It’s a good time to be racing in CARS Tour right now.
A week after announcing a deal with FOX Sports 1 to air live the race at North Wilkesboro during the NASCAR All Star Race festivities and leading up to a hugely anticipated new event at Cordele Motor Speedway in Georgia, Friday saw a massive purse increase for what is now the Throwback Classic.
Historically the Throwback 225 at Hickory Motor Speedway, a big investment from broadcaster FloRacing will see the Late Model Stock portion of the event pay $50,000-to-win and $2500-to-start with Pro Late Models at $30,000 and $1500 respectively.
CARS Tour championship leader, and two-time NASCAR Weekly Series National Champion, Connor Hall was affirmative in his reaction.
“Yeah, I mean, amazing job by Flo and everybody in CARS Tour to put that together,” Hall said “Without FloRacing, I don’t think this thing would obviously be growing at the rate it is so I’m super excited to have the opportunity to run for $50,000.
“It’s obviously a blessing for all our competitors that we have the opportunity to be broadcasted by Flo and have their outreach so I feel good about going for $50k at Hickory. It’s obviously a track that’s been good for me and really good for JR Motorsports over the years.”
Short of Ace Speedway, Hickory is exactly where Ryan Millington would want a $50k to win race as his best starts have come there and he is a former track champion.
“We’ve won a lot of races and ran a lot more there,” Millington said. “We’re going to place a lot of emphasis onto that one. In fact, we’re building a new car that I think would be a good place to debut it at. I’m excited.”
Series veteran Brandon Pierce endorsed the location too.
“This is obviously big for us Late Model Stock guys and then obviously happening at a place that has a ton of history,” Pierce said. “So, I feel like it’s probably really fitting to have that there and it’s obviously going to be a really special event to be a part of.”
Doug Barnes Jr called it ‘crazy’ the news that keeps getting topped week after week.
“First the FOX Sports 1 deal and now a $50k to win race and who knows what else they’re cooking,” Barnes said. “That only gets us through the summer. You’re going to tell me they’re not going to try to finish with a bang too?
“It means a lot because even the upgraded purse here (at Cordele) too, because at least your tires are paid for when you come down here. Then a $50k race at Hickory, that’s more than Martinsville isn’t it?”
Yep.
Hall even recognized that too, that last time CARS Tour topped the ValleyStar 300, NASCAR topped them right back.
“I don’t think it necessarily needs to get into a bidding war or anything crazy like that,” Hall said. “And I think having two big money races like that is awesome but I wish there was a way we could just increase the purse a little bit over the whole season but I also know they’re working on that.
“It used to be every race race was $7000 to win and now a majority of them is $10,000 and now we have a $50,000.”
Mini Tyrrell called it ‘major.’
“It’s super cool that we have a series and some owners that can put together something like that,” Tyrrell said. “Late Modem Stock racing doesn’t see money like that and I’m just grateful that I can have a chance to compete in it and the publicity we get from it.
“The series is booming from social media, fans in the stands and viewership. It means the world to me as a guy that’s made short track racing his whole life. What CARS Tour is doing right now makes us feel like we’re in the big leagues.”
For his part, co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr says Barnes told him he’s already sold sponsorship around the race on FS1 — that the race is doing business for its teams.
Does he have any more cockamamie ideas?
“I would like to think that we’re gonna normalize these ideas and they won’t be cockamamie but I’m hoping that a $50,000 to win is a regular occurrence during the calendar year for multiple events, right,” Earnhardt said.
Again, Campbell is on the clock.
“If they’d come out with an announcement two weeks from now and say they’re doing $52,000-to-win, great,” Earnhardt said. “What have we done?
“That’s what happened when Jack (McNelly) announced the $30,000-to-win race and so that was great.
“I would encourage that and we want to definitely be a partner to NASCAR in the weekly racing series and figure out a way where we can all succeed. I got some ideas on how we can help that happen and get some of our drivers that compete with us regularly back to the weekly racing series as well.”
