Tristan McKee survives wild PLM Tour feature for first win of 2025

The season-opening CARS PLM Tour feature at New River All-American Speedway ended in disappointment for Tristan McKee, as he finished runner-up to Jade Avedisian after leading 96 of 100 laps.

Determined to shake off the frustrations from New River, McKee showcased speed and composure in the inaugural PLM Tour event at Cordele Motor Speedway. McKee kept his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet out of trouble before making the race-winning pass on Colin Allman with 23 laps remaining.

“I was trying my hardest right there,” McKee said. “We didn’t quite have the best car, but I made use of the top, which came in after that [long run]. I made the pass for second and was kind of riding until the last red flag. My car was really good and this is a group effort, so I’m really thankful.”

McKee needed to exercise patience during a PLM Tour event that lasted nearly two hours. As several strong cars fell out of contention due to various issues, McKee maintained solid track position inside the top five while waiting for a chance to make a run for the lead.

A missed shift from leader Keelan Harvick during the penultimate restart of the night briefly stymied McKee’s momentum, but he gradually worked his way towards the second position behind Allman. Isaac Kitzmiller’s spin bunched the field back up for one more restart, where McKee easily dispatched Allman to pull away with the victory.

Now maintaining an average finish of 1.5 through the first two PLM Tour events, McKee feels confident in his outlook for 2025 with the support of Spire and Matt Piercy at his disposal. If his team builds on their early-season strengths, McKee said trips to Cook Out Victory Lane are going to be a common occurrence.

“I’m glad we got another one,” McKee said. “Whatever happened [at New River] happened, so it feels good to get another one. I definitely expect a lot more. We’re all working hard, so this [win] feels really good.”

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Following an eventful debut showing at Cordele Motor Speedway, both divisions of the zMAX CARS Tour are heading to a familiar location in Orange County Speedway on April 26. FloRacing is set to provide coverage of all the on-track action.