MOORESVILLE, N.C. — On Saturday night, the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour will make its first-ever visit to Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, Virginia for the AutosByNelson.com 250. Both the Late Model Stock Cars and the Super Late Models will race in the event, which replaces the Mid-Atlantic Classic originally scheduled at Orange County Speedway.

Franklin County Speedway is a gritty, high-banked three-eighths mile bullring that is known for thrilling racing. Throughout its history, Franklin County Speedway has seen many legendary racers compete, and on Saturday, two more drivers will add their names to a long and illustrious list of winners.

In the most recent LMSC event at Dominion Raceway, Jonathan Findley won his first CARS Tour race over Mini Tyrrell, who is riding a wave of momentum following a pair of podium finishes. Meanwhile, the Super Late Models return to action for the first time since Hickory on August 1, where Matt Craig picked up his seventh career CARS Tour victory.

Jared Fryar leads the LMSC standings by nine points over Layne Riggs and 12 points over rookie Connor Mosack, while Matt Craig leads the Super Late Model title fight by 21 points over Carson Kvapil.

AUTOSBYNELSON.COM 250 NOTES & QUOTES

NOTES:

Track and Location: Franklin County Speedway — Callaway, Virginia
Length: 0.375 mi (0.604 km)
Laps / Distance: 125 laps / 46.875 miles / 75.5 km
Event Schedule: 

1. Practice: LMSC 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., SLM 1:35 p.m. – 2:05 p.m., LMSC 2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m., SLM 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
2. Single-Car Qualifying: LMSC 5:15 p.m., SLM 5:45 p.m.
3. Race: 7:00 p.m., SLM (125 laps), followed by LMSC (125 laps).

Twitter Accounts / Event Hashtag: @CARSTour / @FCSpeedway / #AutosByNelson250

Media Coverage:

– CARS Tour TV (www.carstour.tv) will have the LIVE race broadcast.

– Speed51 (speed51.com) will provide Trackside Now live coverage.

– Race22 (race22.com) will provide Raceday Live coverage.

– CARS Tour Facebook (facebook.com/CARSTour) / CARS Tour Twitter (@CARSTour)

Late Model Stock Car Entry List (23 total):

	DRIVER:	HOMETOWN:	OWNER:	MAKE:	SPONSORS:
08	Justin Johnson	Raleigh, NC	Boyce McCaskill	Chevy	Puryear Tank Lines, Bobby Gregory Welding
1	Nolan Pope	Harrisonville, MO	Lee Faulk	Chevy	Lee Faulk Racing and Development
2	Brandon Pierce	Oak Ridge, NC	Lee Pulliam	Chevy	Fremont Properties, Discount Oil Co., Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort
2s	Jonathan Shafer	Ashland, OH	Barry Nelson	Toyota	AutosByNelson.com, ThunderExhaust.com
4	Jonathan Findley	Bristow, VA	Lee Faulk	Chevy	Lee Faulk Racing and Development
4d	Kyle Dudley	Roanoke, VA	Michael Dudley	Chevy	Rose Dudley Realtor
8	TBA	Mooresville, NC	Jr. Motorsports	Chevy	TBA
14	Jared Fryar	Trinity, NC	Jimmy Mooring	Ford	Sterling Building Group, Asphalt Services, ADI/PDM
16	Chad McCumbee	Ocean Isle Beach, NC	Robert Elliott	Ford	Elliott Properties, Heritage Transportation
17	Chris Carroll	Lynchburg, VA	Chris Carroll	Chevy	Charles Anderson Lawn Care, Anderson Turf Inc
17p	Stacy Puryear	South Boston, VA	Stacy Puryear	Chevy	Puryear Race Parts, Solid Rock Carriers
18	Ricky Gillespie	Floyd, VA	Robert Gillespie	Ford	The Great 611 Steak House, Gillespie Trucking, PaPa’s Pizzeria
19	Deac McCaskill	Raleigh, NC	Marcus Richmond	Toyota	R and S Race Cars, Puryear Tank Lines
19c	Jessica Cann	Thomasville, NC	Bill Petroff	Ford	Black Acid Apparel, American Sign Craft, Davis Performance
22	Bobby McCarty	Kernersville, NC	Barry Nelson	Toyota	Autos By Nelson, Solid Rock Carriers
51	Matt Cox	Longs, SC	Robert Elliott	Ford	Aarons Sales & Lease, Renegade Performance, Elliott Properties
63	Tyler Matthews	Beulaville, NC	Steve Matthews	Toyota	Dorwarts Garage
74	Ronald Hill	Rougemont, NC	Ronald Hill	Chevy	Gardner Marsh, Mincey’s Graphics
78	Corey Heim	Marietta, GA	Lee Pulliam	Chevy
81	Mini Tyrrell	Manassas, VA	Timmy Tyrrell Racing	Chevy	Mini T’s Fastest Grease in the East
87	Mike Looney	Catawba, VA	Billy Martin	Chevy	A-1 Heating and Cooling, Hopkins Lumber
88	Connor Mosack	Mooresville, NC	Jr. Motorsports	Chevy	All Things Automotive
99	Layne Riggs	Bahama, NC	Scott Riggs	Ford	Puryear Tank Lines, Romeo Guest Construction

Super Late Model Entry List (11 total):

