KHI’s Landen Lewis Crowned 2025 CARS Tour LMSC Champion
Author: Heath White
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (Oct. 20, 2025) – Landen Lewis, driver of the No. 29 MMI / RentSource / 704 Hemp LMSC entry for Kevin Harvick, Inc., captured the 2025 zMAX CARS Tour LMSC championship following a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125 at historic North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The title marks Lewis’s first Late Model championship in just his first full-time season and gives Kevin Harvick, Inc. its fourth owner’s championship across two series — the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and now the zMAX CARS Tour. It also stands as the first championship for a driver piloting the iconic No. 29 entry under the KHI banner.
“These moments don’t come easily, so you just try and enjoy it while you can,” an emotional Lewis said from the championship stage. “I’m super proud of being a part of this group. A huge thanks to Kevin and DeLana, Ron [Hornaday Jr.], Miles [Copenhaver], Rodney [Childers], and my entire crew. It’s unreal what we’ve done this year. We won four races and had a shot to win seven or eight. I’m just so thankful.”
A 19-year-old native of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., Lewis pieced together an ultra-consistent season that included four wins, seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. But the road to the title was not without its ups and downs.
Out of the gate, Lewis and team scored two top five and three top 10s in the opening four races, establishing the No. 29 team as a clear-cut title contender. The team then hit its stride with back-to-back wins at Ace Speedway and North Wilkesboro in May, the latter – the sixth of the CARS Tour’s 15-race schedule - propelled Lewis into the series point lead.
“The first half of the year we were just trying to get on our feet,” said Lewis. “We thought we were prepared when we showed up, but we really weren’t. We weren’t winning races. Then Rodney [Childers] joined the team, and everyone started clicking together and we started clicking off wins.”
Despite the surge up the standings, a trio of uncharacteristic finishes in the ensuing four events dropped Lewis to second in points. But the stumble lasted all of three races, and with a late-summer win at Anderson Motor Speedway, Lewis wasted little time clawing back to the point.
The team doubled down on the Anderson win, leveraging the momentum into late-summer dominance that included a consecutive victory at Florence. With the success, Lewis built an 18-point buffer over second-place championship contender and JR Motorsports driver Connor Hall following South Boston.
Entering the season finale at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Lewis held a 12-point edge over Hall. Knowing a top-10 effort would likely clinch the CARS Tour crown, Lewis and the No. 29 team went on to capitalize on their 11th top ten of the season to claim the series title.
“That was probably the most stressful race I’ve ever had and I wasn’t even leading the race,” said Lewis. “It goes to show how hard championships are to win.
“As a driver, a lot of is just growing and learning how to put a whole race together. Not putting myself in spots that I don’t need to be in. It takes a lot of mental strength to get through all that. I’m so pumped to be in this spot. To have the support of Kevin and DeLana and Ron has meant so much to me.”
Lewis joins NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday, Jr. as the only two to win driver championships with Kevin Harvick, Inc. - giving the organization its first driver's title in 16 years.
About Kevin Harvick Inc.
Established in 2001 by NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana, Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Truck Series and ARCA Series through the 2011 NASCAR season. During that time, KHI earned 10 Xfinity Series wins, 45 Truck Series wins and three Truck Series championships, including two championships with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday, Jr. Following the 2011 season, KHI stepped away from full-time competition until its return in 2023.