More than 20 drivers took part in a zMAX Cars Tour open test at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday in anticipation of next month’s rescheduled Reverend 100 Pro Late Model and Window World 125 Late Model Stock Car races. The zMAX Cars Tour doubleheader, which was postponed due to weather during the NASCAR All-Star Weekend in May, will bring together many of the best grassroots racers in the country for a one-night showcase of speed on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Saturday’s five-hour test session gave drivers the opportunity to dial in their machines on the famed 0.625-mile short track, which was resurfaced ahead of the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race weekend.
Select quotes from today’s test:
Kevin Harvick, zMAX Cars Tour co-owner and driver of the No. 62 Late Model Stock Car entry for Kevin Harvick Inc.: “From the driver's standpoint, for for me, it's really about getting used to these cars. I raced the car one time here and that was the only time I've ever raced the car in the Late Model Stock division. So I think just getting used to the grip level and the yawl and everything that goes with a Late Model Stock is really the biggest thing. And just being involved in the team as we develop our team and what we need to do, what we need to work on and things like that. So we had a good day and looking forward to the week of the race.
“Crom a Cars Tour standpoint, we need a backbone race track of our series to be able to say, ‘hey, this is kind of the marketplace of where we race.’ And that is North Wilkesboro. I think with everything that Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) has done at North Wilkesboro Speedway and SMI and everybody to bring North Wilkesboro back, the Cars Tour and North Wilkesboro Speedway go hand in hand. So to be a part of that means a lot for our series. It means a lot to me to be a part of the event. And I think we're pretty lucky to have a racetrack like this to kind of be the marquee event of the Cars Tour.”
Connor Hall, driver of the No. 22 Late Model Stock Car entry for Nelson Motorsports: (North Wilkesboro Speedway is) way bigger – I would say is probably about a quarter-mile bigger than most of our (tracks). And just the overall speed, I would say, and the fact that that's going to be very multi-groove. Right now, we are running way up the track in (turns) one and two and then right on the bottom in three and four, where most of our race tracks here just pinned to the white line and you know whoever can grab the bottom the best, usually, you know, is near the front. But here it's I feel there's a lot more ways to skin the cat. So it's just going to be really interesting to see what the new pavement brings.”
Ronnie Bassett Jr., driver of the No. 04 Late Model Stock Car for Bassett Racing: “We're just coming here trying to get our cars dialed in, you know. This is a bigger track than what we're accustomed to racing on, so, you know, we come here, just try to get our platform right, because it means a lot at a place like this. We're really looking forward to coming back here in a couple of weeks and getting after it to put on a heck of a show, that's for sure. We race hard every lap… There's no more riding or saving. So it's qualifying for 125 laps. You're going to get your money's worth, that's for sure.
Dustin Bryson, driver of the No. 47 Pro Late Model entry for Bryson Lopez Racing: “It’s a really cool track. It's got a lot of history to it. I don't run many of the cars races, but this was one on my list that I wanted to make just because of the history around here… I'm 42 years old. This is a kids’ sport, so I help my stepbrother do it, and I just run a few races – some of the bigger ones and just the ones that I want to go to. North Wilkesboro was right up there, top of the list, so we had to make the trek to try and ride the elevator.”
Spectator gates for the Aug. 3 Reverend 100 and Window World 125 open at 9:15 a.m., followed by practice and qualifying for each series. A driver autograph session is scheduled for 6:45 p.m., with pre-race ceremonies and driver introductions at 7:45 p.m. Click here for a full schedule of activities.
TICKETS:
Tickets are available online at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. Fans who purchased tickets to the postponed May event who have not already done so, should visit the website and fill out the form to redeem their ticket credit.
MORE INFO:
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