CARS Tour Recap at Hickory Motor Speedway
I decided to hit up a local short-track for some CARS Tour racing this past weekend on March 23rd and I left impressed with the talent that may appear in NASCAR in the near future. The event was called the MTP Tire 300 and there were two late model feature races, the first was a 150 lap late model stock event…the second was a 150 lap super late model race.
Photo Credit: Megan Williamson
Granted the temperature was great pre-sunrise…it got cold pretty fast in the hills of Newton, NC. Upon arriving at the track, you can feel and see the history this place provides. Many of the greats in the NASCAR world have raced and won here…names like Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, Harry Gant, Dale Earnhardt and so on. Could there be a future great racing tonight?
The first event started around 7:30 P.M. and did to end until closer to 10 P.M. It was a complete wreck fest, many of the drivers were impatient. The winner, Taylor Gray dominated the event and at times would be several car lengths out in front of the field which is impressive at such a small track. At 14 years old, he paced the field and being that he is driving for DGR-Crosley Racing, he has the equipment to make a name for himself.
Now for the grand finale, Kodie Conner set a blazing speed of 14.241 and sat on the pole for the event. Big names such as Josh Berry, Bubba Pollard, and Brandon Setzer were in the event. Conner made a name for himself and set a precedent that he had the speed to win at the track dominated by the big names. This race was also quite chaotic, as it went on until close to midnight. Bubba Pollard was victorious in a “controversial” way, as he was involved with a previous caution and kept his position even though he spun, but either way, the “Kyle Busch” of short track racing came away with the trophy and a $5,000 check.
Photo Credit: Megan Williamson
The experience was quite fun, it felt awesome to smell the rubber and hear the engines roar on that .363 mile track. I hope to catch some more action in various CARS Tour and PASS events, possibly get some NASCAR events as well. Hit us up @thesportschief or on www.thesportschief.com and check out our content. Also, any racing critiques or comments would be awesome!
AustYn