Sutton rock Nashville Fairgrounds with victories in Tootsie’s Music City Showdown

A new circuit for the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour did not hinder Caden Kvapil's momentum.

In his debut competitive laps at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Kvapil delivered a consistently strong performance, securing another victory for his impressive record. Kvapil maintained a position within the top five throughout the evening, ultimately seizing the opportunity during a restart with 10 laps to go, overtaking Parker Eatmon, the evening's dominant competitor, to claim the win.

Kvapil has now achieved victory in three of the last four CARS LMSC Tour events he has participated in, with previous wins at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park. In each of these races, Kvapil only took the lead with fewer than 25 laps remaining.

Joining Kvapil in victory at the inaugural Tootsie’s Music City Showdown at Nashville Fairgrounds was Dawson Sutton, a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor. Known for his prowess in both Super Late Models and Pro Late Models, Sutton's victory came in his 10th start with the CARS PLM Tour.

Caden Kvapil secures another LMSC Tour victory

If not for Landon Huffman’s spin, which prompted the final caution of the evening, Caden Kvapil might have settled for a top-five finish.

Overtaking was a challenge during Saturday's Tootsie’s Music City Showdown, prompting Kvapil to execute the restart against Parker Eatmon flawlessly. A minor yet critical error from Eatmon allowed Kvapil to overtake him in turn one, leading to a hard-fought victory.

“We were strong towards the end of the first half, but our adjustments were insufficient,” Kvapil noted. “I tried to keep pace with [Eatmon], but the car became loose, and I ran out of tire. The caution allowed us to cool down, and I had excellent grip on the restart to take the lead and maintain clean air.

“In traffic, there’s little you can do. Dirty air was a significant issue.”

Three races into 2026, Kvapil has emerged as the early favorite for the LMSC Tour title. If his current success continues, Kvapil could join Jared Fryar and his brother Carson Kvapil as the only drivers to win championships in two different CARS Tour divisions.

With Nashville Fairgrounds being one of two new venues on this year's LMSC Tour schedule, Kvapil anticipated challenges on Saturday. He secured a strong track position with a third-place qualifying effort, focusing on keeping his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet out of trouble and within reach of the lead.

With this victory, Kvapil upheld a family tradition of success in Nashville. Racing a Late Model Stock at Nashville Fairgrounds seemed unlikely to Kvapil last year, but now he proudly displays the guitar awarded for winning the Tootsie’s Music City Showdown.

“I’ve always wanted a guitar,” Kvapil said. “My brother and my dad [Travis] each have one, and it’s incredible that I finally got mine. I told them on the way here that if I won, I’d play it all the way home. This place is historic, and I’m thrilled we secured the win on my first visit.”

Parker Eatmon finishes second after a standout performance

A single caution stood between Parker Eatmon and his first CARS LMSC Tour victory.

Eatmon's near-perfect performance in the Tootsie’s Music City Showdown was disrupted when Caden Kvapil passed him on the final restart. Although the outcome was disappointing, Eatmon accepted responsibility for his mistake and remains determined to build on the positives from Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

“I needed a better restart,” Eatmon admitted. “I might have spun the tires a bit, resulting in a poor restart, and [Kvapil] timed it perfectly. He overtook me fairly, so I need to improve for the next race.”

Eatmon's victory in the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park in 2024 established him as a promising contender in Late Model Stocks. He followed that win with a strong full-time LMSC Tour debut, earning two top-five finishes at Tri-County Motor Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway to conclude the year.

Nashville Fairgrounds marked a return to form for Eatmon after failing to finish in the top 10 in the first two events. He took the lead from polesitter and local favorite Dylan Fetcho early on, maintaining a small yet healthy lead while navigating lapped traffic.

Despite the unfavorable outcome at Nashville Fairgrounds, Eatmon's confidence remains intact. He is convinced that his performance on Saturday demonstrates his capability to win an LMSC Tour event, emphasizing that this milestone is imminent if he and his team continue to focus on their strengths.

