late-model-stock

Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour Event Preview pres. by Accent Imaging: Catawba Valley 250 at Hickory Motor Speedway — August 1, 2020

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 28, 2020) – Hickory Motor Speedway will once again be the stage for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour on August 1 as the series returns for the Catawba Valley 250.

In the first race of the season at Hickory on June 13, Corey Heim picked up his first career series victory in a Late Model Stock Car. Bubba Pollard bested defending series champion Matt Craig in the Super Late Models before backing that victory up with another at the Jennerstown Speedway Complex on Independence Day.

In past seasons, this has been the weekend of the Throwback 276, the largest event of the season for the CARS Tour. However, the format of this weekend’s race has been altered due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the throwback theme put on hiatus for the 2020 season.

CATAWBA VALLEY 300 NOTES & QUOTES

NOTES:

Event Name: Catawba Valley 250

Track and Location: Hickory Motor Speedway, Newton, N.C.
Length: 0.363 mi (0.584 km)
Laps / Distance: 125 laps / 45.375 mi / 73 km (LMSC & SLM)
Event Schedule: 

  • Practice: LMSC 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., SLM 1:35 p.m. – 2:05pm, LMSC 2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m., SLM 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
  • Qualifying: LMSC 5:15 p.m. (single car), SLM 5:45 p.m. (single car)
  • Green: 7:00 p.m., LMSC (125 laps) followed by SLM (125 laps)

Twitter Accounts / Event Hashtag: @CARSTour / @hickoryspeedway / #CatawbaValley250

 

Late Model Stock Car Entry List (24 total):

DRIVER HOMETOWN OWNER MAKE SPONSORS
08 Deac McCaskill Raleigh, NC Boyce McCaskill Chevy Puryear Tank Lines, Bobby Gregory Welding
1 Nolan Pope Harrisonville, MO Lee Faulk Chevy
1m Craig Moore Rougemont, NC Craig Moore Chevy Graphix Solutions, Quality Welding
2 Brandon Pierce Oak Ridge, NC Lee Pulliam Chevy Fremont Properties, Discount Oil Co., Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort
2r Braden Rogers Huntersville, NC Lee Faulk Chevy Lee Faulk Racing
2s Jonathan Shafer Ashland, OH Barry Nelson Toyota AutosByNelson.com, ThunderExhaust.com
4 Jonathan Findley Bristow, VA Lee Faulk Chevy Lee Faulk Racing and Development
12p Gage Painter Statesville, NC Jerry Painter Chevy Locke-Lane Construction, Davis & Davis Financial Partners
14 Jared Fryar Trinity, NC Jimmy Mooring Ford Sterling Building Group, Asphalt Services, ADI/PDM
16 Chad McCumbee Ocean Isle Beach, NC Robert Elliott Ford Elliott Properties, Heritage Transportation
19 Blake Stallings Danville, VA Marcus Richmond Toyota R&S Race Cars
19c Jessica Cann Thomasville, NC Bill Petroff Chevy Black Acid Apparel, American Sign Craft, Ranking Race Engines
22 Bobby McCarty Kernersville, NC Barry Nelson Toyota Autos By Nelson, Solid Rock Carriers
44 Justin Johnson Rougemont, NC Justin Johnson Chevy Puryear Tank Lines, GXS Wraps
51 Matt Cox Longs, SC Robert Elliott Ford Aarons Sales & Lease, Elliott Properties, Renegade Fuels
57 Justin Carroll Kannapolis, NC John Carroll Ford Industrial Battery and Charger, Inc.
63 Tyler Matthews Beulaville, NC Steve Matthews Toyota Dorwart’s Garage
74 Ronald Hill Rougemont, NC Ronald Hill Chevy Gardner-Marsh, Mincey’s Graphics
77 Trevor Ward Winston-Salem, NC Trevor Ward Chevy MK Racing, Digital Repair
78 Corey Heim Marietta, GA Lee Pulliam Chevy
81 Mini Tyrrell Manassas, VA Timmy Tyrrell Racing Chevy Mini T’s Fastest Grease in the East
81b Sam Butler Delphi, IN Zach Bruenger Chevy Triple R Racing, PRW Chassis, Shurtape Hickory, Dixon Connect.
88 Connor Mosack Charlotte, NC JR Motorsports Chevy Nic Taylor Custom Fit, Interstate Foam & Supply Inc.
99 Layne Riggs Bahama, NC Scott Riggs Ford Puryear Tank Lines, Romeo Guest Construction

 

Super Late Model Entry List (12 cars total):

