Mooresville, NC 1/23/17- The Road to Bristol for the CARS Tour will go through two tracks on the 2017 schedule leading up to the Inaugural U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway on May 19-21, 2017. First, the event at Dominion Raceway on March 25th will give one Super Late Model driver a chance to leave the ultra-fast Virginia track with a top 29 starting position at Bristol in May. Following Dominion, Late Model Stock drivers will get their shot at a top 26 provisional starting spot in Thunder Valley when the tour visits Hickory Motor Speedway on May 6th.
Each of the lock-in events are comprised of the new Dual format races and will feature single-car qualifying at each event, with lap one of record-setting the starting field of race one, and lap two of qualifying setting the starting lineup for race two. The driver who has the highest average overall finishing position between the two races will be awarded the Bristol provisional. If a tie occurs with multiple drivers scoring the same average finish, a tie breaker will revert to qualifying results.
“These lock in races play perfectly into our new dual format races. The duel format races with the highest average finisher earning the Bristol provisional, without question opens the door to more competitors having an opportunity to win that golden ticket for the U.S. Nationals in May,” stated CARS Tour Series Director, Chris Ragle. “There’s very much an opportunity for a driver to finish fourth in both races, for example, and earn a starting spot for Bristol. The door is wide open to everyone this way and that’s something we really like and the competitors should too.”
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Announces Road to Bristol Lock in Races at Dominion and Hickory’
Mooresville, NC 1/16/17- On the heels of honoring the 2016 champions at the annual CARS Tour banquet held at Hendrick Motorsports Team Center in Concord, NC. The CARS Tour is proud to announce multiple qualifying and race event formats for the upcoming 2017 season, set to kick off March 11th at Concord (NC) Speedway. The formats are meant to add identity, strategy, and variety to the young touring series heading into its third season of competition.
Three different qualifying formats will be used over the course of the twelve race season. Traditional single car qualifying will continue to set the starting field at select events, with the fastest car starting from the pole position, just as has been done since the series inception in 2015. New for 2017 will be Group Qualifying, in which drivers will be grouped via random draw, and have five laps to set fast time. The fastest qualifier overall will start from the pole position for the feature event. Perhaps the most intriguing new qualifying format for 2017 will be Knockout Two Step Qualifying. Teams will get eight minutes in round one to make a qualifying attempt, with the fastest eight competitors advancing to round two. After a short four-minute break between rounds, round two participants will get five minutes to qualify on the pole position for the events feature race. With hopes of increased fan attendance for qualifying CARS Tour officials will make an effort to schedule these timed sessions closer to the feature event start times.
Similar to qualifying, three different race formats will be utilized throughout the 2017 season. The majority of the events will still see the traditional 100-150 green flag lap races that followers of the CARS Tour have become accustomed. The two new race formats introduced for the upcoming year will be Duel and Live Pit Stop race formats. In duel events, each division will have two 50-75 lap feature events each paying $2,500 to win and $300 to start with each race awarding championship points. Thus the 2017 championship battle will see drivers have fifteen chances to earn points at twelve different events.
Continue reading ‘Variety of Qualifying and Race Formats Coming to the CARS Tour Schedule in 2017’
Concord, N.C. — After a long evaluation, Crooks Racing has chosen eight finalists for the 2017 S.T.A.R. Tryouts. The announcement was made at the Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis, IN on Saturday and the drivers come from a variety of backgrounds and regions across America. Some are already recognizable names that have put in strong runs at big events; others have yet to be discovered and are hoping this is their chance.
Crooks Racing owner, Gary Crooks, believes his team will be extremely competitive with any of these eight drivers and that all eight of the drivers have the potential to make it in racing.
“We would like to thank everyone who submitted their resumes to participate in our program,” said Crooks. “We feel we have selected a wide array of drivers with very competitive backgrounds. We are looking forward to working with each of them through the next phase of our program.”
