Lucama, NC – With the opener for the new CARS Tour set to take place on March 28th at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina, teams are taking advantage of every minute of on-track time they can get. Southern National Motorsports Park is expanding that on-track time with an open test set for Saturday, March 21st to give Late Model Stock Car and Super Late Model teams a chance to get dialed-in and start the season with a win.
Several drivers have already logged track time at Southern National in hopes of getting a handle on the series-permitted bump-stops and coil-binding setups and on the American Racer tires which will be the official tire of the series. The league’s Late Model Stock Car rules have presented a challenge to several Late Model veterans, including 2014 Southern National track champion Tommy Lemons, Jr. and track regular Mike Darne.
“It’s definitely a different ballgame for us,” Lemons said during a recent private test at Southern National. “We never ran the UARA when they did bump stops and coil binding. Our learning curve’s got to go pretty fast. The first race is in three weeks here at Southern National. I don’t think we’re too bad. I think we can be a lot better. It’s the first time I’ve ever been on bump stops so I feel like we’ve got a pretty good starting point. I feel like there’s a lot left in it as well.
The open test, which will run from 10am-6pm, will give drivers planning to run the series an additional eight hours of on-track time to prepare for the inaugural race for the CARS Tour. Drivers attending the test can hit the track for a cost of $150 per car with free pit and grandstand admission. Fans wanting to attend can also attend for free.
“We’re excited to host the inaugural CARS Tour race,” Langley Austin, Southern National Motorsports Park’s promoter, said. “The open practice on Saturday will really be the first real glimpse into the new series for fans. They’ll get an idea of who will be running in the series and what to expect. We’re also looking forward to the race itself and are excited the CARS Tour has recognized Southern National is a premier facility worthy of hosting their inaugural event.”
Deac McCaskill and Jamey Caudill, who have both won four track championships at Southern National, will join names like Lemons, Darne, Myatt Snider, Michael Fose, Bradley McCaskill and many more that will be competing in the CARS Tour. Super Late Model entrants include Trevor Noles, winner of last year’s Mason-Dixon Meltdown at Southern National, Harrison Burton, son of NBCSN NASCAR analyst and former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, David Garbo, Tyler Church and others.
The cost to test in Saturday’s open test is $150 per car with free admission to the pits and grandstands.
For more information about Southern National Motorsports Park, check out SNMP’s website at www.snmpark.com, “like” Southern National Motorsports Park on Facebook or “follow” @SNM_Park on Twitter.
