Ahead of North Wilkesboro, CARS Tour drivers answer: Who's the toughest driver you've ever raced?

On average, a driver will face anywhere between hundreds or even thousands of competitors on track during his or her career.

Young prospects and seasoned veterans alike are tested by their on-track competition with every single weekend, yet there remain a select few who have left a strong impression — whether that’s because of their on-track accomplishments or how they perfected their race craft over a sustained period.

As the CARS Tour prepares to tackle North Wilkesboro Speedway on Wednesday, drivers from both divisions recently looked back on those who challenged them the most and left a profound impact on either short-track racing or motorsports in general.

RELATED: How to watch this week’s late model races at North Wilkesboro

Here is who members of the CARS Tour driver roster single out as the toughest competitor they have ever faced:

Layne Riggs (No. 99 Riggs Racing — LMSC)

“The Truck Series is full of tough drivers, but in the Late Model world, Lee Pulliam, Josh Berry and Deac McCaskill are about the three toughest ones you go to. They have really good equipment every weekend, their cars are always on point, and they never miss behind the wheel. It‘s an all-around package, so us being the small team that we are, conquering them sometimes means a lot.”

Bobby McCarty (No. 6 R&S Race Cars — LMSC)

“I would say Lee [Pulliam]. The toughest thing about Lee was his car control. It was phenomenal and it was hard to tell if he was pushing the car or if he was riding. When you race somebody like that, it‘s hard to judge what they‘re really doing. I learned a lot from the guy.”

Carson Kvapil (No. 8 JR Motorsports — LMSC)

“With Late Models, [the toughest] is definitely Josh Berry. When he comes and runs, there‘s a good chance he‘ll just kill us all and win. Connor Hall was pretty fast every race last year, but Josh is pretty legit.”

Deac McCaskill (No. 08 McCaskill Motorsports — LMSC)

“That‘s an easy answer. It‘s Josh Berry. He doesn‘t ever make mistakes. I learned a long time ago racing against him at Orange County [Speedway] that he was smooth as glass. He figured out that place really fast and you couldn‘t get him to mess up. [There was] no doubt he was the best.”

Kaden Honeycutt (No. 10 Mike Darne Racing — LMSC)

“It‘s hard to say because there are so many good people. Carson [Kvapil] and Connor Hall are tied at the top for me. You can always count on them being up front and everywhere they go, they are always so strong. You‘re usually chasing one of the two.”

Connor Hall (No. 77 Chad Bryant Racing — LMSC)

“The toughest driver that I‘ve raced against in the CARS Tour is Mason Diaz. It‘s like passing Ryan Newman. If the track is 20 feet wide, [Diaz‘s] back bumper is 21 feet [wide]. He‘s what I would call a blue-collar racer and always has a chip on his shoulder. Mason gives it 101 percent.”

Mason Diaz (No. 24 Chad Bryant Racing — LMSC)

“It‘s not just one [driver] for me. If you look back to years prior, Josh Berry was a great one, so was [Bobby] McCarty, [Connor] Hall, [Chad] McCumbee, [Sam] Yarbrough and so on. Last year, it was Carson [Kvapil]. Whoever is in the top five is the best in the series during that week. People can hit [the setup] one week and miss it the next, but when they‘re up front, they are the best.”

Brenden Queen (No. 03 Lee Pulliam Performance — LMSC)

“I‘m biased because I run Langley [Speedway], but Greg Edwards is super hard to beat there. On a more national level, racing against Lee [Pulliam], Philip [Morris] and those guys was so tough. I learned a lot and now I‘m driving for one of the guys that whooped my tail every week. Hopefully he can pass some of his greatness down to me.”

Brandon Pierce (No. 2 Lee Pulliam Performance — LMSC)

“It‘s a toss-up between my boss [Lee Pulliam] and Josh [Berry]. They are so good at their craft and on days they may be off, you have to capitalize on it. With those two, they are not off their game very much, but I wouldn‘t even call it that. They can take a car that isn‘t all that great and still win with it, and that‘s hard to do. Those two were clean racers as well, and I‘m lucky enough to call one of them my boss.”

Jacob Heafner (No. 95 Carroll Speedshop) — LMSC)

“The obvious answer is Josh Berry. I don‘t think I‘ve ever beaten him straight up. Him, Lee Pulliam and Philip Morris were some that were really good when I first got into Late Model Stock racing, so I think very highly of their talent.”

Caden Kvapil (No. 96 Highlands Motorsports — PLM)

“In the CARS Tour, particularly last year, [the toughest] was probably William Sawalich. He was pretty dominant and got six wins even though he didn‘t run the full year. I learned a lot from him and how he races, so I want to build off what I learned from him.”

Katie Hettinger (No. 81 Anthony Campi Racing — PLM)

“When I ran North Wilkesboro, I went up against Dale [Earnhardt Jr.], and he was pretty good. Pretty much all the drivers in the [CARS Tour] Late Model series are good, but [Dale] had so much experience and he knew how to pace that race.”

Ryan Millington (No. 15 Millington Motorsports — LMSC)

“The toughest I ever raced against was probably Josh [Berry] at Hickory [Motor Speedway] in 2020. We ran against each other all year and I learned more than I ever did in that one year. Josh is good every weekend he shows up to the track.”

Dylon Wilson (No. 4 TwoBoros Performance Shop — LMSC)

“The idea of toughest can be interpreted how you want, but there‘s a whole different level of competition with the CARS Tour. The JR Motorsports cars are always good, but even though I only battled Lee Pulliam one time, it was still neat to be around a childhood hero like him. Right now, everyone in [the CARS] Tour is tough.”

Andrew Grady (No. 1 Mike Darne Racing — LMSC)

“In the CARS Tour, the toughest driver I‘ve gone up against is [Carson] Kvapil. He is super good and super consistent. Josh Berry [was another good one] obviously, but on a weekly basis, Lee Pulliam was the toughest. When Lee came to Southern National [Motorsports Park] on Saturday nights hunting his title, it was on.”

Chad McCumbee (No. 16 McCumbee Elliott Racing — LMSC)

“There is so many guys I can think of, and across the years, that changes. When I started racing Late Models at Myrtle Beach, Robert Powell was dominating, and he had a great career down there. Then you move up into different ranks and race against guys like Frank Kimmel in ARCA, along with all those guys at the top level.

“There are great kids coming up who will have a good future in this sport, but you also have to look at guys with a lot of experience at this level who have won tons of races and championships like Lee Pulliam and Deac McCaskill. This entire series is tough right now, but Carson [Kvapil] in particular is doing great with his team. They are the guys everyone is shooting for right now.

“[The toughest driver] changes throughout your career.”