Continue reading ‘Crooks Racing Announces Eight S.T.A.R. Tryouts Finalists’
CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: CSX Play It Safe 250 pres. by MMIA – Southern National Motorsports Park
3PM – November 12, 2016
MOORESVILLE, NC (November 8, 2016): The CARS Tour will visit Eastern North Carolina for the second time this season as they close out the 2016 season at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina. Fans at the 4/10thmile track saw Deac McCaskill dominate the Late Model Stock race and then Quin Houff outduel 2015 tour champion Cole Timm in the Super Late Models to score his second career CARS Tour victory to kick off the year. Now it’s the same guy by the name of McCaskill that could be crowned the 2016 Late Model Stock champion; while its French-Canadian sensation Raphael Lessard who has all but wrapped up his Super Late Model championship in his rookie season with the tour, that all eyes will be on this weekend. Despite those championship implications on the line, multiple drivers that are local to the Southern National race track, hope they can steal a win at their home track before the CARS Tour goes dormant at the Motorsports Park in 2017. One major factor for all involved this weekend could be the special VP Racing adhesive the CARS Tour officials will be spraying in the second and third lane with hopes to produce a wider racing grove than normal at the 4/10 mile track.
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: CSX Play It Safe 250 pres. by MMIA – Southern National Motorsports Park’
NEWTON, NC (Oct. 31, 2016) — Deac McCaskill and Brandon Setzer emerged victorious in an event that featured a combined 16 lead changes among 10 drivers during Saturday night’s CARS Tour Cloer Construction at Hickory Motor Speedway. It was McCaskill’s second win of the season, extending his point lead heading into the season finale, and Setzer’s first this season. For both, it was also their third career win in the series.
LATE MODEL STOCK RECAP
Tommy Lemons, Jr., improved his odds in the CARS Tour championship chase by winning the Hedgecock Racing Pole Position in qualifying, a feat worth an extra point in his championship chase of Deac McCaskill. Craig Moore, a series interloper, started outside of Lemons in only his second career race.
Lemons charged to the point on the drop of the green flag, but his stay there was short-lived as former NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Stephen Leicht rocketed to the front in his Jani-King No. 5 car to lead from lap 5 until a caution on lap 15 for a multi-car incident on the frontstretch involving Layne Riggs, Chris Denny, and Thomas Beane. Riggs ultimately parked his ride due to damage from the accident.
Continue reading ‘McCaskill, Setzer Victorious in Ultra-Competitive CARS Tour Hickory Event’
CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: Cloer Construction 300 – Hickory Motor Speedway
7:30PM – October 29, 2016
MOORESVILLE, NC (October 25, 2016): What was supposed to be the 2016 season finale for the CARS Tour; this weekend’s Cloer Construction 300 at Hickory Motor Speedway, will be race nine on the 2016 schedule setting up the season finale on November 12th at Southern National Motorsports Park. The twin 150 lap races will see an increase in purse due to lap sponsorship being paid in both divisions. Each sponsored lap will award $30 per lap to the leader and $20 to the tenth position respectively. The bonus money could see track favorites like Josh Berry, Stephen Leicht, Brandon Setzer, and Preston Peltier come to the front in a hurry and walk away with a bigger payday than normal. The battle for the tenth position should be just as intriguing. Meanwhile, championship contenders Deac McCaskill and Raphael Lessard must come away with solid finishes if they want to have some breathing room to clinch their first ever CARS Tour championship two weeks later.
Continue reading ‘S Tour Event Preview: Cloer Construction 300 – Hickory Motor Speedway’
Concord, N.C. — Each year football teams around America hold try-outs to search for that hidden talent that nobody else has found. Football players showcase their skills in high-school and college tryouts with the hopes of one day making it to the big leagues. In racing, those try-outs are rare or non-existent, until now.
A new program, Short Track Auto Racing Tryouts, or STAR Tryouts for short, is being conducted by Crooks Racing as they analyze short track racing talent in an effort to put a driver in the team’s Super Late Model program in 2017.
Crooks Racing is asking for drivers to send in their applications to possibly be selected for their program. However, this isn’t any ordinary application process. Crooks Racing will host a “gong-show” style of event to determine who will race for the team for in 2017.
