The 2019 CARS Tour season will kick off on March 9th when the series returns to Southern National Motorsports Park for the first time since 2016, where many faces that are both familiar and new will look to start their championship bids in the Late Model Stock and Super Late Model Tours.
Among the rookies that will take part in the full 2019 schedule on the Late Model side include Hollister, California native Adam Lemke, who will drive full-time for JR Motorsports in the #98 Slick Products/GoPro Late Model.
Lemke will replace Sam Mayer in the second Late Model for JR Motorsports, who left the program at the conclusion of the 2018 season to drive for GMS Racing in the ARCA Menards Series and K&N Pro Series East. Lemke was thrilled to be signed by JR Motorsports for the 2019 Late Model season and is looking forward to what the year holds for him.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” Lemke said. “I have to thank Kelley and Dale for giving me this opportunity, and I am going to take full advantage of JR Motorsports so I can make the most of this opportunity.”
Lemke began his racing career at the age of eight when his family purchased a quarter-midget for him and gradually found success over the next five years by winning several championships and breaking numerous track records. Lemke moved up to the California Mini Cup Championship during the 2015 season and managed to bring home a championship in the division in the following year.
After making several starts in a variety of different series in 2017, Lemke fully committed himself to the RPM Mortgage Pro Late Model Series at Madera Speedway as well as the USAC Western Speed 2 Midget Series for the 2018 season. Lemke earned three top-five finishes and Rookie of the Year honors in the Pro Late Model division but secured the championship in the USAC division by winning seven out of 12 races.
Lemke will enter uncharted territory when he begins his campaign for a CARS LMSC Tour championship at Southern National, as he has never raced at any of the tracks that the series will visit in 2019. To help him prepare for his rookie year, Lemke has been frequently turning to his veteran teammate in 2017 CARS LMSC Tour champion Josh Berry for advice off the track and admitted that he now has a firmer idea of how to approach the upcoming season-opener by carefully studying Berry.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot about the cars, as well as what works and what doesn’t at places like Southern National,” Lemke said. “When it comes time to race at Southern National, I’m definitely going to be listening to Josh and watching what he does every second of the day to try and do the best that I can.”
Berry has endured mixed success in his previous starts at Southern National, as his only attempt at the Thanksgiving Classic in 2016 ended with him finishing behind the wall in 24th. Berry fared much better at the track in both of his CARS LMSC Tour starts at the facility, with one of them resulting in a victory after he passed Jeff Oakley for the lead with 11 laps remaining.
Lemke is optimistic that Berry’s guidance will pay off for him once the green flag drops for the Solid Rock Carriers 300, but he anticipates that the Late Model feature will be more of a learning experience for him with other veterans like Deac McCaskill and Tommy Lemons Jr. expected to file entries. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, Lemke is confident that he can establish himself as a legitimate contender for victories on every single weekend.
“I definitely think I can compete for Rookie of the Year,” Lemke said. “If I can finish in the Top 5 in points, then that would be amazing. I also want to shoot for wins and the championship, but if I can’t get that, then my goal is a Top 5 points finish.”
The 2019 Solid Rock Carriers 300 will consist of 150-lap features for both Late Models and Super Late Models that will be dominated by controlled cautions through both events. Competitors from both divisions will have an extra incentive to race hard for the win, as the driver who crosses the finish line first will receive a paycheck of $10,000 in victory lane.
RACE22.com will have RACEDAY LIVE updates starting at 9:30am with practice for both the Super Late Models and Late Model Stock Cars.
