09/22/2026
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS!
The 2026 points season for the Carolina Sprint Tour presented by GSR-Glenn Styres Racing Chassis wraps up this weekend with a $1,000-to-win championship showdown at Lake View Motor Speedway in Nichols, South Carolina, on Saturday, September 26.
This will mark the first series event at Lake View since February of last season. Two rainouts — one in June 2025 and another in May of this season — have delayed the tour’s return to the South Carolina dirt track.
Now, after the long wait, the Carolina Sprint Tour returns with a championship on the line.
Who will take home the title?
By the numbers, there are two drivers still in the hunt.
First is Josh Shantz, originally from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and now residing in Salisbury, North Carolina. Shantz enters the finale second in points, 15 points behind the championship leader, but with plenty of momentum on his side.
Shantz is coming off a victory at Carolina Speedway on September 11, where he led flag-to-flag to capture his third career Carolina Sprint Tour victory. Now, he heads to Lake View with an opportunity to turn that late-season momentum into his first series championship.
Standing in his way is defending champion George Loux of Maiden, North Carolina.
Loux and his Finally Racing team have been the definition of consistency throughout the 2026 season, finishing every race inside the top seven. Loux enters Lake View looking to become the first driver in series history to win back-to-back championships while also joining Jacob McLain as the only two-time champions in Carolina Sprint Tour history.
With an average finish of 3.36, Loux’s 2026 campaign compares favorably with his championship run last season and championship seasons from drivers such as Jake Karklin in 2019 and Scott Lawrence in 2016.
For Shantz to overcome the deficit, he must finish 15 positions ahead of Loux to tie him in points. Should Shantz win Saturday night’s feature and the two finish tied in the standings, Shantz would claim the championship on the second tiebreaker — second-place finishes.
CAROLINA SPRINT TOUR HISTORY AT LAKE VIEW
The list of Carolina Sprint Tour winners at Lake View reads like a potential future wing of the CST Hall of Fame.
Leraas. Surniak. Karklin. Brandon McLain. Tucker. Oliver. Jake McLain.
And most recently, in 2025, National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Jadan Bowling added his name to that list.
But when the Carolina Sprint Tour returns Saturday, competitors will find a slightly different Lake View Motor Speedway.
Track owner Scott Tripp and his team have installed new Jersey barriers around both ends of the speedway, replacing the large dirt berms that previously surrounded the corners.
The change is certainly a major improvement from a safety standpoint, but it could also change the characteristics of the racing. The old dirt berms provided extra racing room and helped produce some wild action over the years, while the new barriers make the racing surface feel narrower.
It may take some getting used to, but one thing remains the same: the Carolina Sprint Tour is coming to Lake View to put on a show.
And when the final checkered flag falls, there are two major questions left to answer.
Will George Loux finish off another remarkably consistent season and become the first back-to-back champion in Carolina Sprint Tour history?
Can Josh Shantz complete the late-season charge and steal the championship in the final race?
Or will someone else spoil the championship party, grab their first victory of the season and end 2026 with a trip to “Pop Hahn’s Victory Lane?”
It all comes down to Lake View.
📸: Highside TV
