Mooresville, N.C. (January 5, 2024) – The zMAX CARS Tour will expand to the West Coast in 2024 in the form of the zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series West. The season-opening race kicks off at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway on March 2nd.
Continuing to focus on building grassroots racing, the new partnership brings together the CARS Tour and Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway owner and California native Tim Huddleston. With Huddleston’s extensive knowledge of West Coast racing and his success of promoting various series and tracks, combined with the CARS Tour ownership group of Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Justin Marks and Jeff Burton, the wealth of knowledge of grassroots racing and building local tracks is immeasurable.
“We’re excited for this partnership and to add the CARS Tour to the West Coast racing schedule for 2024,” said Huddleston. “To have Kevin, Dale Jr., Justin and Jeff bring the CARS Tour to the West Coast and support the grassroots racing is what we need to continue to build a healthy series and showcase the next generation of drivers.”
The move to add the zMax CARS Tour to the West Coast is the next step in Harvick’s return to his roots and continuing his vision for the future of motorsports. Announced in November 2023, Huddleston acquired Kern County Raceway Park and renamed it Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway to honor the NASCAR Champion and Bakersfield, California native. As part of the new partnership, Harvick is working closely with the leadership at the track to ensure the best product for the track, the competitors, and the overall health of motorsports at the grassroots level. The zMax CARS Tour make two stops at the track in 2024, showcasing Harvick’s commitment to the West Coast and grassroots racing.
“The West Coast is home for me and the tracks we’ll be going to this year with the zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series West are some of the ones that helped shape the path of my career,” Harvick said. “I was fortunate enough to have people help me along the way to make it to the top level of NASCAR, and that is what we want to do with the CARS Tour. We want to continue to build the series, bring attention to the drivers, the local tracks and help usher the next generation of drivers to the top levels of racing. Adding this West Coast schedule for 2024 is the next step to making that happen.”
In addition to the newly announced series, the U.S. Legend Cars will follow the same 10-week schedule and accompany the Pro Late Model races as an added feature for each weekend.
2024 zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series West Schedule:
- March 2 – Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (Bakersfield, Calif.)
- April 13 – Irwindale Speedway (Irwindale, Calif.)
- May 11 – Irwindale Speedway (Irwindale, Calif.)
- May 25 – Stockton 99 Speedway (Stockton, Claif.)
- June 15 – The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas)
- July 3 – The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas)
- July 20 – Stockton 99 Speedway (Stockton, Calif.)
- August 31 – Irwindale Speedway (Irwindale, Calif.)
- October 5 – All American Speedway (Roseville, Calif.)
- November 16 – Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (Bakersfield, Calif.)
For more information regarding the zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series West please contact Tim Huddleston at Tim@kernraceway.com.
About zMAX CARS Tour:
Founded in the fall of 2014, the zMAX CARS Tour is the Southeast’s premier asphalt Late Model series. Now under the ownership of motorsports icons Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Justin Marks, the zMAX CARS Tour began as a quality pavement racing series based in the Carolinas and MidAtlantic region that featured both Late Model Stock Cars and Pro Late Models. Both premier series race on the same night at the same track, and this unique arrangement makes the zMAX CARS Tour the first organization of its kind anywhere in the country. Many of today’s stock car superstars got their start in the zMAX CARS Tour and it is a primary breeding ground for the racing champions of tomorrow.
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