Editor’s Note: This is an installment in a series outlining personal perspectives, memories and standout moments from the crew here at Liberty Racing Review. Here, LRR Co-Founder JP French shares his favorite weekend from the 2025 season.

HOOVER, Alabama (January 4, 2026) — Some weekends don’t announce their importance right away. They don’t arrive with a single headline moment or one defining finish. They just unfold, race by race, mile by mile, until you realize you’re standing in the middle of something you’ll remember long after the season fades into results and stat lines.

That’s how Memorial Day weekend felt in 2025.

The road led first to Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina, a place where the future tends to show up early and doesn’t wait to be noticed. Under the lights, the next generation went to work. CARS Tour champion Caden Kvapil claimed the Open Division victory, racing alongside his brother Carson, while familiar last names filled the pit area. More than one grandchild of Dale Earnhardt was in the field, carrying a legacy that still echoes across short tracks. And if you haven’t heard the name Wyatt Miller yet, you will soon.

The following day offered a completely different pace. The Liberty Racing Review crew met up with fellow media members and, for a brief window, traded press passes for helmets. We climbed into go-karts at Trackhouse Motorplex and went racing ourselves. For a few laps, the job disappeared. No deadlines, no quotes to chase—just the simple reminder of why people fall in love with racing in the first place.

That night, the sport’s past came back into focus at Hickory Motor Speedway. There are tracks that host races, and then there are tracks that carry history in their walls. Hickory has been shaping drivers long before most of today’s stars were born. The evening opened with a Young Lions Legends car race, a subtle but powerful reminder that the pipeline never really stops. Among the field were the children of NASCAR Cup Series champions Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, taking early laps in front of a crowd at a place that has launched countless careers before them. From there, the ASA STARS Tour brought Super Late Models to the “Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars,” and the racing matched the weight of the setting. Colby Howard won the ‘Ross & Witmer 255 presented by Appalachian Sucker Punch,’ while NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott finished second. It felt less like a novelty appearance and more like another chapter added to a track that has seen generations come and go.

The next morning slowed things down just enough to take it all in. Alongside the Liberty Racing Review founder, I toured parts of the sport most fans never get to see up close: 23XI Racing’s Airspeed facility, the Joe Gibbs Racing complex, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It was a reminder that for every lap turned on track, there are countless hours spent building, studying, and preserving what racing is and where it’s been.

From there, the journey continued to Newport Speedway in eastern Tennessee for the ASA debut at the recently renovated facility. Tucked into the foothills of the Appalachians, the track felt alive again, like a place that had been waiting for racing to return in a meaningful way. Derek Kraus proved it by charging from the back of the field to the win after missing qualifying due to NASCAR Cup Series obligations. It was a drive built on patience, experience, and knowing when to go.

All roads eventually led to Charlotte.

Reid and I capped the weekend at the Coca-Cola 600, one of the sport’s true crown jewels. Ross Chastain’s victory felt like the right kind of ending—not just to a race, but to a weekend that had already delivered more moments than anyone could ask for.

It was a fitting close to an unforgettable Memorial Day stretch. Next year, I’ll head back to Speedway, Indiana, ready to see what the Month of May has waiting there. But no matter what comes next, Memorial Day weekend in 2025 will stand apart. Not because of one result or one headline, but because it captured racing at every level—its future, its history, and everything in between.

Editors Note: JP French is one of the Co-Founders of Liberty Racing Review, playing a vital role behind the scenes. At the track, JP can often be seen supporting the reporters and photographers in content gathering, operating equipment, and other general support roles. Look for more personal perspectives from the team at LRR in near future.

Photos: Reid Scott