Continue reading ‘Driver Talent Search – STAR Tryouts to Decide a Potent Ride’
Mooresville, NC 10/6/16- Next season the CARS Tour will see plenty of newness as the tour unveils its upcoming 2017 schedule. A return to the state of Virginia, three new tracks to the tour, and more than ten races in a single season for the first time ever in series history highlights the 2017 season. In addition to the above mentioned, the CARS Tour will kick off the season for the first time ever in the month of March, beating this year’s season opener date, which took place the first weekend in April.
“We wanted to get a little earlier start in the season than we have had in the past, “explained series owner Jack McNelly. “Starting in March lets us get a few races in before the racing season gets too hectic around here. We’ll host those races in March during the afternoon so our fans can still enjoy the show in the most pleasurable weather as possible. It should be a great way to start the year.”
The three new tracks hosting CARS Tour events next season will be the all new Dominion Raceway, Anderson Motor Speedway in Anderson, South Carolina, and South Boston Speedway, which will feature fresh new asphalt once repaving is complete over the off season.
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Unveils 2017 Season Schedule’
CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: CSX Play It Safe 250 pres. by MMIA – Southern National Motorsports Park
7:30PM – September 3, 2016
MOORESVILLE, NC (August 30, 2016): The CARS Tour will visit Eastern North Carolina for the second time this season as they return to the site of the 2016 season opener, Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina, for race number eight on the year. Fans at the 4/10th mile track saw Deac McCaskill dominate the Late Model Stock race and then Quin Houff outdueled 2015 tour champion Cole Timm in the Super Late Models to score his second career CARS Tour victory. Both McCaskill and Houff will have a shot at history by sweeping both events in a single season; a feat that hasn’t been done in CARS Tour competition in either division. They along with the rest of the field could be in for a different race than the one in April. Hot temperatures throughout the Labor Day weekend will make the high banked track very slick and make searching for grip a driver’s focus throughout the weekend’s on track activities.
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Event Preview: CSX Play It Safe 250 pres. by MMIA – Southern National Motorsports Park’
CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: Summertime Showdown 250 – Orange County Speedway
7:30PM – July 30, 2016
MOORESVILLE, NC (July 26, 2016): The CARS Tour returns to the thrilling Orange County Speedway after a midsummer break marking the mid-season point of the 2016 schedule. The major headline of the event in the Late Model Stock division is the absence of JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry, who will be competing in the Iowa Xfinity Series race Saturday night. Berry, who is the only LMSC repeat winner, is just seven points behind point leader Deac McCaskill. However, the JR Motorsports team can still win the series owner’s championship as they have tapped newcomer Scott Bishop to drive the #88B ride. The Super Late Model division will see several newcomers this weekend including Chandler Smith, Wade Day, and dirt ace Tanner Thorson in what looks to be a stacked field at Orange County. No driver has been able to repeat as a winner in the division, will this weekend make six different winners in six races, or will a driver double up for the first time this season making a serious bid toward winning the championship?
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: Summertime Showdown 250 – Orange County Speedway’
MOORESVILLE, NC (May 4, 2016) — When Chris Ragle addressed a sea of CARS Tour competitors at SRI Performance a little over a year ago, he promised better use of technology in all facets of the new series and, so far, has yet to disappoint. The latest step in the technological train, a dedicated CARS Tour channel for Roku®, was promised for the first part of the 2016 season and is now available.
What is Roku? Roku is a device that connects traditional television sets to the internet and allows users to access content from all their favorite providers such as Netflix, Hulu and now the CARS Tour. In 2015, Roku streamed 5.5 billion hours of content and ended the year with 9 million monthly active accounts. Roku streaming players are available in most popular retail stores such as Walmart and Best Buy and also come bundled with some newer TVs. In other words, Roku has now put the excitement and thrills of the CARS Racing Tour into nearly 10 million households.
“There’s no question this is the wave of the future,” said Chris Ragle, director of operations for the CARS Tour. “More and more people are ‘cutting the cord’ and transitioning to devices like Roku for their entertainment, and we’re thrilled to now be part of that product offering. We quietly did a soft launch around a week ago to iron out any bugs and get initial feedback, and already over 1200 accounts have installed CARS Tour TV. I think that’s pretty impressive.”
