Trey Burke To Make zMAX CARS Tour Debut With Hettinger Racing

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 30, 2025) – Trey Burke will make his zMAX CARS Tour debut this week when he climbs behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chevrolet for Hettinger Racing in Wednesday night’s Pro Late Model feature as part of the Firecracker 265 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina.

With a racing career made predominantly in open-wheel machines, Burke has transitioned to Late Model stock cars in 2025. The 20-year-old from Alvin, Texas, competed in USAC Silver Crown the last two years after spending 2020-2022 within the Road to Indy ladder system, specifically, the U.S. F2000 National Championship Series and Indy Pro 2000 Championship Series. This year, Burke has been a regular at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway racing in the track’s Limited Sportsman division, where the rookie is second in the championship standings.

“I’m definitely enjoying Late Model racing and, especially, the longer races,” said Burke, who began racing at age 9 in Junior Sprints. “I got to experience longer races in the Silver Crown car and really liked it. And even with the handful of races I’ve run at Hickory this year, knowing that you need to take care of your racecar and yourself, the planning and the executing appeals to me. You’ve got to finesse everything. You can’t just go out there for 50 laps and hope for the best. You need to be strategic.”

The CARS Tour is the next step in Burke’s progression.

“I know the CARS Tour is super competitive. I’d heard about it long before I moved down here and had anything to do with stock car racing,” said Burke, who relocated from Indiana to Mooresville, North Carolina, earlier this year.

“The CARS Tour carries a lot of prestige. Success on the CARS Tour means you’re doing a lot of things right. Being able to come here with a great team in such a strong series and have the opportunity to do really well is something I’m excited about.”

Hettinger Racing is a staple of the CARS Tour, regularly fielding two or more cars for aspiring drivers. Owned by second-generation racer Chris Hettinger, the team also competes in select ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. The operation serves as a one-stop shop for drivers looking to compete in these stepping-stone divisions and advance to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and, ultimately, the top-tier NASCAR Cup Series. 

“It’s always good to run with a team that has its feet in different waters,” Burke said. “If you’re running with Hettinger on the CARS Tour, then you’re going to be one of the first people they look at when there’s a seat available at another race or in another series. This is a great opportunity and I’m really thankful for it.”

The Burke name has been associated with USAC racing for more than five decades. Trey’s grandfather, Ronnie Sr., made 34 Silver Crown starts between 1971-1997 while Trey’s great uncle, Jackie Burke, made 18 Silver Crown starts between 1996-2016. Trey’s father, Ronnie Burke Jr., competed extensively in Midgets.

Stock cars, however, are where the youngest Burke aims to make his mark.

“I want to run the CARS Tour fulltime next year,” said Burke, with Caraway one of a handful of CARS Tour races he has slated for this season. “It’s the best place to get some really good stock-car experience and hone your race craft. I want to perform well, be consistent, and just make a good impression so we can set ourselves up for 2026.”

The 100-lap Pro Late Model feature at Caraway goes green on Wednesday at 8:10 p.m. EDT with live-streaming provided by FloRacing.