NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — As the newest member of Richard Childress Racing’s driver development program, Carson Brown is doing everything possible to keep himself busy.

Just three days prior to the Clyde Hart Memorial 200, Brown was in a Late Model Stock for Lee Pulliam at Florence Motor Speedway for the Icebreaker. A solid fourth-place finish provided Brown a jolt of confidence prior to his first Super Late Model start of the year at New Smyrna Speedway.

In a field comprised of many seasoned veterans of the discipline, Brown proved he was the best among them Tuesday evening. After making short work of polesitter Tristan McKee early on, Brown pulled away from his competition to secure a dominant victory in one of New Smyrna’s most cherished events.

With Brown set to chase three asphalt championships in 2026, he made sure to cherish every aspect that went into making his Clyde Hart 200 triumph a reality.

“We definitely had a really good race car on our hands [Tuesday],” Brown said. “At the start, we were kind of hanging in third because I didn’t want to pounce too hard. Those guys were battling hard up front, and the restarts were definitely getting physical for track position. I knew I could get [the lead] as long as I waited for the opportunity.

“This track made it a little difficult, but I was able to pass on the top, seal the deal and walk away from there.”

Brown got the head start he was searching for in his sophomore ASA National Tour campaign, but now he has to ascertain how to carry that momentum over into his other two championship pursuits.

Along with a full-time CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour bid, Brown is also joining the ARCA Menards Series East full-time with Pinnacle Racing Group. The cars in those divisions possess their own distinct characteristics that would require any driver to modify his or her race craft to optimize the performance.

Brown has experience in all three disciplines, but he admitted it was initially arduous when it came to balancing consistency across the board. Competing on dirt tracks enabled Brown to become a more versatile competitor, which is why he is approaching 2026 with optimism about contending for all three titles on his docket.

“Diversity is really important to me,” Brown said. “I’ve always run dirt, and this year we aren’t. It’s really hard [to balance everything out], but over the years, I’ve kind of learned how to flip that switch and I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at managing [each car]. Every time I hit the track, I get better.”

Brown nearly obtained his first Super Late Model title in the ASA National Tour last season. Two poor finishes to open the season were a significant setback for Brown, but he rebounded to finish second in the point standings with three poles, seven top fives and his first victory at Madison International Speedway.

The flashes Brown showed with Anthony Campi’s Super Late Model program last year only motivated him to be even better in 2026. Even with his Late Model Stock and East Series obligations, Brown saw himself as a favorite for the ASA STARS National Tour title with reigning champion Cole Butcher moving up to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

While the Clyde Hart Memorial 200 was about as perfect a start as Brown could have imagined, he also understands that it is just the first race of many. The challenge Brown faces is replicating the New Smyrna performance consistently not just in the ASA National Tour, but also the CARS Tour and the East Series, the latter of which he only has one start in to date.

There are still plenty of components Brown needs to work through with Pulliam and PRG in Late Model Stocks and the East Series respectively. Brown does have an established rhythm with Campi’s Super Late Model program extending from last year and believes that cohesion will translate into plenty of success.

“This victory kind of sets the tone for the whole year, or at least I hope it does,” Brown said. “Driving all these different cars, being consistent in all of them and putting a whole night together is really important. You can start the night really well and then have something happen towards the end. Last year [at New Smyrna], we were running second and ran out of fuel.”

Following the Clyde Hart Memorial 200, Brown only has a couple weeks to prepare for his first CARS Tour start with Pulliam at Southern National Motorsports Park. One month later, Brown’s quest for an East Series title begins with the season-opener at Hickory Motor Speedway.

There is also a plan for Brown to make select appearances in national NASCAR events this year as part of his development deal with Childress.

For as intimidating and compact as Brown’s schedule is, he is taking everything in stride. Every event in Super Late Models, Late Model Stocks and the East Series is an opportunity for Brown to become more versatile, a quality he knows will be critical to success in the NASCAR Cup Series one day with so many different tracks on the calendar.

Brown would not have taken on such an endeavor without faith in his ability to pull it off. He plans to rest and regroup whenever possible, but Brown’s focus is on acquiring as much experience now while he is still in his formative years.

“We don’t take many breaks,” Brown said. “We kind of take breaks during the offseason, but honestly, I haven’t gotten much of an offseason either. Once I go to bed, I kind of slow down a little bit, but my mind is always going.”

With how long and arduous his schedule is expected to be, Brown was thrilled to obtain a marquee Super Late Model victory so early into its duration. By maintaining the composure and efficiency he showed at New Smyrna, Brown can end 2026 not only with more checkered flags, but three championships to his name.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Jade Avedisian’s No. 24 Mobil 1 Toyota featured some noticeable battle scars at the end of the World Series of Asphalt’s second Super Late Model feature Saturday evening.

