The Late Model Cars Tour was definitely not in a position to have big press events prior to a little over a year ago. That all changed when some of the biggest names in NASCAR bought the racing series together.
Now, as they prepare to enter their second year of ownership, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Justin Marks are looking to continue the growth of the series.
All we wanted was to get a simple reaction on all the new @CARSTour news from @LandonHuffman, @DylonWilson and @03Butterbean. But of course, with these three, nothing is ever simple. Chaos and hilarity tend to ensue ? pic.twitter.com/wINHUbAFZE
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) November 29, 2023
The four were part of a major announcement this week, as the Cars Tour unveiled its 2024 plans. At a press conference at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the ownership group announced the 2024 schedule, along with a major extension with FloRacing to broadcast the races.
The event also included the announcement of a new title sponsor for the series, as zMAX comes aboard.
Earnhardt had plenty to say about the big changes ahead for the series, when asked about it by NASCAR.com's Brandon White.
"As someone involved in the series ownership group, it's never enough," Earnhardt said. "We're ambitious, and the value of the series is still unrealized. We've got a lot of potential with good, quality racing and a lot of great storylines. I'm pretty bullish, but there's not enough days in the year to accomplish all your tasks."
Earnhardt has been involved with the Cars Tour ever since its first season in 2015, and he has always known that they could grow the series into the premier division of short-track racing.
The Cars Tour features plenty of local talent when they go to tracks, but some of the more-popular names of NASCAR's future like to dabble in the series as well. Josh Berry is a perfect example, as he came from the series and will now take over Harvick's No. 4 Cup ride in 2024.
Harvick is happy about what the series was able to do in the first year of the group's ownership, but he is ready to continue to help build for long-term success.
"When you look at the first year, there's a lot of things I've learned a lot about," Harvick said. "I love the group of guys we work with because it's a great communicating group which looks at things from a much different perspective but also understands that we're trying to reach the same goal. It's been a lot of work, but a lot of fun, as well."
It's clear the Cars Tour has the right people in charge, with all four caring about short-track racing and developing future racing stars. It was a match made in heaven for both Earnhardt and his partners and for short track racing fans everywhere.
