Ahead of the 2023 CARS Tour season, there’s some major news. A new ownership group is taking over led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Just another example of how Dale Jr. uses his platform to promote the sport in any way that he can.
Of course, the ownership group is a group, after all. Along with Earnhardt is a trio of great NASCAR names. Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Justin Marks of Trackhouse Racing form the rest of the new ownership.
Stock car racing begins in the grassroots circuits, taking over the CARS Tour is a great move. These four men are going to make sure local races and circuits stay healthy and vibrant.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I’m a huge fan of the CARS Tour and local short-track racing. The competition, the tracks, and the drivers are some of the best around. These regional series are vital to the quality of racing you see at the top level.”
The CARS Tour has been around since 1997. It is a late-model racing series that tours throughout the southeast. The schedule takes it through North and South Carolina as well as Virginia.
Dozens of NASCAR national series drivers have come up through the ranks of the CARS Tour over the years. Some are even planning on racing this year.
Will Ownership Race in CARS Tour?
Look, if you have Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks in the ownership group – are any of them going to suit up and race? At least one owner is going to be competing in 2023. That’s none other than Harvick.
This could be the last NASCAR Cup Series season we see from Harvick. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love racing. In fact, he’s trying to race more this year. He’s got a project car he’s been working on, and he’s hoping to race in the CARS Tour with it.
Along with crew chief Rodney Childers, Harvick has slowly been building his No. 62.
Grassroots racing is in good hands. Expect to see some more noise from this regional tour. It should be a lot of fun watching what the new ownership group does with the CARS Tour.
