Three action-packed races have kicked off the 2019 CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour season, starting with Brandon Pierce’s first career victory after executing a bump-and-run on the last lap, which was followed by Taylor Gray and Lee Pulliam securing wins in caution-filled events at Hickory Motor Speedway and Orange County Speedway, respectively.
Amidst all the different storylines, one driver that has quietly kept his name in the CARS LMSC Tour championship hunt has been Upland, California native Zack St. Onge, who currently sits seventh in the point standings after recording two Top 10 finishes in the first three races.
Although he has not been able to contend for wins yet, St. Onge likes the current direction he is heading in behind the wheel of the #25 Lee Faulk Racing Chevrolet, and he is confident that he can make more strides this weekend when he takes the green flag in The Race at Ace 125.
“I’ve been really happy working with Lee Faulk,” St. Onge told RACE22.com. “I’ve learned a lot there, and for us to move from California to the East Coast and contend for Top 10s, especially with how competitive the CARS Tour is, makes it more satisfying. Racing with Lee Faulk was definitely the right move for us, and I’m excited to see what we can do at Ace Speedway.”
St. Onge made a name for himself competing in a variety of divisions on the West Coast, as he claimed a South West Tour Truck Series championship in 2016 and finished fourth in the California region of the Whelen All-American Series in 2018. St. Onge’s success caught the attention of Lee Faulk Racing, who signed him to compete in select events along the East Coast, including the CARS LMSC Tour.
St. Onge faced many challenges when he made the transition over to racing on the East Coast, with the biggest one being the increase in competitive teams and drivers. When he raced at Irwindale Speedway and Kern County Raceway Park, St. Onge stated that he would regularly have to contend with five to ten drivers who could realistically win, but he has since grown accustomed to fields where 20 different drivers could take home the checkered flag.
St. Onge got his formal introduction to East Coast Late Model racing on March 9 when he entered the CARS LMSC Tour Solid Rock Carriers 300 at Southern National Motorsports Park. St. Onge struggled with his car all weekend and would ultimately come home in the 16th position two laps off the pace.
“Southern National has definitely been the hardest track for me, and the results definitely showed that,” St. Onge said. “I was just hopping right into the East Coast and into the top-tier Late Model series over here, so things were just really different. I was just getting adjusted to something that I wasn’t used to.”
Prior to the MTP Tire 300 at Hickory Motor Speedway, Faulk encouraged St. Onge to keep utilizing patience as he gradually got more adjusted to the series and as his crew kept working on his Late Model’s overall speed. The strategy would pay off for St. Onge at Hickory, as he dodged numerous accidents to come home in the eighth position after starting in 19th.
Patience would benefit St. Onge once again in the inaugural Old North State Nationals at Orange County, as he was forced to climb through the field after earning a qualifying position of 19th for the second consecutive race. Despite numerous accidents that eliminated contenders such as Layne Riggs and Timothy Peters, St. Onge kept his Late Model mostly clean, which allowed him to secure a career-best finish of sixth.
St. Onge only trails current championship leader Josh Berry by 24 points in the standings, and he is confident that he can parlay his recent string of momentum into several more solid runs. Qualifying speed remains an issue for St. Onge, but he believes that his team is getting closer to resolving the issue, which he hopes will help cement himself as a contender for the win every weekend.
“I’m hoping that I can improve in qualifying,” St. Onge continued. “It’d be nice to be a little further up in the pack, and I feel like if we can get good track position, then we can make a push and finally crack the Top 5.”
St. Onge wants to run the entire CARS LMSC Tour schedule, but he is still waiting on the proper funding to come together before he can chase down Berry and Gray for a title. Regardless if a full season happens or not, St. Onge has been thankful for all of the advice he has received from everyone at Lee Faulk Racing and is eagerly looking forward to taking the green flag at Ace Speedway on Friday, which is expected to drop at some point after 8 p.m.
