CARS Tour Announces 2018 Season Schedule and Unprecedented Competitor Incentive Programs

By: Brandon White

 

Mooresville, NC 8/24/17 – The CARS Tour announced the 2018 schedules for both the Super Late Model Tour and the Late Model Stock Car Tour during a press conference at South Boston on Friday evening, along with several incentive programs that the series hopes will boost car counts and loyalty amongst teams in the future.

 

For the first time in CARS Tour history, the SLM and LMSC Tours will not run identical schedules, as the Late Model Stock Car Tour will run 12 races in 2018, while the Super Late Model Tour will only run nine races. Both divisions will still share seven races with each other during the 2018 season, including the Mid-Atlantic Classic at Orange County Speedway, the Throwback 276 at Hickory Motor Speedway, and the season finale at South Boston Speedway.

 

The CARS Tour will also venture to five new tracks for the 2018 season. The CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour will make stops at Wake County Speedway, Ace Speedway, Carteret County Speedway and Kingsport Speedway for the first time in the series’ history. The Super Late Model Tour will travel to Tennessee on April 7th to participate in a combination race with the Championship Racing Association and Southern Super Series at Fairgrounds Speedway.

 

Changes to the purses in both divisions were also announced in Friday’s press conference. The CARS LMSC Tour purse, which is based on a 28-car field, will be increased by 12% in 2018, with the average purse for each race being $32,450 in comparison to the $28,875 spread out amongst the drivers in 2017. A driver who wins a CARS LMSC Tour race in 2018 will earn $6,000 instead of $5,000, and any driver who starts a race will automatically earn $700.

 

The purse for the Super Late Models in 2018 will also be based on a 28-car starting field, with one major change being that the purse for SLM events will be aligned with other SLM sanctioning bodies. Unlike the LMSC Tour, four races in the SLM Tour will award $10,000 to the winner of the event, which will be the races at Myrtle Beach Speedway, Anderson Motor Speedway, the Mid-Atlantic Classic, and a race that has yet to be announced for May 20, 2018.

 

The CARS Tour also announced the Touring Twelve program for the Late Model Stock Car Tour, which is a loyalty program that will consist of twelve Late Model teams that plan to compete in every points event for the 2018 season. There will be several benefits for Touring Twelve teams that will include a reduced entry fee of $825, and a guaranteed minimum of $1,000 in earnings for each race. Touring Twelve teams will also receive two sets of discounted Hoosier tires, four complimentary race tickets to all CARS LMSC Tour points races, and an opportunity to be featured on CARS Tour merchandise.

 

In order for teams to participate in the Touring Twelve program, CARS LMSC Tour teams must sign an agreement to participate in all regular season races and complete driver and owner registrations by March 2, 2018. Drivers will be required to have their name and likeness used on CARS Tour branding and merchandise, and must be committed to participate in limited driver appearances throughout the season, along with running a special throwback scheme at the Throwback 276 on August 4, 2018.

 

There will also be a loyalty program for CARS LMSC Tour competitors who do not participate in the Touring Twelve program. Any car owner in the division that competes in three consecutive races will receive a $500 bonus as a part of their winnings for the third event, which could result in an additional $2,000 in winnings for the 2018 season. A driver who participates in this program is not required to start in the season opener at Tri-County, and can run any three consecutive LMSC Tour races of their choice.

 

Other programs announced by the CARS Tour include a Hometown Hero bonus, in which any non-CARS LMSC Tour regular who is in the top three in a track’s LSMC points prior to the CARS Tour arrival will receive free Hoosier Tires for the CARS Tour race at that track. Information regarding finances and fees for CARS Tour teams will remain the same with the exception of late fees, which will drop to $100 in 2018 as opposed to the $250 late fee implemented in 2017.

 

For additional information on the CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the CARS Super Late Model Tour visit www.carsracingtour.com. Be sure to stay active and social with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on Twitter, and scrolling through photos on Instagram cars_tour. Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC, at 704.662.9212. 

 

2018 CARS Tour Schedule:

March 3     Tri-County Speedway              Hudson, NC             Open Practice/SRI Performance Media Day

March 10   Tri-County Speedway              Hudson, NC             LMSC $10,000 to win.

March 24   Myrtle Beach Speedway          Myrtle Beach, SC    SLM $10,000/LMSC

April 7         Fairgrounds Speedway          Nashville, TN           SLM w/CRA and SSS

April 7         Wake County Speedway        Raleigh, NC             LMSC

April 21       Mid-Atlantic Classic                Rougemont, NC      SLM $10,000/LMSC

May 5          Hickory Motor Speedway       Hickory, NC             SLM/LMSC

May 20       TBA                                         TBA                         SLM $10,000/LMSC

June 9         Ace Speedway                       Altamahaw, NC       LMSC

June 9         Anderson Motor Speedway   Williamston, SC       SLM w/SSS $10,000

June 23    Carteret County Speedway      Swansboro, NC       LMSC

July 14      Kingsport Speedway                Bloomingdale, TN   LMSC

August 4   Throwback 276                         Hickory, NC            SLM/LMSC

Sept 8       Orange County Speedway       Rougemont, NC      SLM/LMSC

Oct 13       South Boston Speedway         South Boston, VA    SLM/LMSC

 

Adam Sinclair