Landen Lewis, Ben Maier crowned CARS Tour champions; Caden Kvapil, Keelan Harvick take season-ending wins at North Wilkesboro

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – The last time the zMAX CARS Tour visited North Wilkesboro Speedway in May, Landen Lewis took the renowned elevator ride to Cook Out Victory Lane.

While he did not repeat that trip in Saturday’s Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125, Lewis ended up obtaining another prestigious honor, a CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour championship.

Lewis’ first full season on the LMSC Tour saw him accumulate four victories, more than any other driver in the series. The consistency Lewis showed throughout 2025 also enabled him to give Kevin Harvick Inc. their first LMSC Tour owner’s championship.

A night of celebration for the CARS Tour also saw Ben Maier lock up the PLM Tour driver’s championship, all while Luke Baldwin secured the owner’s title in the series for Rick Ware Racing. Caden Kvapil and Keelan Harvick took home season-ending victories in the LMSC Tour and PLM Tour, respectively.

As Landen Lewis celebrated the CARS LMSC Tour championship with Kevin Harvick Inc., he thought about everything that guided him to that moment.

Despite his dominance, Lewis still dealt with his fair share of obstacles throughout 2025, any one of which could have deterred his championship momentum. Instead of letting the adversity rattle him, Lewis relied on Kevin Harvick Inc.’s sturdy foundation and his own confidence to close out the season atop the CARS Tour pedestal.

“It’s been a year for sure,” Lewis said. “We won four races and a championship. There’s definitely races that I missed out on. We can go back to Caraway, go back to Hickory, go back to Langley, that’s six, seven wins. I’m so thankful to be here in this spot. We weren’t as good as we needed to be [on Saturday], but we were good enough to win [the title].”

The composure that defined Lewis’ 2025 LMSC Tour campaign stems from his time competing in Legends cars. Among the accolades Lewis obtained in the discipline include a championship in the Cook Out Summer Shootout Pro division in 2022.

Lewis’ consistency carried over into full-bodied stock cars. He surprised many in the motorsports industry by winning in his second ARCA Menards Series start at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in 2021, which he later followed with two more victories in the ARCA Menards Series West.

When it came time for Lewis to embark on a serious effort in Late Model Stocks, his team owner Kevin Harvick knew he would be ready. From the time Lewis first joined his program, Harvick has observed many championship-caliber qualities from him and was determined to help refine his race craft ahead of a part-time LMSC Tour campaign in 2024.

Harvick felt Lewis’ 2025 was an improvement in every regard from year one, particularly with how he handled himself in longer events. The wins were only one part of Lewis’ title campaign for Harvick, who also praised his driver’s maturity and the natural leadership skills he displays off track.

“The thing about Landen is that his passion and his work ethic is not like a normal kid who drives these race cars,” Harvick said. “He came here because I love him to death and he’s been a great mentor for our kids. Every step of the way, he’s been right there with Keelan. It’s become one big family, and I feel like it’ll lead to good things for him.”

Harvick is the not only influential figure in Lewis’ corner, as he also receives guidance from Rodney Childers and four-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., among others. Whenever he has a question, Lewis considers himself grateful he can call any of them for advice on a given topic.

All the knowledge at his disposal was crucial for Lewis as he enjoyed a quiet but solid night at North Wilkesboro to wrap up the LMSC Tour title. Even then, Lewis still had to put in plenty of extensive work throughout the year to learn from his mistakes and understand all the key fundamentals towards becoming a CARS Tour champion.

“With how hard this series is, building relationships with the drivers, the crew chiefs and the owners, along with how to put a season together, that’s 90 percent of it,” Lewis said. “It’s so hard to put a season together for anybody. Yes, it’s Late Model racing but it’s still freaking hard. To put together a [whole] season was the biggest thing for me.”