Both divisions of the CARS Tour will wrap up their 13-race season when the series travels to South Boston, Virginia for the first time in its brief history. Kyle Busch Motorsports development driver Cole Rouse currently holds an eight-point advantage over Brandon Setzer in the Super Late Model division, while Layne Riggs will look to hold off JR Motorsports teammates Josh Berry and Anthony Alfredo in the Late Model division.
Over 30 drivers have already filed entries between the two races at South Boston Speedway, with Jared Fryar and Jake Crum being the only two drivers racing in both divisions. While Fryar will be making only his second start in the CARS Super Late Model Tour, Crum has experience running in both divisions of the CARS Tour, and believes that his experience will make him a contender in both races.
“The Super Late Models are a lot lighter, and have a lot more motor, so that puts everything in the driver’s hands a little bit more,” Crum said. “If the car isn’t working very well in the corner, then you can make up ground with the motor if you have a good motor. There are a lot of different strategies that go on with both cars, so it’s important to try and finesse everything and get everything worked out to where you can manage both of them.”
Crum is coming off a strong performance at the 2017 ValleyStar Credit Union 300, which began when he inherited the pole after the front row of Jeff Oakley and Deac McCaskill were disqualified after failing post-qualifying inspection. Crum would go on to lead 96 laps in the event, the most of any driver in the field, but would ultimately finish fourth after rebounding from a spin shortly after the halfway point.
Crum attempted to carry over that success into Ace Speedway, when he filed a late entry for the 4th annual Rodney Cook Classic. Crum’s weekend got off to a fast start, as he posted some of the fastest times in the two Late Model practice sessions, and qualified seventh for the 140-lap Late Model feature. Unfortunately, Crum and his twenty-six competitors were forced to pack up their equipment and return home when persistent rains postponed on-track activity at Ace Speedway to October 28th.
Outside of a successful Late Model career that includes a win in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, Crum has years of experience running in several auto racing divisions across the country. Crum ran 20 NASCAR races between the Xfinity and Truck Series between 2010 and 2014, with a best finish of 12th coming in the Truck Series at the 2012 Kentucky 201 at Kentucky Speedway. Crum is also a frequent competitor in Super Late Models, where he has scored two Top 5 finishes in the PASS South Super Late Model Series.
Crum has been a part of the CARS Tour since its inception in 2015, but has made more starts in the Super Late Model Tour than the Late Model Stock Car Tour despite his success in Late Models. Of the nine starts that Crum has made in the CARS SLM Tour, three of them have resulted in Top 5 finishes, including both of his starts in 2017 at Bristol and Anderson. Crum believes that he will be strong in both races at South Boston, and although the Super Late Model field will be much shorter than the Late Model field, Crum plans to use the same strategy in both races.
“For both divisions, track position is going to be a key factor in deciding who wins the race,” Crum said. “It’s important to be focused, stay out of trouble, and qualify at the front so we can try to run good.”
There will also be a strong field of competitors for Crum to contend with besides the usual entries in the CARS Tour. Christian Eckes and Zane Smith, who are both development drivers for Toyota, are expected to compete in the SLM race at South Boston, as well as 2016 CARS SLM Tour champion Raphael Lessard. The Late Model race will feature several regulars from the South Boston Late Model division, including Matt Bowling, Philip Morris, and 2017 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Timothy Peters.