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour TV Now Available on Roku Devices’
CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: Orange Blossom 300 pres. by The Grilling Store – Orange County Speedway
7:30PM – April 16, 2016
MOORESVILLE, NC (April 12, 2016): Known as one of the fastest 3/8th-mile tracks, Orange County Speedway produces some of the best racing short track fans will see in the Carolinas. With that being said it’s also one of the most physical tracks on race equipment. The multi-groove racing surface often creates disagreements among drivers upon exiting the turns, which then turns into incidents and good runs gone bad. Racing at Orange County is just as much about racing the track as your fellow competitor. Super Late Model regulars like Cole Timm, Quin Houff, and Nicole Behar will have their work cut out for them this weekend as NASCAR Truck regulars John Hunter Nemechek and Christopher Bell return to the track they both enjoy competing at. On the Late Model Stock side of things, several drivers with home track advantage like Ronald Hill, Justin Johnson, and Chris Davis could all have good runs with their knowledge of racing around the lighting fast facility.
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Event Preview: April 16th Orange Blossom 300 at Orange County Speedway’
April 3, 2016 — Quin Houff (Super Late Model) and Deac McCaskill (Late Model Stock) captured their respective portions of the season-opening #CARSTour300 in dominant fashion on Sunday afternoon at Southern National Motorsports Park.
Super Late Model Recap:
Trevor Noles led the field of super late models to the green flag with 2015 CARS Super Late Model Tour powered by VP Fuel champion Cole Timm alongside on the front row. Timm wrestled the early lead away from Noles and held the top spot through the first eight circuits. On lap nine, the No. 17 Chevrolet of Quin Houff took the lead away from Timm.
Houff began to set a torrid pace as the race settled into a long, green flag run until the only caution flag waved for a minor spin in turn four at lap 108. Timm once again had the better restart restart and retook the lead at the stripe on lap 109. However, Timm’s glory was short-lived as just a few laps later Houff bypassed him once again on lap 116.
[Photo Gallery] by Brad Newman
Continue reading ‘Quin Houff and Deac McCaskill Dominate #CARSTour300 To Open Tour’s Sophomore Season’
Mooresville, NC 2/10/16- Continuing to build during the off season in preparation for 2016; CARS Tour officials are proud to announce that Ford Performance has signed on to bolster the all new CARS Tour Loyalty Program set to begin this season. Ford Performance joins the already involved, VP Racing Fuels and Hoosier Race Tires, in joint efforts to kick off the inaugural platform for participating competitors.
The Ford Performance program will award $300 cash to the top three highest finishing Late Model Stock competitors on the CARS Tour Loyalty Program utilizing the Ford D347SR or Ford 347R7 crate motors beginning with race six on the 2016 schedule. Once the award has been won by a competitor in an event, the next three highest-finishing Ford competitors on the Loyalty Program having not won the award, will be eligible for the cash bonus.
“Right after we announced the Loyalty Program, Mike Delahanty with Ford Performance, told us that he wanted Ford to be a part of the loyalty program for competitors,” explained Chris Ragle, Director of Operations for the CARS Tour. “The way the bonus program is structured should impact every Loyalty Program competitor utilizing a Ford engine. This will add additional value to an already great program. As we’ve been saying, if you invest in competing with the CARS Tour we will invest in you the competitor.”
Continue reading ‘Ford Performance Bolsters CARS Tour Loyalty Program for Late Model Stocks’
Mooresville, NC 2/1/16- For the second year in a row the 2016 CARS Tour Media Day will take place at SRI Performance, formerly Roush Yates Performance Products, located in the Lakeside Park area of Mooresville, NC. Set for Wednesday March 9th at 7:30pm the evening will cover rules, procedures, and media orientation for the upcoming 2016 season. Once again the event will be streamed live online via RacefeedX by visiting the CARS Tour website for those not able to attend in person.
The evening will begin with introduction of new and existing CARS Tour staff members, followed by the introduction of the SRI Performance partnership with the tour and the company’s place within the industry since its offseason acquisition of Roush Yates Performance Products and CV Products.
