Tommy Neal (21), Dillon Houser (11), Kate Dallenbach (25) and Travis Byrd (77) battle for position in a Limited Late Model race at Tri-County Motor Speedway in September 2016. (Corey Latham/Race22.com photo)

Limited Late Models will race as a companion event to the CARS Late Model Stock Tour for the first time in the series’ history when the CARS Tour opens its season at Tri-County Motor Speedway on March 10th.

The 75 lap race, which will accompany the Do the Dew 150, will pay $2,500-to-win and $250 to start.  With a healthy payout, the race gives Limited Late Model competitors a headline race at the start of the season, running alongside the region’s lone Late Model Stock Car touring series.

“It’s an opportunity to perhaps showcase to the Limited Late Model guys what the CARS Tour is all about and hopefully encourage them to race with us as they move up,” CARS Tour director Chris Ragle told Race22.com.  “We wanted a strong show to kick off the year and with us already paying $10,000 for the Late Model Stock Car race we felt adding a good Limited Late Model event would bolster the event even more.”

Along with providing a standout race, CARS Tour hopes to keep the costs low for competitors by running two new and two scuff tires, with a twist.  Instead of tires running their own tires, tires will be turned in and teams will draw for sets.

“To help keep cost down and encourage people to travel to race with us, racers will run on two new F-45 tires and 2 used F-45 tires that every team will turn and be drawn for at random.” Ragle remarked.  “I think this format will go a long way in getting cars from all over the region. That’s the key in order to hopefully make this a premier LLM race.”

The inclusion of Limited Late Models for the season opener comes after the CARS Tour reduced the amount of Super Late Model races and began to shift much of their focus on the more prolific Late Model Stock Tour.

The Do the Dew 200 at the 4/10-mile Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, North Carolina will be the first race of the expanded 13 race schedule for the CARS Late Model Stock Tour.  The race will commence on Saturday, March 10th.