JACKSONVILLE, NC – New River All American Speedway will play host to the zMAX CARS Tour on Saturday, March 23, 2024 – the third time the series has raced at the 4/10-mile track in Onslow County, North Carolina.
The zMAX CARS Tour race at New River will be the second race on the 2024 CARS Tour calendar as the series returns to its spring date at New River. In 2023, the series raced at the Jacksonville track in September, boasting a thrilling finish between eventual winner Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., and Conner Jones. Connor Hall won in the series’ first trip to New River in 2022.
“We’re excited to have the CARS Tour come back in 2024,” Anthony Goodyear, New River All American Speedway track operator, said. “Kip Childress, Jack McNelly and Keeley Dubensky have been great to work with. We’ve had two thrilling races with the tour already and are looking forward to another exciting race in March.”
In 2014, Jack McNelly relaunched the USAR Pro Cup Series, which had been struggling with car counts in its final years, and the CARS Tour was born. Originally, the series featured both Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Models, but has evolved since to where the Late Model Stock Cars have been the dominant side of the series – while Super Late Models were replaced with Pro Late Models and run a select number of events.
The March 23 race at New River will feature the CARS Late Model Stock Tour.
In 2023, the series was purchased by a group consisting of two-time Daytona 500 winner and NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Fox Sports analyst Kevin Harvick, 21-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner and NBC Sports analyst Jeff Borton, and Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks.
“Dale, Kevin, Jeff and Justin have done a lot to help grow the series in the past year and give the tour more recognition,” Goodyear continued. “The CARS Tour is a great series with a lot of very talented drivers. The last two races they had here were fantastic, with exciting racing and finishes, while also challenging the drivers.”
New River All American Speedway is one of the most unique tracks on the tour, thanks to its quad-shaped configuration and its abrasive surface which maximizes tire degradation. The gritty asphalt forces drivers to spend much of the race saving tires while jockeying for track position so they can contend for the wins – a set of skills few have mastered.
Carson Kvapil, son of 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil, has won the last two zMAX CARS Tour championships – but is winless at New River. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen is undefeated at New River and recently concluded his 2023 season with a win in the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina.
Other drivers who compete in the series include Kaden Honeycutt, Landon Huffman, Connor Hall, Mason Diaz, Bobby McCarty, Chad McCumbee, Deac McCaskill, and Andrew Grady – among others.
The zMAX CARS Tour race will kick off the spring/summer/fall schedule at New River All American Speedway, with additional divisions to be announced. The full 2024 schedule will be released in December.
New River All American Speedway’s next race will take place on New Year’s Day (Monday, January 1, 2024) with the Hangover Nationals. Additional details about the Hangover Nationals will be released in the coming days.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway, check out the speedway’s website, like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebook, follow @newriverswy on Twitter, or follow the track on Instagram.
