#96 Highlands Motorsports in action at New Smyrna with Derek Thorn driving…

Caden Kvapil & Highlands Motorsports celebrating 2023 CARS Pro Late Model championship.

 

Getting to Know Highlands Motorsports
An ASA STARS Platinum Team Spotlight presented by Rackley Roofing

 

Highlands Motorsports is a Virginia based team that is owned by Wade & Sheila Lopez and Josh Reeves. They won back-to-back championships in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series in 2022-2023. This season, they made the decision to run Super Late Models with the ASA STARS National Tour and brought Derek Thorn on to run full-time for the ASA STARS National Tour Championship.

 

Wade Lopez - Owner
 

Wade Lopez has long had a passion for racing and officially started his racing career as a driver at Lonesome Pine International Raceway and  Kingsport Speedway racing in Limited Late Models. He moved up to the Late Model division where he won a track championship. After that, he switched to being a car owner and owned cars that competed in the Goody’s Dash Series and the Hooters Pro Cup Series.

 

Following a 10-year racing hiatus that started in 2007 to focus on business, Lopez decided to get back into being a car owner and brought on driver Josh Reeves to race for them. They went on to win the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour event at the Bristol Motor Speedway in 2018. In 2021 Highlands Motorsports brought Josh Reeves on board as an owner. They ran a limited schedule in 2021 with drivers, Josh Berry, Grant Enfinger and Zane Smith. Highlands won back-to-back championships in 2022 with Luke Fenhaus and 2023 with Caden Kvapil in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series. Now, Lopez is co-owner of Highlands Motorsports with Josh Reeves.

 

By trade, Lopez is the founder and CEO of Concord Wealth Partners, a wealth management company headquartered in Abingdon, VA but with offices Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, and West Virginia.The company is a leader in comprehensive planning and helps build, grow, and protect its clients wealth at every stage of their financial lives.

 

Josh Reeves - Owner/Crew Chief
 

Josh Reeves is the crew chief and co-owner for Highlands Motorsports. Reeves graduated with a degree in Motorsports Mechanical Engineering. He started working for Crosley Sports Group and was an important piece in starting their ARCA program. He then went on to work for Roush Fenway Racing and served as the car chief to Ty Majeski in the ARCA Menards Series.

 

Reeves has also got behind the wheel and raced himself. He’s a former winner in the JEGS/CRA All Stars Tour at Bristol Motor Speedway and has made select starts in the ARCA Menards Series and has one start in the NASCAR Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway.

 

In 2022, Reeves and Lopez decided to run full time with the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series and brought on Luke Fenhaus to race the 96 car. They went on to win the Championship with Fenhaus and had 2 poles, 11 top 5’s and 12 top 10’s. In 2023, Caden Kvapil drove for Highlands Motorsports and they won the Pro Late Model Championship again. They also won the Owners points and the Keen Parts Challenge. Last season, they ran a partial schedule with TJ DeCaire. Now in 2025, they brought in Derek Thorn to run a Super Late Model in the ASA STARS National Tour.

 

Derek Thorn - Driver
 

Bakersfield, California native Derek Thorn is set to make a run at the 2025 ASA STARS National Tour Championship with Highlands Motorsports. Thorn is considered one of the top drivers in the country and rightfully so. He’s a 6-time Spears Southwest Tour Champion and a 2-time ARCA Menards Series West Champion. Thorn is also a 2-time winner of the Snowflake 100 and a former winner of the coveted Snowball Derby.

 

Appalachian Heritage Distillery is a proud sponsor of Highlands Motorsports. Located in Damascus, Virginia, Appalachian Heritage Distillery is the only distillery on the Appalachian Trail. They specialize in Bourbon, Vodka, Gin, Rye and Whiskey. They also launched a new product called Appalachian Sucker Punch which is a malt beverage that comes in 5 different flavors.