The car also was parked in New Smyrna Speedway’s Victory Lane.

Avedisian rebounded from wall contact in the first race a day prior to secure her first checkered flag in a Super Late Model. Both events provided Avedisian several valuable lessons ahead of her ASA STARS National Tour debut Tuesday against many of the same drivers she has competed against so far this week.

With the World Series marking the beginning of a busy 2026 schedule for Avedisian, she wanted to set the tone by being efficient across her planned Super Late Model races. Prevailing Saturday against 26 other drivers validated the faith Avedisian had not only for Toyota and Donnie Wilson Motorsports, but in her own driving ability.

“[This win] definitely gives me a lot of confidence for sure,” Avedisian said. “Even if I didn’t win [on Saturday], I walked into this week with a lot of confidence knowing how well my team did last year at [New Smyrna]. [Saturday] helped my confidence, but I was already confident when I walked in this week.”

Avedisian knows how to handle tough competition. She battled many veterans and fellow young prospects alike during her time in dirt midget competition, earning plenty of victories while also making the Chili Bowl Nationals A-Main in 2023.

The adjustment to pavement racing was never going to be seamless. While she could carry over some aspects of dirt racing onto asphalt tracks, approaching them would require Avedisian to adopt a different mindset, which involved leaning on the support system she had as a Toyota development driver.

Avedisian’s first venture into the World Series last year was as much a test session as it was a championship pursuit. The Pro Late Model prepared by Donnie Wilson was more than capable of contending for the title that year, but Avedisian needed to figure out her own limits in the car before winning races became a priority.

The results were solid for Avedisian. She completed every possible lap across the six Pro Late Model events and tallied three top-five finishes, enough for her to place fourth in the final standings.

One year has passed since her maiden World Series season, and Avedisian believes she has found her comfort zone in full-bodied stock cars. She has especially taken a liking to the Super Late Model, which possesses more raw speed compared to the Pro Late Model she drove throughout 2025.

“I feel like the list [of things I’ve learned] is 10 chapters long,” Avedisian said. “Maybe [the Super Late Model] fits a little bit closer to my style. What I grew up racing [had] a lot of horsepower. It’s been a great start to the week so far.”

Avedisian felt she could find Victory Lane in a Super Late Model after tallying three Pro Late Model wins since the end of 2024. The biggest hurdle standing in the way of her goal would be the competition, with the World Series Super Late Model field featuring plenty of established veterans and a handful of full-time NASCAR drivers.

A promising start for Avedisian on night one nearly turned disastrous. While attempting to pass veteran Spencer Davis on the outside after a restart, the two ended up making contact that sent Avedisian into the outside wall. Avedisian managed to save the car, but she was forced to settle for a disappointing seventh with the damage on her car.

Instead of lingering on how her World Series Super Late Model debut unfolded, Avedisian immediately turned her attention to the second race Saturday, one that would have a more positive outcome.

“I didn’t really care,” Avedisian said. “I woke up [in the] morning with a fresh mind, only worried about winning. That was the only thing on my mind, which was to qualify good and figure out a way to win [on Saturday]. It didn’t affect me at all.”

Davis would be one of the two drivers Avedisian needed to pass Saturday to reach the front of the field. Once she navigated her way around Davis, the next driver in front of Avedisian was Casey Roderick, whose resume included an ASA STARS National Tour title along with victories in the All American 400, Snowflake 100 and World Crown.

Utilizing the speed of Wilson’s car, Avedisian applied heavy pressure to Roderick’s back bumper after overtaking Davis, patiently waiting for the ideal opportunity to pounce. A strong run off Turn 2 allowed Avedisian to pull alongside Roderick before she swiftly took control of the lead after moving Roderick out of the groove.

No other driver got within range of Avedisian through the rest of the 60-lap feature. She maintained a comfortable, steady pace through lapped traffic to cruise into Victory Lane with the scuff marks from the night before still visible, a reminder of what she and the team had to overcome.

Avedisian joined Becca Kasten as the only other woman to win in a Super Late Model during the World Series, but that milestone was not at the forefront of her thought process. The ASA STARS National Tour race was up ahead, an event that would feature one of the toughest fields Avedisian has faced in her brief pavement career to date.

“It’s definitely cool to put my name in that category,” Avedisian said. “I wake up every day striving to be the best that I can. I just care about winning. [Saturday] is done. My focus is on Tuesday and figuring out how to win that one.”

The onslaught of events does not let up for Avedisian once she is done with the World Series. She is set to contest the entire 12-race ASA STARS National Tour schedule and will also run a handful of events with Nitro Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series.

Nothing would make Avedisian happier than to emerge victorious after 200 laps Tuesday evening and build momentum heading into the rest of the season. Avedisian already has one win against stout competition at New Smyrna this week; she knows she can earn another.