Moving into the sizzling summer months at “The Action Track Built for Speed,” it’s time for a mid-season check-in with Tucson Speedway’s Russett Southwest Super Late Models. 2025 marks the return to Division 1 NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Series status for Tucson SLMs after 2 years of Modifieds as the representing class. The 2025 points season kicked off at Chilly Willy 150 weekend in January. 

2020 Tucson SLM champion Kole Raz left the weekend as the early point leader after wins on Friday and Saturday, and a runner-up finish behind Jace Hansen in Sunday’s main event. Raz and Hansen went back and forth all weekend, with Raz setting a new track record in qualifying on Friday night, only for Hansen to surpass his mark the following night. Hansen set the new mark with a 14.891-second (90.66mph) lap around the ⅜-mile track. 

It was the first event at Tucson utilizing the Hoosier ST1/ST3 tire package, which was adopted for 2025 to provide drivers a more consistent and predictable wear rate. 

Halfway through the regular season, 2nd-year SLM driver Zane McKissick finds himself atop the point standings. The 2021 Thunder Truck track champion earned his first career SLM win in the 2024 season finale. He was also the best finishing local competitor this year in his Chilly Willy debut, placing 10th. In regular season competition, he is the only driver to finish on the podium in every main event. And he leads all drivers with 3 wins. 

On April 12, McKissick earned his first win of the season in Main #1. He earned it driving through a last-corner wreck between 2022 SLM champ Dylan Jones and four-time Modified champ Bill Engle. Jones was the points leader at the time after he swept the season opener. McKissick went on to win Main #2 and took control of the standings in the process.

2019 Las Vegas Bullring SLM champ Chris Clyne made his first start at Tucson in nearly a decade on May 17. He earned the win in Main #1 after a tough battle with Jones and McKissick. Clyne was in the mix for the lead all race in Main #2. However, he placed runner-up with McKissick winning his third race of the season. 

Jones is currently nine points back from McKissick in 2nd. He had a tough finish in Main #2 last event after he wheel-hopped over Clyne and made contact with the wall. Jones has qualified on pole for all three regular-season events. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that consistency going into the next event despite the setback. 

McKissick’s Vision West Motorsports teammate, six-time Tucson SLM champ “Stormin” Ron Norman, is currently 58 points back from Jones in 3rd. Norman is still on the hunt for his first win since he made his return to Tucson Speedway last season. This year, he has placed on the podium three times and has five total top-5 finishes. 

44 points back in 4th is Jennifer Hall, who is running full-time in SLMs, Trucks, Pro Stocks, and Hobby Stocks. Hall is a three-time Hornet champ and won the Hornet and Hobby Stock titles in 2024. She is also the current Hobby leader, having won every event so far this season. In SLM competition, she has placed inside the top-5 in at least one race at every regular season event. She also earned a podium finish on April 12.

At this year’s Chilly Willy, Bill Engle made his first SLM start since wrecking out of the 2023 Turkey Shoot. Engle has a runner-up finish this year and has shown good speed, but has been a victim of misfortune lately. He collected DNFs in the last two events and missed Main #2 on 4/12 after the wreck at the end of Main #1, which hurt his overall point standing. Engle is in 5th, 17 points back from Hall,

Kole Raz still holds 6th in the points off of his Chilly Willy success. Track Owner John Lashley races part-time in SLMs and Modifieds and has made 4 starts on the SLM season. Lashley has finished every start in the top 5 and is 7th in points.

Past SLM competitor JD White made his return to racing this season alongside his daughter Madalinn White, a Bandolero rookie. White struggled with some mechanical issues as he shook the car down through his first few races, collecting three-straight DNFs. However, in Main #2 on May 17, he completed his first race of the season with a 3rd-place finish after a hard-fought battle with Norman on a late restart. 

After competing in the Chilly Willy earlier in the year, Longtime Tucson SLM competitor Vanessa Robinson made her first regular-season start on May 17 after running at the Chilly Willy. She had a great pace and led a lot of the early run in Main #1. Her car got loose off the top side of Turn around 30 laps in, and she made contact with McKissick, sending her back to the outside wall. Unfortunately, the incident ended her night.

Last event, two-time Thunder Truck champion David Levitt, made his first SLM start of the season as well. He placed 5th in Main #1 before a blown engine ended his run prematurely in Main #2. He’s currently 3rd in truck points after earning his first win of the season on May 31.

Four events and seven races remain in the Tucson SLM season, and the championship remains a close contest between McKissick and Jones. As we move into the hotter summer months, track conditions fluctuate drastically race to race. A key for consistency will be keeping ahead of adjustments between mains on a race night and between race weekends. SLMs are next scheduled for action on Saturday, June 28, for Independence Night.

Image via Tucson Speedway Facebook

Upcoming Schedule:

June 28: Independence Day (Fireworks)

August 9: First Responder Night

September 13: Roadrunner (NASCAR Points End)

October 25: Grand Finale (Track Championship Night)

November 29-30: 2025 Turkey Shoot 125 ($7,500 to win)

January 16-18: 2026 Chilly Willy 150 ($15,000 to win)