Just a year ago the 4/10th-mile track that is Ace Speedway sat empty with its future in doubt. Fast forward to this upcoming weekend when the CARS Response Energy Late Model Stock Tour makes its debut at the paper clip shaped track. New owners Jason and Robert Turner have breathed new life into the track located north of Burlington, NC. Many of the championship contenders like Bobby McCarty, Deac McCaskill, and Lee Pulliam have a limited amount of experience at Ace, leaving the door wide open to all in attendance to score the victory Saturday night. While qualifying is always important at a CARS Tour race, the tight corners at Ace Speedway can make passing a chore and having a solid starting position in the 125 lap race will be a key factor in coming out on top in The Race at Ace.
NOTES:
Track/Location: Ace Speedway-Elon, NC
Track Size: .40-mile
Event Name: The Race at Ace 125
Laps/Distance: 125L/50 miles
Event Schedule: Practice: 1:15PM-3:00PM, Qualifying: 5:20PM, Green: 7:30PM LMSC
Twitter Handle/Event Hashtag: @CARSTour / @Ace_Speedway / #RaceatAce125
CARS LMSC Tour Pre Entered Drivers:
#07 Bradley McCaskill
#1 Craig Moore
#2 Cody Haskins
#2D Christopher Denny
#2P Brandon Pierce
#4 Jeb Burton
#5 Lee Pulliam
#7 Justin Crider
#9 Sam Mayer
#9W Charlie Watson
#14 Ryan Repko
#16 RD Smith
#17 Ryan Millington
#18 Ty Gibbs
#22 Deac McCaskill
#22C Grayson Cullather
#22M Bobby McCarty
#27 Tommy Lemons Jr.
#44 TBD
#74 Ronald Hill
#77 Trevor Ward
#77S Blake Stallings
#88 Josh Berry
#99 Layne Riggs
(24 total)
***Official Entry Deadline: Tuesday, June 5, 2018, at 4 PM***
Media Coverage:
-Speed51 (speed51.com) will provide Trackside Now Live Coverage
-Race22 (race22.com) will provide Raceday Live Coverage
-Short Track Scene (shorttrackscene.com)
-CARS Tour TV (www.carstour.tv) – LIVE Broadcast Video Production Coverage
-CARS Tour Facebook (facebook.com/CARSTour) / CARS Tour Twitter (@CARSTour)
QUOTES:
Ace is R.D. Smith’s Place:
In his career R.D Smith has made fourteen career CARS Tour starts in the Late Model Stock division. Smith has come close on multiple occasions to taking home the winner’s trophy, but bad luck has always struck the Burlington, NC driver in the closing laps to the finish. Now the CARS Tour travels to his home track of Ace Speedway where he is a former track champion. According to Smith the challenge will be tough but this might be his best opportunity yet to get his first career CARS Tour victory.
“We are really looking forward to the CARS Tour coming to Ace. We’ve come so close to winning a race on the tour, but for one reason or another, we haven’t been able to finish it off. This could be our best shot yet, but no doubt the competition this year is probably the toughest it’s been since the start. I think Ace could be one of the best races this year on the schedule. The track produces some real tight racing which is what keeps the fans coming back and should pack the place Saturday night. I think it could be an eventful night!” RD Smith – #16 Smith Rentals Chevrolet
Rookie Trevor Ward on Racing at Ace:
Series newcomer Trevor Ward from nearby Winston-Salem, NC calls Ace Speedway his home track on the CARS Tour and has been looking forward to this race for quite some time. The youngster has managed a full season of CARS Tour competition and a full season of racing at Ace putting him third in the track’s championship standings. On the flip side, Ward is just 12th in the CARS championship standings and 4th the TORP Chassis Rookie of the Year standings without a top ten yet, and 47 points behind rookie leader Sam Mayer. While Ward understands the competition at Ace this weekend will be tougher than normal, having raced with the tour all season and his home track advantage he has could easily produce his best career CARS Tour finish Saturday night.
“We are a small family team, mainly just me and my dad, so it’s been a big learning curve for me going to all these new tracks every week. I think we keep getting better every time we show up, and with this weekend being at Ace I do think we have a chance at a really good run. I think if we can have a good finish at Ace that might get us hitting on something and get us some good finishes in the second half of the season. ” Trevor Ward – #77 Ward Performance Chevrolet
CARS Tour Split Show & New Places to Race like Ace:
This weekend the CARS Response Energy Tour will branch out to hosting both the Super Late Models at Anderson (SC) Motor Speedway and the Late Model Stock division at Ace Speedway, located just North of Burlington, NC. This will be the first time the two divisions will get to race on the same date at different locations after rain washed out the LMSC race at Wake while the SLM was at Nashville earlier this year. Despite the logistics of being at two locations, the opportunity to race, at a new track for the tour, like Ace Speedway couldn’t be passed up. The tour’s primary region for fans and drivers alike come from the Piedmont region of the Tar Heel state, so chances of a stellar show with large car counts and packed grandstands at Ace are quickly becoming a reality.
“It’s been a lot of work to get everything in place for two races at once, but we are getting a majority of the assistance from the Southern Super Series down in Anderson. Tim Bryant and his crew are great to work with as always. When it comes to Ace I’ll kind of be the one managing it, while Jack and some of the guys will be in Anderson. Jason Turner, from Ace Speedway, and myself have been working hard to make this race happen. The Turners have really turned the place around and it’s the perfect location for our fans and a majority of the LMSC teams and drivers. Expanding the tour to new tracks like Ace is a major key to building the long-term success of the tour. We didn’t get the opportunity to see what happened with the LMSC being by themselves at Wake, so this race is something from our side of things we have really been looking forward to for quite some time.” Chris Ragle – CARS Response Energy Tour, Series Director
For more information and to stay up with all the latest news and information about the CARS Response Energy Tour, featuring both Late Model Stock Car and Super Late Model divisions, visit www.carsracingtour.com or contact the tour’s office directly at 704-662-9212. Stay social with the tour by “liking” the CARS Tour Facebook page and following along on Twitter @CARSTour.
