Longtime NASCAR East and West Series Chris Wright has joined CARS Tour West as its new series director.
Wright joined NASCAR in 2013 as the K&N Pro Series director and leaves his role in what is now the ARCA Menard’s regional platform as the longest tenured official to serve in that capacity.
“I’m very thankful for Kevin and DeLana Harvick and Tim and Lisa Huddleston for reaching out to me and wanting me to be a part of their team to help continue to build the Spears CARS Tour West brand,” said Wright in a press release. “I’m also grateful for my time at NASCAR and the France family for giving me the opportunity to help build the ARCA Series, especially on the West Coast.”
The press release notes that Wright has left each stop in his career better than he found it and that was the reason for his hiring.
“Given Chris’ racing background and knowledge, we think he will be an integral part of the CARS Tour West’s expansion and growth,” Harvick said in a release. “This will give the competitors a lot of experience to lean on as we grow and reshape West Coast racing.”
Wright will be valued in that his tenure at NASCAR shaped both young racers and their veteran counterparts alike.
“Throughout my career, I’ve enjoyed working with veterans who knew what they wanted while in the driver’s seat and knew how to get it done, but later in my career, I’ve been able to work with a younger generation, male and females, and really found I had a knack for helping them develop their careers,” said Wright. “So, in this level of racing, particularly with the late model scene, you get to see both sides of that. You get to see the veterans, the Derek Thorns and Kevin Harvicks, and you get to see the Keelan Harvick’s go through the ranks.
“I’ve been fortunate to see guys like Jesse Love come up through the ranks and are now making it in the higher series and making a name for themselves after coming up through the West Coast ranks.”
Wright will take over in time for the next event at Kern County this weekend.
“I really feel like there’s a lot of opportunity on the West Coast,” continued Wright. “I hope we are able to tap into the relationships I’ve built and continue to build the CARS Tour West into a premier racing series and create a series that people want to be a part of.”