DRIVER HOMETOWN OWNER MAKE SPONSORS
7 Justin Crider Statesville, NC Robin Crider Chevy JDS Glass, Service Partners, Metal Roofing Systems
7c Tyler Church Concord, NC Tyler Church Chevy Church’s Carpet
15 Mike Hopkins Hermon, ME Gary Crooks Chevy Port City Racecars, JM Builders
15f Jeff Fultz Mooresville, NC Chris Walker Toyota Furniturebywalker.com, D&H Marketing, Vics Concrete
21 Kris Wright Mooresville, NC David Pletcher Chevy Chevy Accessories
21s Dylan Smith Kannapolis, NC Mark Reedy Ford Racingfanzone.com, Moyers Lakeside Eatery, Two Scoops Cream.
22 Trevor Noles Fuquay-Varina, NC Donnie Willson Toyota Noles Cabinets
35 Carson Kvapil Mooresville, NC Travis Kvapil Chevy Wehrs Machine
45 Kodie Conner Kannapolis, NC Kodie Conner Toyota Accent Imaging, Pro Source Fitness Equipment, CRC Auto
49 Jeff Batten Nashville, NC Bobby Batten Chevy Batten Ceramic Tile, Digital Repair
51 Sammy Smith Johnston, IA Kyle Busch Toyota TMC Transportation
54 Matt Craig Kannapolis, NC Jeff Craig Chevy C&C Boiler Sales and Service

 

 

QUOTES:

Nolan Pope hopes to become next CARS Tour winner

Nolan Pope, one of this year’s Lucas Oil Touring 12 drivers in the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Cars, comes to Hickory riding a wave of momentum.

“It’s pretty cool to even race in the CARS Tour,” said the 22-year-old from Harrisonville, Missouri. “Being a part of the Touring 12, it’s cool to get your name with a bunch of those people. It’s hard to do and it’s cool to be recognized by the CARS Tour and fun to be a part of the CARS Tour.”

When the series raced at Hickory in June, Pope scored a career-best third place finish. Since then, Pope earned Late Model Stock Car wins at Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Speedway with Lee Faulk Racing and is confident he can become the third different first-time winner in LMSC competition this season.

“The last time we were at Hickory with the CARS Tour, we finished third, and I think we have an even better car now,” Pope said. “We’ve been to Hickory a few times since then and learned even more since the last CARS Tour race so I think we’ll definitely have a shot at it.

Pope outdueled Josh Berry, a former LMSC Champion of the CARS Tour, for a win at Hickory on July 11. Winning in the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour against some of Late Model Stock Car racing’s most elite competition, however, would be a career highlight.

“A win would be huge. It’d be the biggest win of my career for sure, and probably the biggest for Lee Faulk Racing too, said Pope. “I don’t know if they’ve ever won a CARS Tour race so it’d be special for them.  Anytime you win one of those races, you’ve done something because you’re racing some of the best in the country.”

 

Matt Craig looking for second win of 2020 season

Defending CARS Tour Super Late Model champion Matt Craig is hoping to pick up his third series victory at Hickory Motor Speedway and his second win of the 2020 season.

In recent years, the 21-year-old has become one of the standout drivers in Super Late Model racing. He won earlier this year at Southern National Motorsports Park, came close to winning at Hickory in June after winning in the Throwback 276 in 2019, and comes to Hickory fresh off a win in the Masters of the Pros for the ARCA?CRA All-Stars Tour at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

“I think we have a really good shot at winning this weekend,” Craig said. “We’re only going there looking for a win. There will be some good guys out there, so we don’t want to say we expect to win, but we have a car and the experience to win there for sure.”

“[Winning at Nashville] gave us a ton of confidence. Nashville is a really hard track to get around and our car handled great there. It’s rough and bumpy and doesn’t have a lot of grip like Hickory. Hickory is a smaller track, but we can take a lot of what worked at Nashville and make it work there.” 

In the last two CARS Tour races at Hickory, Craig has battled Bubba Pollard for the win – upsetting the Super Late Model titan last August and finishing third in June. Craig expects nothing different this weekend.

“If you’re at the end of the race and you’re anywhere near Bubba on the track, you’re probably racing for the win,” Craig said. “Beating him anywhere is hard. Racing with him shows just how good our team is performing.

For Craig, his recent success has been evidence of the No. 54 team’s evolution. “It took us five or six years to gain experience at the track, and for me to get better behind the wheel,” he said. “My team gives me great-handling cars capable of winning every week. It’s been a climb to get here and a lot of work, but it’s awesome that we can go to any race now and try to win. We’re not going anywhere hoping for a top-10 or top-five, we’re going for wins.”

 

CARS Tour Implements Guidelines to Prevent Spread of COVID-19

Until further notice, the CARS Tour will continue to implement policies to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The policies were introduced at Ace Speedway on June 6. They include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • All personnel will have their temperature screened before entering the race track.
  • Driver Intros will not be held amongst the crowd, per usual; instead, drivers will be introduced from their cars on the grid.
  • Trailers will be spread out across the infield to maintain proper social distancing.
  • Spotters will be required to wear masks during the race.
  • Masks will be strongly recommended for those who are in the infield and required for all Victory Lane celebrations.

Hickory Motor Speedway will be limited to 50% capacity for this event.

 

About the CARS Tour

The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour is one of the premier short track series in the United States. Drivers compete in Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Models at the best short tracks across the Carolinas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. The CARS Tour can be found on Facebook at “CARS Tour”, on Twitter @CARSTour, and on Instagram as @CARS_Tour. For more information, visit www.carsracingtour.com or call their Mooresville, N.C. offices at 704.662.9212.