It was not the first official CARS Tour practice session of the year, but it might as well have been.
With threatening weather in the forecast for both Thursday and Friday’s test day, over a dozen zMAX CARS Tour teams elected to practice at Southern National Motorsports Park on Wednesday. Throughout the day, the teams were able to get a handle for the track and even experience how the track may change when the weather transitions.
After multiple weather changes, including cold to mild, cloudy to sunny back to cloudy, calm to windy, the common consensus is that the track surface is consistent.
“The car is staying really neutral and really drivable everywhere,” Brandon Lopez said. “I’m really excited. This is the closest the track’s gonna be to Saturday. I don’t know if we’ll get any practice on Friday or Saturday so really glad we came today.”
Lee Pulliam, making his return to the zMAX CARS Tour in what is currently a one-off effort, said after practice wrapped up the changing weather conditions had no affect on the handling of his car. Those comments were also echoed by two-time Southern National Motorsports Park track champion Mason Diaz.
“I just focus on driveability,” Diaz said. “I don’t look at the stopwatch. It doesn’t matter. If you’re happy with how it’s driving, it should be fast.”
JR Motorsports drivers Caden Kvapil and Wyatt Miller, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Ryan Millington, Mason Bailey, Kaeden Ballos, Jamey Caudill, Clay Jones, and Atley Weise were also among those practicing in Late Model Stock Cars. Miller and Weise are expected to compete in the Jerry Moody Memorial next Wednesday and the subsequent Speed Week races but not in the CARS Tour. The race would be the first in a Late Model Stock Car for Miller.
In Pro Late Models, Mason Walters, Case James, Evan McKnight, and Chase Burgeson were among the drivers who practiced on Wednesday.
Pulliam Confident
Lee Pulliam was once Late Model Stock Car racing’s most prolific and most dominant driver.
Toward the end of last decade, Pulliam transitioned away from racing and toward being a crew-chief and car owner, a role he had enjoyed and said he was content with. But last year, Pulliam returned to the cockpit at Martinsville Speedway for JR Motorsports and has since competed in two other races and now has his sights set on Southern National – where he finished second at in the Thanksgiving Classic in November.
“I feel good about it,” Pulliam said. “We feel really good about it. The car is doing everything I need it to do. I feel very, very good in the car and it’s reacting to changes. It’s going to be a tough field though and I don’t count anybody out. I’ll just use some of that experience at the end and be there when it matters.”
On Tuesday, JR Motorsports announced Pulliam would compete in the March 28 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
“I’m just so thankful,” Pulliam stated. “Everything’s on God’s time. What a blessing to be able to do it with JR Motorsports and all those guys. Pretty surreal for me and just really special.”
Jerry Moody Memorial
The CARS Tour race kicks off a week-long “Speed Week” series of races. After the checkered flag flies on Saturday’s races, the track will turn around and race on Sunday with local divisions. After the weekend, the track will prepare for four straight days of racing, all featuring $5,000-to-win Late Model Stock Car races, which kicks off with next Wednesday’s Jerry Moody Memorial.
Two of the drivers competing in Saturday’s CARS Tour race intend to compete in next Wednesday’s Jerry Moody Memorial if they are not involved in any incidents.
The race which honors the legacy of Moody, who passed away in 2013, has already attracted the attention of Matt McCall, four-time Southern National Motorsports Park track champion Deac McCaskill, and Haley Moody. Caudill, who is also a four-time track champion, and Jones were both longtime regulars at Southern National and have raced for/with Jerry Moody.
“It’s going to be good man,” Jones said. “We actually ran for Mr. Jerry for about a year and a half or two years back when he had his own no. 50 car. I’m real thankful for that and hopefully we can get out of the [CARS Tour] race clean and do good in that race.”
Saturday’s zMAX CARS Tour races, which include the KevinSaysYes.com 100 Pro Late Model race and the Folsom Fence Supply 125 Late Model Stock Car race, will commence at 3:00pm and can be seen live on FloRacing for those unable to make it to the track.
