It’s one of the biggest events on the zMAX CARS Tour schedule, as the grassroots racing division shares the same hallowed ground of North Wilkesboro Speedway with NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams.
On Friday, they’ll be sharing the racetrack with some of the series’ drivers, too.
Between the Pro Late Model (PLM) and Late Model Stock Car (LMSC) divisions, a total of 66 cars will be on the premises for the CARS Tour events at the 0.625-mile short track in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
The most notable, of course, has to be NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, who will compete in both the Pro Late Model (No. 9 Chase Elliott Racing) and Late Model Stock Car (No. 8E JR Motorsports) events on Friday, in addition to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (No. 7 Spire Motorsports) event on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports) event on Sunday.
Another NASCAR Cup Series winner, Corey Heim, will be present at North Wilkesboro with the CARS Tour on Friday, running both the Pro Late Model event and Late Model Stock Car event. Wilkesboro is part of Heim’s multi-race schedule in the No. 12 Toyota for Nelson Motorsports, but the No. 78 Pro Late Model entry for Bryson Lopez Racing, is just a bonus.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has an off-weekend and isn’t racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but that isn’t stopping Jesse Love, Carson Kvapil, and Carson Ware from getting behind the wheel at the historic short track. Love will drive the No. 7 for Matt Piercy Racing, Kvapil the No. 32 for GoFas Racing, both in the Late Model Stock Car division, and Ware the No. 51 for Rick Ware Racing in the Pro Late Model division.
Kaulig Racing teammates Brenden Queen and Mini Tyrrell are part-time competitors in the CARS Tour as their Truck Series campaign allows, so it’s no surprise to see them both, being former winners in the division. Queen will run the LMSC event with Lee Pulliam Performance, while Tyrrell runs both LMSC (No. 81) and PLM (No. 17).
TRICON Garage will also have a significant presence in Friday’s CARS Tour events, with three of its five drivers for Saturday’s Faith Fest 250 also competing in, at least, one of the divisions, including the aforementioned Corey Heim, plus Kaden Honeycutt, who will run double-duty between the LMSC and PLM divisions, and Gio Ruggierio, who will drive the No. 55 Pro Late Model for Monahan Motorsports.
Other NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series drivers competing include Andres Perez De Lara (No. 27 LMSC) and Luke Baldwin (No. 47 Bryson Lopez Racing PLM).
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points leader Layne Riggs won’t be competing in the CARS Tour event, despite his significant past in the grassroots division, but his crew chief, Dylan Cappello, will be, driving the No. 11C.
The crossover doesn’t just go one way, though. Two drivers on the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series entry list have built a substantial resume for themselves in Late Models. Kasey Kleyn, a prominent Late Model competitor on the West Coast, will make his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at North Wilkesboro on Saturday, driving the No. 27 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Rackley WAR. Landon Huffman, a long-time CARS Tour driver, will also run the event, driving the No. 75 for Henderson Motorsports.
