North Carolina Upstart Wins the Cowboy Hat at New Smyrna Speedway

(SAMSULA, FLORIDA) – 2025 ASA STARS National Tour Rookie of the Year Carson Brown (New London, NC) made the most of his 2026 debut by winning the 27th Annual SIG Sauer Academy Clyde Hart Memorial 200 presented by Appalachian Sucker Punch at New Smyrna Speedway.

For Brown, it’s his second career Appalachian Sucker Punch ASA STARS National Tour victory.

Despite leading seven races a year ago, Brown had never led over 100 laps until this event.

Brown started third in the 200-lap race and worked his way to the lead and finally captured the first spot after a fierce battle with rookie pole sitter Tristen McKee (Williamsburg, VA). McKee ran a strong race and stayed with the leaders all night. He gave way to Dawson Sutton (Lebanon, TN) shortly after he lost the lead, but McKee held the third spot for the remainder of the night.

The honor of wearing the cowboy hat in victory lane goes back to Clyde Hart, who helped put New Smyrna on the map with the World Series. He would put his cowboy hat on the winner after big races.

Brown was strong and was the leader, and at both stage breaks to maximize his points after the first race. Sutton and McKee kept pace with Brown on some restarts as these three were the class of the field.

Spencer Davis (Dawsonville, GA) posted a strong fourth, and Carson Hocevar (Portage, MI) overcame crash damage from an early wreck to post a fifth-place finish.

Sixth through tenth included Cory Hall, who charged up from 21st, rookie Jade Avedisian, who has already won at New Smyrna during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. Connor Jones was eighth and unofficially picked up the Hard Charger Award after starting 26th. A pair of Floridians rounded out the top 10 with defending Snowball Derby winner Stephen Nasse and Michael Hinde.

The STARS of the ASA STARS National Tour will return to action at Five Flags Speedway (FL) on Saturday, March 14th.

ASA STARS National Tour

The ASA STARS National Tour is one of the premier Super Late Model touring series in the United States, showcasing elite drivers and teams at some of the most iconic short tracks in the country. Owned and operated by MDM Promotions, the series continues the long-standing tradition of ASA-sanctioned racing while delivering a national platform for top-level competition. The ASA STARS National Tour is committed to competitive excellence, strong partnerships, and preserving the heritage of short track racing while building for the future.