Ryan Roberts

Ending his run on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Spencer Hughes of Meridian, Miss., said today he’s departed the Birmingham, Ala.-based JCM Motorsports No. 19m team with plans to focus on building street stock chassis with his 4Way Fab Shop business.

The 23-year-old Hughes, who joined the JCM team in October 2023, won five Super Late Model events for the Colten Miller-owned team, all in 2024. He made 30 Lucas Oil feature starts with the team in 2025 with one top-five and three top-10 finishes and stood 11th in series points before missing Saturday’s national tour action at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky.

“I’m thankful for all of it, Colten and his family and everyone that’s been with him that’s been able to do it for me the couple years,” said Hughes, who left the team last week. “Just sometimes life takes you down different paths. He wanted to continue pursuing the Lucas Oil Late Model Series and I just wasn’t really in the position at this time to do so.”

Hughes, a standout street stock driver with three victories in the division this season, wants to commit his time to building race cars.

“I just wanted to be able to, if you go into the race car business, you have to do the manual work when it’s within your control and do what you’re supposed to do there,” said Hughes, who is also finishing the construction of a house and will soon become a father.

“I felt like it was in the best interest for me personally in my life to run more of a regional schedule for the back half of this year until we can get all our ducks in a row,” he said. “Colten wanted to continue on. He wanted to go on Lucas and stuff, and I just believe I have to do what’s right for me and everyone around me. There was no big blow up either. I talked to him, and he talked to his wife. And they understand.”

Miller wasn’t immediately available for comment.