From there all attendees and those viewing will learn of new procedures and rule changes taking place for the upcoming season. The all new CARS Tour Loyalty Program will also be discussed in depth, painting a clear picture of how to qualify for the program in 2016. The night will conclude with a question and answer session along with media obligation for teams in attendance about the upcoming season. Team members, drivers, and owners are all encouraged to attend if at all possible.
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour 2016 Media Day Set for March 9th at SRI Performance’
Mooresville, NC 1/20/16- After a historic year in the inaugural CARS Tour season that saw an average of 55 cars per event between the two divisions, the Mooresville, North Carolina-based sanctioning body is proud to announce a loyalty program beginning in 2016. The program will be based on participation and not performance and is expected to take the tour to new heights in the future.
In addition to paying one of the best late model purses in the country, $5,500 to win and $550 to start for a total of $29,375 per division on thirty car fields, competitors will now qualify for free items such as VP Racing Fuel and Hoosier race tires, when showing their loyalty to the CARS Tour.
The program takes effect after a team competes in the first five races on the 2016 schedule. At the sixth race in the season (June 25th Greenville-Pickens) all program qualified teams will receive 20 gallons of VP-CRT race fuel for free. Beginning with race number seven (July 30th Orange County Speedway) every team on the program will receive one free Hoosier F-45RS tire throughout the remaining events as long as they do not miss a race. Points standing position does not dictate the ability to be qualified for the program.
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Announces Loyalty Program for 2016, Program to Take Tour to the Next Level’
SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 18, 2016) Officials with the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Tour today announced VP Racing Fuels will continue as the series’ “Official Fuel” through the 2018 season. Under the agreement, VP’s CRT™, a proprietary race fuel blend for exclusive use by all CARS competitors, has been designated as Spec Fuel for the series. In addition to being named the official fuel of the tour, VP Racing Fuels will be the title sponsor of the Super Late Model division. The CARS Super Late Model Tour fueled by VP Racing Fuels, along with the CARS Late Model Stock Car division, takes the green flag on the 2016 season beginning April 2nd.
“VP Racing Fuels has supported our endeavors dating back to the Pro Cup Series day and have never wavered with that support. To be able to announce a long term partnership with them says a lot about their commitment to our series and our competitors going forward,” said Jack McNelly, owner of CARS Tour. “A solid marketing partner like VP Racing Fuels as our Super Late Model division sponsor allows the series to grow in a direction we desire; just as VP wants to grow within the short track pavement market along with us.”
“We’re very pleased to continue our partnership with the CARS Tour,” said Chris Wall, VP’s Chief Marketing Officer. “The CARS Tour provides a great proving ground for younger racers and we appreciate the opportunity to provide them and their veteran counterparts with a top quality fuel like CRT. We look forward to working with Jack and his team to help grow the series for years to come.”
Continue reading ‘VP Racing Fuels the Official Fuel of CARS Tour, Named Title Sponsor of Super Late Model Division’
DENVER, NC (Dec. 8, 2015) – Popular Canadian welder-turned-racer Sarah Cornett-Ching announced her 2016 racing plans today. As many anticipated, she will continue to race with Tony Blanchard and RACE 101 during 2016, focusing primarily on chasing the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year title while sprinkling in some ARCA Racing Series and CARS Super Late Model Tour events along the way.
“I’m really energized about running in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series,” said the 24-year old driver from Summerland, British Columbia. “We raced a handful of events with them last year, I really liked how the races were organized, the parity of the rules package and what it offered me as a driver. As my career continues to advance, I’ll be racing on some of the same tracks and with a lot of the same drivers and teams. Combine that with the added value that the NASCAR brand can bring to me and my partners, it was really a no-brainer.”
Though 2016 will see her competing primarily under the NASCAR K&N Pro Series banner, Cornett-Ching will start her major event schedule at the same place her career began, the Daytona International Speedway. Once again, she will compete in the ARCA Racing Series event at the 2.5-mile trioval as a precursor to the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited. Other ARCA starts are tentatively planned at larger tracks where her career path will take her in the future. Immediately following that contest, she will drive over to New Smyrna Speedway for the K&N Pro Series East season opener the next day.