“We had a fast car tonight, and I can’t thank everyone at Matt Piercy Racing enough,” Eatmon said. “This is tough, and while this one means a lot, it motivates me even more for the next race.”

Dawson Sutton returns to Victory Lane at Nashville Fairgrounds

Dawson Sutton had an impressive weekend across two of Tennessee’s most historic short tracks.

After finishing seventh in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sutton returned to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on Saturday to claim victory in the CARS PLM Tour feature. Despite a busy schedule, Sutton was confident his No. 62 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet would be among the strongest in the field.

“The car has been really fast all weekend,” Sutton said. “I’m grateful to my team for providing a great car. Every visit to [Nashville Fairgrounds] has been successful. The win wasn’t as easy as it appeared, but I’m incredibly thankful.”

Although Saturday marked Sutton’s first PLM Tour victory, he was already familiar with Nashville Fairgrounds’ historic Victory Lane. His most notable win at this venue came last November during the All American 400, where Sutton led 202 of 300 laps for a dominant victory.

The inaugural PLM Tour event at Nashville Fairgrounds covered a shorter distance of 100 laps but required Sutton to exercise patience. Sutton maintained his position from the outside pole, waiting behind Evan McKnight before making the decisive pass on lap 30.

Saturday’s victory, which included the $10,000 Flodium bonus, held significant sentimental value for Sutton. As a Lebanon, Tennessee native, approximately 25 miles from Nashville Fairgrounds, Sutton was thrilled to triumph at his home track, especially with the large crowd present for the two CARS Tour events.

“It means everything,” Sutton said. “I marked this race on the schedule and told my team I wanted to run it. I can’t thank the CARS Tour enough for organizing a great event. Seeing this crowd is truly amazing.”

Both zMAX CARS Tour divisions will return to North Carolina for their next race at Caraway Speedway on April 25. FloRacing will provide live coverage of all the on-track action.

For more information on the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour, visit www.carsracingtour.com. Stay connected with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on X (formerly known as Twitter), and viewing photos on Instagram at cars_tour.

LMSC Results:

88 Caden Kvapil

4 Parker Eatmon

89 Dylan Fetcho

44 Conner Jones

29 Landen Lewis

77L Treyten Lapcevich

5 Carson Brown

95 London McKenzie

5B Chase Burrow

16M Chad McCumbee

0 Landon Pembelton

8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

16 Sam Butler

22 Carson Loftin

41 Mason Diaz

6 Brandon Lopez

57 Landon Huffman

88B Doug Barnes Jr.

98 Donovan Strauss

10 Matt Craig

71 Jake Bollman -1

05 Mason Bailey -1

7 Aiden King -1

14 Jared Fryar -1

2 Brandon Pierce -2

04 Ronnie Bassett Jr. -2

09 Riley Gentry -2

23 Kade Brown -3

77 Landon S. Huffman – OUT

01 Thomas Beane – OUT

15 Jace Hale – OUT

PLM Results:

62 Dawson Sutton

54 Kaden Honeycutt

6L Brandon Lopez

5R Brett Robinson

7 Jackson Boone

31 Brody Monahan

6 Mason Walters

20 Evan McKnight

67 Ben Maier

24 Cody Dempster

44 Conner Jones

30 Treyten Lapcevich

22B Chase Burgeson

14 Corey Deuser

5 James Seeright

68 Aidan Potter

15 Case James

25 Rodney Dowless Jr.

29 Hunter Wright

51 Carson Ware -1

19 Conner Popplewell -1

97 Dylan Garner -1

95 London McKenzie -1

17 Trey Craig -1

82 Taylor Hull -1

51B Anthony Bello -1

12 Colton Hale -1

22C Taylor Corum -1

11 Tony Cosentino -1

13 Ben Mack -2

14C Davey Coble – OUT

46W Cole Williams – OUT

16 Zach Johnson – OUT

44B John Bradley – OUT

09 Daniel Bolden – OUT

46 Landon Huffman – OUT