It’s not often that a CARS Tour contender and NASCAR Cup Series driver can be found parked next to each other at a race track.
But on a Wednesday afternoon at North Wilkesboro Speedway, it was a common sight.
Pro late model driver Katie Hettinger is next door to Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe. Late model stock driver Connor Zilisch is parked near Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain. And the list goes on.
A select number of NASCAR stars were scheduled to race in a pair of CARS Tour features Wednesday night at North Wilkesboro — either in the pro late model or late model stock division — ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Race at the .625-mile oval.
And for some of the late model stars who entertain NASCAR career hopes, the week at Wilkesboro has created a valuable opportunity to share the stage with some of the leading series drivers.
“This is an opportunity, tonight, for us late model guys to show that we are just as good or better drivers than those Cup Series guys,” said Layne Riggs, last year’s NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion.
Though he’s only a part-time driver in the LMS class on the CARS Tour, with intentions to chase other “big-money races” this season, Riggs is ultimately steering his ship toward a NASCAR ride. For that reason, he welcomes the addition of famous drivers on the entry list.
“Say, I win the race and they finish second to me, well automatically everyone in the stands is going to think, ‘Layne Riggs is better than Kevin Harvick tonight. And he might be better than him in general,’” Riggs said. “But just when you win a normal race, people just think, ‘Oh, well he just won a regular show.’”
Riggs’ dream is the same as it was when he was a little kid: Become a professional race car driver.
And in his eyes, that’s not quite possible at the late model level.
“Racing in NASCAR is where I want to be,” Riggs said. “I’m just trying to keep my name out there and stay hot on the race track.”
Full-time CARS Tour driver Connor Hall embodies a similar mentality, though, he recognizes pure opportunity rarely translates to a signed contract.
“There’s a lot of us in this sport at this level who could do it or deserve that shot,” Hall said. “Hopefully, I’m one of the next ones to get my name called.”
The Chad Bryant Racing driver is in his third year running the full LMS schedule and is second in the championship standings — 32 points behind leader Carson Kvapil. Hall feels it’s time to start planning the next step in his career.
But whether the Window World 125 at North Wilkesboro Speedway will be a catalyst for that, Hall isn’t quite sure.
“Maybe if you had a home run type night, but overall, it’s a really funding-dependent sport. At some point you reach a fork in the road where you have to bring the talent and the money,” Hall said.
Despite the hoops Hall knows he’d have to jump through, he’s anxious to try his hand at wheeling an Xfinity car or Truck Series entry.
The late model star maintains faith that if he continues to push forward and consistently etch his name in the win column, he’ll eventually have the chance to see where his natural flair for racing could take him. According to Hall, it’s a strategy that requires “working hard enough to stay relevant in the series as long as possible and praying you do get that chance.”
Hall qualified eighth for Wednesday night’s 125-lap feature, while Riggs will start 26th.