Continue reading ‘Sarah Cornett-Ching Announces 2016 Racing Plans, Focuses On NASCAR’
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.— Brayton Haws may not have won at Myrtle Beach Speedway (SC) on Saturday night, but he was still happy with his performance in the CARS Racing Tour BakerDist.com200 Late Model Stock feature. Haws started 10th and finished eighth, but got as high as the top four during the 100-lap race.
However, Myrtle Beach Speedway is all about saving tires, and Haws worked hard to save as much as he could for the end of the race.
“We were saving for a while so I let some cars pass us,” Haws said.
YOUNGSVILLE, N.C.– Brayton Haws is heading to the beach this weekend. No, not to just hang out, but to race. The CARS Tour is taking on South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Speedway on Saturday, September 19 for the Bakerdist.com 200 and Haws is looking to regain the Late Model Stock Car series’ points lead at the end of 100 laps.
“It would mean a lot to win there, but honestly I need the win for the points standings right now,” said Haws. “We are second in points and we are two behind Myatt Snider. We’ve got two races left so we have to race for points.”
The 16-year-old driver from Youngsville, North Carolina said he’s excited to head back to Myrtle Beach because it’s been a while since he’s gotten to race at the famous oceanside race track.
Continue reading ‘Haws Seeking a Win and the Points Lead at Myrtle Beach’
Mooresville, NC 9/16/15– The inaugural season for the CARS Tour has been nothing less than successful thus far with just two races remaining. The first of those final two races is this weekend at Myrtle Beach Speedway before teams set their sights on the season finale at Hickory Motor Speedway for a Sunday afternoon matinée on November 1st that will crown the first ever CARS Tour champions.
Teams and fans alike will now have over $50,000 in reasons to circle the November 1st calendar date. The CARS Tour “Double Duty Dare” will award $40,000 to the driver who wins both the 150 lap Super Late Model and 150 lap Late Model Stock events to close out the 2015 season. In addition to the bonus money up for grabs for those “taking the dare”; lap money will be made available to all competitors in both races. The leader will take home $30 per lap led, while the driver in the 10th position will put $20 per lap in their pocket. In all, if every lap is sponsored, a hefty $7,500 per division in lap money will be added to the purse.
Competitors won’t be the only ones with incentives available to them at the MTP 300. One lucky fan in the grandstands could win $10,000 if the driver they are paired with successfully completes the “Double Duty Dare”. Beginning Thursday September 24th fans can register online at www.carsracingtour.com, visit the Hickory Motor Speedway offices, and until 1:30pm the day of the event at the track to be in a drawing for a finalist position paired with drivers pulling double duty. Fans of the CARS Tour on social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter will also get a chance to be in the mix as one guaranteed finalist will be chosen via a social media contest. A second guaranteed finalist will also be selected from entries via the CARS Tour website.
Continue reading ‘$50,000 Double Duty Dare and $15,000 in Lap Money Up for Grabs at CARS Tour Season Finale in Hickory’
September 8, 2015 Myrtle Beach, SC- The Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) based in Mooresville, NC has teamed up with the Boys and Girls Club of the Grand Strand for the inaugural Fairways and Straightaways Golf Classic to be held at the Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina University on September 17th. The Fairways and Straightaways Golf Classic will consist of drivers, teams, sponsors and officials that are in the area for the CARS Tour www.bakerdist.com 200 to be held at Myrtle Beach Speedway on September 19th. Proceeds from this charity golf tournament and the fundraising events held at Myrtle Beach Speedway on the 19th will directly benefit the Boys and Girls Club of the Grand Strand.
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Partners with the Boys and Girls Club of the Grand Strand for the “Fairways and Straightaways Golf Classic”’
Mooresville, NC 8/4/15– Effective immediately the Hoosier 37-190F45 RS tire will take over as the official tire of the CARS Tour with its debut in competition coming at Concord Speedway on August 29th. The new tire will be used on both left and right sides, and utilized by both Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Model machines.
