MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Hickory Motor Speedway will once again be the stage for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour on August 1 as the series returns for the Cloer Construction 250.

In the first race of the season at Hickory on June 13, Corey Heim picked up his first career series victory in a Late Model Stock Car. Bubba Pollard bested defending series champion Matt Craig in the Super Late Models before backing that victory up with another at the Jennerstown Speedway Complex on Independence Day.

In past seasons, this has been the weekend of the Throwback 276, the largest event of the season for the CARS Tour. However, the format of this weekend’s race has been altered due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the throwback theme put on hiatus for the 2020 season.

CLOER CONSTRUCTION 250 NOTES & QUOTES

NOTES:

Event Name: Cloer Construction 250

Track and Location: Hickory Motor Speedway, Newton, N.C.
Length: 0.363 mi (0.584 km)
Laps / Distance: 125 laps / 45.375 mi / 73 km (LMSC & SLM)
Event Schedule: 

1. Practice: LMSC 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., SLM 1:35 p.m. – 2:05pm, LMSC 2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m., SLM 2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
2. Qualifying: LMSC 5:15 p.m. (single car), SLM 5:45 p.m. (single car)
3. Green: 7:00 p.m., LMSC (125 laps) followed by SLM (125 laps)

Twitter Accounts / Event Hashtag: @CARSTour / @hickoryspeedway / #CatawbaValley250

Late Model Stock Car Entry List (24 total):

	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	OWNER	MAKE	SPONSORS
08	Deac McCaskill	Raleigh, NC	Boyce McCaskill	Chevy	Puryear Tank Lines, Bobby Gregory Welding
1	Nolan Pope	Harrisonville, MO	Lee Faulk	Chevy
1m	Craig Moore	Rougemont, NC	Craig Moore	Chevy	Graphix Solutions, Quality Welding
2	Brandon Pierce	Oak Ridge, NC	Lee Pulliam	Chevy	Fremont Properties, Discount Oil Co., Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort
2r	Braden Rogers	Huntersville, NC	Lee Faulk	Chevy	Lee Faulk Racing
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
12p	Gage Painter	Statesville, NC	Jerry Painter	Chevy	Locke-Lane Construction, Davis & Davis Financial Partners
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
19	Blake Stallings	Danville, VA	Marcus Richmond	Toyota	R&S Race Cars
19c	Jessica Cann	Thomasville, NC	Bill Petroff	Chevy	Black Acid Apparel, American Sign Craft, Ranking Race Engines
22	Bobby McCarty	Kernersville, NC	Barry Nelson	Toyota	Autos By Nelson, Solid Rock Carriers
44	Justin Johnson	Rougemont, NC	Justin Johnson	Chevy	Puryear Tank Lines, GXS Wraps
51	Matt Cox	Longs, SC	Robert Elliott	Ford	Aarons Sales & Lease, Elliott Properties, Renegade Fuels
57	Justin Carroll	Kannapolis, NC	John Carroll	Ford	Industrial Battery and Charger, Inc.
63	Tyler Matthews	Beulaville, NC	Steve Matthews	Toyota	Dorwart’s Garage
74	Ronald Hill	Rougemont, NC	Ronald Hill	Chevy	Gardner-Marsh, Mincey’s Graphics
77	Trevor Ward	Winston-Salem, NC	Trevor Ward	Chevy	MK Racing, Digital Repair
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
81b	Sam Butler	Delphi, IN	Zach Bruenger	Chevy	Triple R Racing, PRW Chassis, Shurtape Hickory, Dixon Connect.
88	Connor Mosack	Charlotte, NC	JR Motorsports	Chevy	Nic Taylor Custom Fit, Interstate Foam & Supply Inc.
99	Layne Riggs	Bahama, NC	Scott Riggs	Ford	Puryear Tank Lines, Romeo Guest Construction

Super Late Model Entry List (12 cars total):

