The asserted purpose of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Justin Marks purchasing the CARS Tour is to bring short-track pavement racing back to its former glory.
Since the ’80s and ’90s, regional asphalt racing has become widely regarded as a “minor league” to the NASCAR Cup Series — merely a stepping-stone on the ladder to success.
While there is no doubt NASCAR is one of the premier racing series in the country, the shared vision among the four-man team is to make CARS Tour stars as revered as dirt-track personalities such as sprint car racer Brad Sweet and late model driver Jonathan Davenport.
“I think there is an opportunity to grow asphalt, short-track racing and make it better,” Burton said. “Us all sitting down with the completely different perspectives that we all have might generate some new ideas and concepts that ultimately, don’t just help the CARS Tour, but help all of short-track racing.”
The CARS Tour has steadily been growing since Jack McNelly founded the series in 2014. It was originally built from the remnants of the former Pro Cup Series and now, the tour has another opportunity to evolve.
The latest vision began with a conversation between Earnhardt Jr. and McNelly. During their discussion, the NASCAR Hall of Famer mentioned his interest in building from what McNelly started and optimizing the future of the tour. With McNelly’s approval, Earnhardt set things in a motion with a call to Burton, who immediately came on board as an investor.
Harvick and Marks were the final additions to the group.
“It didn’t take long. I basically was asking to be a part of it by the time we got to that part of the conversation,” said Harvick, who currently races the No. 4 car for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series.
While the decision aligns with Harvick’s business goals for his company — KHI Management —he also plans to be involved on the most fundamental level.
“There’s a car that’s sitting in our shop because I like to race and I want to be a part of the CARS Tour,” Harvick said. Just as Earnhardt has done in the past, racing select CARS Tour events, Harvick is planning to wheel a late model in the series on occasion to better understand the driver experience.
“To be in the car, to understand the cost of it, to understand what they’re like to drive … those are the pieces that I enjoy,” Harvick said. “I think it’s important.”
Harvick’s participation as a driver on the CARS Tour circuit is a perfect example of how Burton would like to see the series grow.
In the eyes of the former Cup Series driver, cultivating an environment where mentorship and learning experiences are prioritized should continue to be a cornerstone of the CARS Tour.
The grassroots ranks are characteristically where a driver cuts his teeth. So to Burton, staging a series where young racers can receive guidance throughout their development is key to generating healthy competition that attracts sponsors and teams.
“Short-track racing is the heartbeat of motorsports,” Burton said. “Giving young drivers a chance to understand how to race with some more experienced drivers is really important. That’s part of this process, too.”
Earnhardt credits McNelly and CARS Tour Director of Operations Keeley Dubensky with creating a platform that already involves a driver feedback loop. Earnhardt witnessed its effect firsthand with JR Motorsports driver Carson Kvapil last September. Kvapil intentionally shoved Zack Miracle into the wall on the cooldown lap at Tri-County Motor Speedway, which resulted in a one-race suspension and probation through the end of the season.
The incident illustrated the importance of teaching young drivers about the repercussions of poor on-track behavior, and even more so, showing them the respectful way to race.
“Having watched the way that Jack [McNelly] and Keeley [Dubensky] have managed the series, managed the conduct of the drivers, my biggest anxiety over the whole thing is to not disturb the momentum they already have or alter anything about the identity of the series,” Earnhardt noted.
The four investors hope to preserve the core elements of the CARS Tour, which will partly be accomplished by keeping McNelly on staff to oversee the week-to-week operations and events. In regard to growth, Trackhouse Racing co-owner Marks will lead the charge to highlight the stories of short-track racers and provide more national recognition to the series.
“Whatever your goal is, whether it’s to use the CARS Tour as a stepping-stone to try to make it all the way to the Cup Series, or if it’s just to have a healthy and rewarding career in short-track racing, I think shining the biggest light on it as possible and building its fan base will give you an easier path to get there,” Marks said.
And essentially, that’s the dream that Earnhardt, Burton, Harvick and Marks want to make a reality for the CARS Tour competitors who share in their passion for short-track racing.