Tire testing to help design a tire specific to the CARS Tour for years to come will take place in the coming weeks with hopes of debuting the new tire at the season finale on November 1st at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway.
“After much consideration for our competitors, fans, and the overall health of the tour we felt this is a necessary change moving forward. Our competitors are more familiar with the Hoosier Racing Tire product line, and have been vocal about their desire to utilize it in competition,” explained Tour Owner, Jack McNelly. “With that said I have to say that Scott Junod and the entire staff at American Racer have been nothing less than excellent to work with. Their efforts and hard work to help mold the CARS Tour in its initial stages speaks volumes about how valuable they are to the industry.”
Continue reading ‘Hoosier Racing Tire to Become Official Tire of the CARS Tour’
CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: Summertime Showdown 250 pres. by The Grilling Store & CV Products –Orange County Speedway
7PM – August 1, 2015
MOORESVILLE, NC (July 28, 2015): A return to the lightning-fast Orange County Speedway falls on the calendar this Saturday night for all CARS Tour competitors. The seventh race of the ten race tour is when the championship point focus truly begins to set in for drivers and teams. A single point separates Late Model Stock championship leader Brayton Haws and second place Myatt Snider, while Cole Timm leads Kyle Grissom by only eight markers on the Super Late Model Tour. Those four drivers survived a wild Orange Blossom 300 race in April, each coming away with top five finishes in their respective divisions. They will need to duplicate those efforts in this weekend’s Summertime Showdown 250, a race which has all the ingredients of another “wild one at Orange County.” Hot, early August, summertime temperatures will make the high-banked .375-mile track slick and greasy, meaning grip will be at premium for all competitors. With less grip comes higher risk for trouble on the track. Those two elements – tire management and racing incident-free – are easier said than done at the North Carolina facility that labels itself as “America’s Fastest 3/8th Mile Track.”
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering’
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 14, 2015) – The LFR Driver Development Group had a tremendous showing at the most recent Super Late Model CARS Tour event. William Byron and Joey Mucciacciaro secured two Top-5 finishes for the team while Quin Houff rounded out the group with a Top-15 at Motor Mile Speedway this past Saturday.
“All three of our drivers did a great job this weekend. It was a tough race, but they fought as hard as they could to grab every position possible. This weekend not only says a lot about the LFR Driver Development Group’s level of talent, but also how far the program has come,” said Rob Fuller, team owner. “I met with the officiating group and owners of the CARS Tour following the race to discuss the restart procedures that have caused havoc all season long. They were very receptive which was great. Hopefully, they will be proactive and make a change to better their series and let every team and driver know they are wanting to address issues when they arise.”
William Byron had the dominant car of the race, taking the lead just before Lap 50. He maintained control of the race until he received contact from a competitor while trying to keep the lead on a restart with just over 25 laps to go. The contact, which pushed in Byron’s right front fender, prevented him from capturing the win despite a great last lap charge. The current NASCAR K&N Pro Series East points leader came home with a second-place finish instead.
Continue reading ‘LFR Driver Development Group Secures Two Top-5 Finishes During CARS Tour Food Country USA 250’
7PM July 11, 2015
MOORESVILLE, NC (July 7, 2015): The single visit to the Commonwealth of Virginia, at Motor Mile Speedway, kicks off the second half of the season for the CARS Tour this Saturday night. Deemed as one of the nicest facilities along the East Coast, Motor Mile Speedway presents a different type of racing compared to the more abrasive tracks the tour has competed at thus far in 2015. Motor Mile’s long straightaways and smooth gripping surface can handle the power to the rear wheels that CARS Tour competitors in both division have at their feet at any time. While Late Model Stock drivers are quite familiar with the .416 mile track, Super Late Models have not roared to life in the New River Valley since 2012. Plenty of new faces are planning their tour debuts in both divisions making the Food Country 250 presented by Heritage Truck Centers a race with lots of unanswered questions of what to expect.