	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	OWNER	MAKE	SPONSORS
7	Justin Crider	Statesville, NC	Robin Crider	Chevy	JDS Glass, Service Partners, Metal Roofing Systems
7c	Tyler Church	Concord, NC	Tyler Church	Chevy	Church’s Carpet
15	Mike Hopkins	Hermon, ME	Gary Crooks	Chevy	Port City Racecars, JM Builders
15f	Jeff Fultz	Mooresville, NC	Chris Walker	Toyota	Furniturebywalker.com, D&H Marketing, Vics Concrete
21	Kris Wright	Mooresville, NC	David Pletcher	Chevy	Chevy Accessories
21s	Dylan Smith	Kannapolis, NC	Mark Reedy	Ford	Racingfanzone.com, Moyers Lakeside Eatery, Two Scoops Cream.
22	Trevor Noles	Fuquay-Varina, NC	Donnie Willson	Toyota	Noles Cabinets
35	Carson Kvapil	Mooresville, NC	Travis Kvapil	Chevy	Wehrs Machine
45	Kodie Conner	Kannapolis, NC	Kodie Conner	Toyota	Accent Imaging, Pro Source Fitness Equipment, CRC Auto
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

QUOTES:

Nolan Pope hopes to become next CARS Tour winner

Nolan Pope, one of this year’s Lucas Oil Touring 12 drivers in the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Cars, comes to Hickory riding a wave of momentum.

“It’s pretty cool to even race in the CARS Tour,” said the 22-year-old from Harrisonville, Missouri. “Being a part of the Touring 12, it’s cool to get your name with a bunch of those people. It’s hard to do and it’s cool to be recognized by the CARS Tour and fun to be a part of the CARS Tour.”

When the series raced at Hickory in June, Pope scored a career-best third place finish. Since then, Pope earned Late Model Stock Car wins at Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Speedway with Lee Faulk Racing and is confident he can become the third different first-time winner in LMSC competition this season.

“The last time we were at Hickory with the CARS Tour, we finished third, and I think we have an even better car now,” Pope said. “We’ve been to Hickory a few times since then and learned even more since the last CARS Tour race so I think we’ll definitely have a shot at it.

Pope outdueled Josh Berry, a former LMSC Champion of the CARS Tour, for a win at Hickory on July 11. Winning in the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour against some of Late Model Stock Car racing’s most elite competition, however, would be a career highlight.

“A win would be huge. It’d be the biggest win of my career for sure, and probably the biggest for Lee Faulk Racing too, said Pope. “I don’t know if they’ve ever won a CARS Tour race so it’d be special for them.  Anytime you win one of those races, you’ve done something because you’re racing some of the best in the country.”

Matt Craig looking for second win of 2020 season

Defending CARS Tour Super Late Model champion Matt Craig is hoping to pick up his third series victory at Hickory Motor Speedway and his second win of the 2020 season.

In recent years, the 21-year-old has become one of the standout drivers in Super Late Model racing. He won earlier this year at Southern National Motorsports Park, came close to winning at Hickory in June after winning in the Throwback 276 in 2019, and comes to Hickory fresh off a win in the Masters of the Pros for the ARCA?CRA All-Stars Tour at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

“I think we have a really good shot at winning this weekend,” Craig said. “We’re only going there looking for a win. There will be some good guys out there, so we don’t want to say we expect to win, but we have a car and the experience to win there for sure.”

“[Winning at Nashville] gave us a ton of confidence. Nashville is a really hard track to get around and our car handled great there. It’s rough and bumpy and doesn’t have a lot of grip like Hickory. Hickory is a smaller track, but we can take a lot of what worked at Nashville and make it work there.” 

In the last two CARS Tour races at Hickory, Craig has battled Bubba Pollard for the win – upsetting the Super Late Model titan last August and finishing third in June. Craig expects nothing different this weekend.

“If you’re at the end of the race and you’re anywhere near Bubba on the track, you’re probably racing for the win,” Craig said. “Beating him anywhere is hard. Racing with him shows just how good our team is performing.

For Craig, his recent success has been evidence of the No. 54 team’s evolution. “It took us five or six years to gain experience at the track, and for me to get better behind the wheel,” he said. “My team gives me great-handling cars capable of winning every week. It’s been a climb to get here and a lot of work, but it’s awesome that we can go to any race now and try to win. We’re not going anywhere hoping for a top-10 or top-five, we’re going for wins.”

CARS Tour Implements Guidelines to Prevent Spread of COVID-19

Until further notice, the CARS Tour will continue to implement policies to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The policies were introduced at Ace Speedway on June 6. 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.

Hickory Motor Speedway will be limited to 50% capacity for this event.

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