By Evan McCrory
GASTONIA, N.C. (June 5, 2026) — Caleb Scarborough turned in the biggest performance of his young sprint car career Friday night, leading from the outset and holding off several Carolina Sprint Tour veterans to earn his first career victory with the Carolina Sprint Tour Presented by GSR Chassis at Carolina Speedway.
Nineteen RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Cars filled the pit area for the third round of the K-Town Pizza and Pub Mini Series. The event also welcomed sprint car veterans Tanner Berryhill of Oklahoma, and Coby Adams of Mooresville, for their Carolina Sprint Tour debuts.
The evening began with Radical Race Gear Hot Laps, where Tyler Lupton continued his strong early-season pace by setting quick time in the Carber Racing No. 4T with a lap of 15.035 seconds. The session ended abruptly when Brooklyn Newman moved to second on the speed chart before making heavy contact with the turn one wall. Newman was uninjured but unable to continue for the remainder of the program.
Heat race victories went to Biscuit Williams, Derrek Treece, and Josh Shantz.
Following the redraw, rookie Scarborough lined up alongside veteran Jake McLain on the front row for the feature event.
When the green flag waved, Scarborough immediately asserted himself as the driver to beat. The youngster drove aggressively into the corners while protecting the preferred high groove and quickly established a comfortable advantage.
The first caution of the feature came on lap four when contact between Coby Adams and C.J. Miller on the frontstretch ended Miller’s night.
Another lengthy stoppage occurred on lap 12 when Aiden Snead made heavy contact with the turn two wall. The damage was significant enough that two tow trucks were required to remove the No. 19 machine. Snead exited the car under his own power and was uninjured.
As the race entered its closing stages, Scarborough’s lead began to shrink. McLain, Lupton, and George Loux steadily closed the gap as cautions and traffic brought the contenders closer together.
The race’s most dramatic moment occurred with three laps remaining when Lupton spun in turn two while battling near the front. Loux narrowly avoided the spinning machine with an impressive evasive move that prevented what could have been a major accident.
That set up one final restart and one final challenge for the rookie leader.
Scarborough never flinched.
The young driver hit his marks perfectly over the final laps and kept the veteran challengers behind him to secure his first career Carolina Sprint Tour Presented by GSR Chassis victory. The triumph also marked the first series win for car owner Andy Stegall.
McLain, Loux, Shantz, and Williams completed the top five.
