It’s no secret that the CARS Tour has exploded in popularity ever since Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, and a few others took the reins. Last season, when NASCAR went into its two-week Olympic break, traditional stock car fans found racing action with the CARS Tour instead. That break made many fans realize the Tour is the real deal regarding competitive stock car racing.
Plus, the Tour’s owners have been all-in, always working to improve the action and provide solid opportunities for racers. This year at North Wilkesboro, Fox jumped on board and covered the race for the first time, giving the Tour a huge boost in exposure. Team owners from Pro Late Model groups started calling and thanking Junior since the big TV coverage helped them lock down strong sponsorship deals for the event.
Not only that, at Hickory, the Tour gave out its most oversized ever race purse, topping $200,000. That cash gets the attention of young and upcoming stock car drivers looking to make their mark. With all these eyeballs on the series, NASCAR team owners are keeping tabs, treating the Tour like a growing talent pool. Even veteran NASCAR crew chiefs who’ve spent time in the series have discussed it.
Why Did Rodney Childers Say the CARS Tour Is the Place for Young Stock-Car Drivers?
Rodney Childers was the center of last year’s silly season. With Stewart-Haas Racing shutting down its shop, the championship-winning crew chief searched for a fresh start. Spire Motorsports’ revamping of their lineup was perfect timing, leading them to pick Justin Haley and Childers to run their #7 car.
Nine races into the season, Childers lost his spot. Instead of jumping into a new job, he spent time with family. But the racing bug didn’t stay dormant for long. When Kevin Harvick asked him to step in and guide his team in the CARS Tour, Childers jumped at it. Now he’s giving pointers to young drivers like Keelan Harvick and Landen Lewis.
Recently, Childers appeared on the Happy Hour podcast and talked about how the CARS Tour can be a gateway into NASCAR for young talent. He said, “I’ve always said, really, my whole life, that Late Model Stock Car racing is probably one of the hardest things out there. It’s the most competitive. You see it week in and week out just how close qualifying is throughout the field…there’s no better place for a young kid to be able to get recognized right now.”
Many Late Model Stock Car drivers, including series leader Landen Lewis, Connor Hall, and Connor Jones, are grabbing attention in NASCAR. Hall is set to leave the Tour after this campaign, and Jones is gearing up to run in the NASCAR truck series next year with Niece Motorsports. The deal is almost finalized.
Earlier this year, Junior talked about Hall’s future, saying, “Connor is going to move on from the CARS Tour next year. His plan is to move out of our car and try to put himself in an opportunity to drive a truck.”
In Pro Late Model, Keelan Harvick has already put together a standout rookie season with two wins and sits third in points. He could have made the jump to NASCAR before long.
If you want proof that the CARS Tour helps launch NASCAR careers, just look at Josh Berry. He’s the Tour’s all-time winningest driver and is in the Cup Series playoffs right now, wheeling the #21 car for Wood Brothers Racing. With more Late Model drivers entering big-time NASCAR, the pipeline is clear: The CARS Tour is the place for anyone chasing stock car stardom.