Food Country USA 250 pres. by Heritage Truck Centers NOTES & QUOTES
NOTES:
Track/Location: Motor Mile Speedway-Radford, VA Track Size: .416
Event Name: Food Country USA 250 pres. by Heritage Truck Centers Laps/Distance: 125/52 miles (each)
Event Schedule: 12:30PM-2:45PM Practice, 4:30PM Qualifying, 6PM Last Chance Races, 7PM Green: LMSC-SLM
Twitter Handle/Event Hashtag: @CARSTour / #FoodCountryUSA250
Continue reading ‘CARS Tour Event Preview powered by KRC Power Steering: Food Country USA 250 pres. by Heritage Truck Centers –Motor Mile Speedway’
Mooresville, NC 7/2/15- Since the inception of the CARS Tour plenty of talk occurred about drivers and teams being able to perform “double duty” competing in both the Late Model Stock and Super Late Model divisions at a single event. The amount of teams that then registered for both divisions for the upcoming 2015 season with plans to perform double duty on a regular basis, made it appear that several were going to follow through with those intentions.
Flash forward to the midpoint of the current season and despite several close calls for a driver to pull off the accomplishment none have done so. Tyler Ankrum, was one of those drivers, having brought his brand new Super Late Model machine to Tri-County at the tour’s last outing just to make the decision to leave it in the trailer and not compete. The tight schedule, long days, and difference in racecars has shown competitors that competing in both events in a single night is no easy feat.
However; veteran racer Clay Rogers will take the challenge head on that many have relinquished with all intentions of becoming the first driver in the short history book of the CARS Tour to officially pull off the “double-duty” feat next Saturday July 11th at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia. The Troutman, North Carolina native has won behind the wheel of both types of machines, with one of those victories being a Snowball Derby win in the seat of a Super Late Model and the other the largest paying Late Model Stock event in 1999 at Concord Speedway where Rogers claimed $65,000 for his win.
Continue reading ‘Clay Rogers to Become First “Double Duty” Driver in CARS Tour History’
15-Year-Old Battles Back for Tri-County Motor Speedway Triumph
YOUNGSVILLE, N.C.– For the third time in five races in the inaugural CARS Late Model Stock tour, Brayton Haws stood tall in victory lane Friday night at Tri-County Motor Speedway. The 15-year-old put an exclamation point on the series’ first half of its inaugural season with an impressive performance that further extended his point lead.
“Our goal coming into this series was championship, experience and wins,” Haws said following his win at the North Carolina bullring. “So far we are proving we are really tough competition on the track for wins and the championship. I think we have a great shot at winning this championship and I’d really love to be the one to say I was the first champion of this series.”
The day got off to a positive, albeit soggy, start for Haws and the No. 41 Rheem/ Mechanical HVAC Services Ford team. Haws believed that his car was fast enough to win the pole in qualifying, but he didn’t get the chance to prove that when qualifying was rained out thanks to a brief shower. Haws still started up front by virtue of being the points leader.
Continue reading ‘Haws’ Hot Streak Continues with Third CARS Tour Win’
HUDSON, NC (June 13, 2015) — The CARS Racing Tour reached the halfway point of its inaugural season with fireworks and excitement at Tri-County Motor Speedway on Friday night. A familiar face in Brayton Haws (Late Model Stock) and a first-time winner, Quin Houff (Super Late Model), found their respective ways to Edelbrock victory lane as part of the the LeftTurnsAndSunBurns.com 200 presented by CCC&TI.
Super Late Model Recap:
After a brief rain shower cancelled qualifying, the lineup was determined by the rulebook (driver points) and that put Cole Timm and Kyle Grissom on the front row to begin the 100 lap contest.
Grissom grabbed the lead on the start from Timm, but fast-moving Steve Wallace, who started 9th, began a quick charge through the field. By lap 16, when the first caution flew for an oil down from Stephen Leicht’s broken rear end, Wallace had made his way up to second behind rival Grissom.
The pair began a game on restarts that led to both receiving admonishment from race control. Brandon Setzer and Zane Smith tangled on lap 49, and on the ensuing restart Wallace once again stepped over the boundary set by race control for the restart tolerances and was penalized to the rear for jumping the restart.
Continue reading ‘Houff, Haws Winners on a Hot, Wild Night at Tri-County’