	DRIVER:	HOMETOWN:	OWNER:	MAKE	SPONSORS:
7	Justin Crider	Statesville, NC	Robin Crider	Chevy	JDS Glass, Service Partners, Metal Roofing Systems
15	Mike Hopkins	Hermon, ME	Gary Crooks	Chevy	Port City Racecars, JM Builders
22	Trevor Noles	Fuquay-Varina, NC	Donnie Willson	Toyota	Noles Cabinets
26	Bubba Pollard	Senoia, GA	Bubba Pollard	Ford	HarrisonsWorkwear.com, TM Ranch
35	Jake Garcia	Monroe, GA	Jake Racing, Inc.	Ford	Arrow Creek Investments, Wilwood Racing
35k	Carson Kvapil	Mooresville, NC	Travis Kvapil	Chevy	Wehrs Machine
45	Kodie Conner	Kannapolis, NC	Kodie Conner	Toyota	Accent Imaging, Pro Source Fitness, Kodie Cuts Lawn Mowing
49	Jeff Batten	Nashville, NC	Bobby Batten	Chevy	Batten Ceramic Tile, Digital Repair
51	Sammy Smith	Johnston, IA	Kyle Busch	Toyota	TMC Transportation
54	Matt Craig	Kannapolis, NC	Jeff Craig	Chevy	C&C Boiler Sales and Service
56	Gus Dean	Bluffton, SC	Dean Racing	Chevy	Mashonit Apparel Company

QUOTES:

Hometown hero Mike Looney to make CARS Tour debut

Mike Looney has become one of the most prolific drivers in Late Model Stock Car racing after winning the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway in 2016 with an underfunded team. Now, the 42-year-old from Roanoke, Virginia is hoping to get a victory in his first CARS Tour race at a track where he has enjoyed plenty of success over the years.

“There are so many talented drivers and powerhouse race teams in the CARS Tour,” Looney said. “It’s cool to go somewhere and see how you stack up with those guys. When a race this big comes to our backyard, we can’t miss out on it.”

Franklin County is as close to home as it gets for Looney, who recorded his first start and first win at the track. He also won the 1998 track championship in the Pure Stock class. However, he doesn’t see himself as a surefire favorite for the victory on Saturday. Looney respects the competition that the CARS Tour will bring to Franklin County.

“I’ve got more laps around that track than anybody in that series, but series regulars have such stellar equipment and great teams and are really fast,” he said. “They’re going to adapt really quickly. The similarities with Hickory are so strong, I feel like the cars that run strong at Hickory are going to adapt right off the bat and be favorites to win. It’s a fast place and I’m anxious to see how these young kids do on the high banks at home.”

While Looney wants to win, he feels no pressure from team owner Billy Martin to go out and do so. He feels that’s what makes him and his all-volunteer race team so successful.

“We’ve been really blessed and fortunate to get it right every once in a while,” Looney said. “It’s a lot harder than we make it look. We work so hard and do everything we can do with what we’ve got. The cool thing is Billy Martin doesn’t put any pressure on me or the team. We go out and do the best we can. We want to win, but it’s not a job for anybody and we’re not making any money. That might be the difference that makes up for the deficit in budget and resources.”

Gus Dean hoping to score first series win at Franklin County

Multi-time ARCA Menards Series winner Gus Dean will make his first CARS Super Late Model Tour start since August 2019. Dean is excited to get back to the track in his Super Late Model and hopes to get his first victory in the CARS Tour.

“It would be huge to win,” Dean said. “I definitely want to win in the Super Late Model there. With the bigger cars and stuff I’ve been doing as of late, the SLM has unfortunately been on the back burner. I’m ready to get that turned around and get our program in the direction it needs to be in. A win at Franklin would be some great momentum moving forward.”

Dean is teamed up with DLP Motorsports for this weekend and has confidence that the team can have a strong run.

“We haven’t been in a Super Late Model in a while, so I think we have some bugs to shake out, but I think we’ll have a good chance to win,” Dean said. “I feel very confident about it. I work well with [David “Buggy” Pletcher] at DLP Motorsports and I’m looking forward to being at the track with him and Petey Hinson, who has been my crew chief in the Super Late Model for the past five years.”

Dean won a race in 2014 at Memphis Motorsports Park in the old X-1R Pro Cup Series, prior to the successful relaunch of the CARS Tour in 2015. Dean has raced off-and-on with the CARS Tour since then and always enjoys coming back to the tour.

“We’ve been racing with Mr. McNelly for quite some time,” Dean said. “He has a great series and is always fair. I liked the Pro Cup but the CARS Tour has a lot of the same people. I’m always excited to come back and race with the CARS Tour again.”

CARS Tour Policies to Prevent Spread of COVID-19 Continue

The CARS Tour’s COVID-19 policies will continue to be in effect for this weekend’s race at Franklin County Speedway. They include (but are not limited to) the following:

• All personnel will have their temperature screened before entering the race track.
• Driver Intros will not be held amongst the crowd, per usual; instead, drivers will be introduced from their cars on the grid.
• Trailers will be spread out across the infield to maintain proper social distancing.
• Spotters will be required to wear masks during the race.
• Masks will be strongly recommended for those who are in the infield and required for all Victory Lane celebrations.

About the CARS Tour

The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour is one of the premier short track series in the United States. Drivers compete in Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Models at the best short tracks across the Carolinas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. The CARS Tour can be found on Facebook at “CARS Tour”, on Twitter @CARSTour, and on Instagram as @CARS_Tour. For more information, visit www.carsracingtour.com or call their Mooresville, N.C. offices at 704.662.9212.

Source/Photo Credit: CARS Tour