NASCAR Stars to Challenge Short Track's Best at SpeedFest

Excitement is building up for this weekend’s Protect Your Melon – Buckle Up SpeedFest 2024 at Crisp Motorsports Park in Cordele, Georgia.

Creating part of that excitement are the NASCAR drivers registered to compete in the ASA/CRA Super Series/ASA Southern Super Series 150-lap main event and the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour Pro Late Model 100 on Saturday afternoon.

The NASCAR stars coming to challenge the best in Late Model short track racing include someone very familiar with watermelons, a veteran who earned his ride to the top series, a Peach State native making his return to the 3/8-mile D-shaped oval, and a young driver working starting to make waves in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Ross Chastain - One of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, Ross Chastain is back in a Pro Late Model for the first time in over a decade. Famous for his Hail-Melon move made famous at Martinsville, Chastain may want to reconsider that move with no walls through three at four at Crisp Motorsports Park.

Josh Berry - Gearing up for his Rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Josh Berry will pilot the Kevin Harvick Incorporated Super Late Model. In what has been a grassroots Cinderella story, Berry heads back to the short tracks in Cordele, GA.

Brandon Jones – The JR Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity driver, and Georgia Native last competed at SpeedFest back in 2020 when he took part in both the Super Late Model and Pro Late portion of the afternoon. 2024 will be much of the same as Jones hops behind the wheel for 250 laps of feature action. Jones had a memorable weekend in 2014 when his car’s throttle stuck, sending him across the watermelon field coming to a stop on the other side of a creek beyond turns three and four. His team would get the car repaired and he finished 11th in the main event.

Jake Garcia – Coming off his 2023 campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which saw Garcia record 3 top five finishes. Jake will move over to the Sandusky Ohio based ThorSport Racing team in 2024. Garcia made two starts with the ASA STARS National Tour in 2023 with his strongest run at Winchester Speedway where he led 30 laps. 2023 saw Garcia make several starts in Super Late Model action. No stranger to Super Late Model racing, Jake will be a factor when the checkered flag falls on Saturday afternoon.

Four divisions will be in action on Saturday, January 20th with racing getting underway at 1pm. Qualifying will take place on Friday, Saturday, January 19th at 4:45pm.

The full entry list, schedule, and ticket information is available at southernsuperseries.com and CRA-racing.com.

READ MORE: Strong Fields to Heat Up Cool Weather at SpeedFest in Cordele

Advance sale discounted tickets can be purchased at https://bit.ly/SpeedFestTixfor a $5 per ticket discount. Tickets will also be available at the track on race day. Pit passes can be purchased in advance on the Pit Pay app or at the gate upon arrival.

For those unable to attend the popular event, online live coverage will be widespread with TrackTV.com, MidwestTour.TV, and Racing America all providing subscription-based coverage. Sign up now to receive live coverage of Friday qualifying and all of Saturday’s feature action for free with your TrackTV.com or MidwestTour.TV subscription.

READ MORE: Watch Protect Your Melon - Buckle Up SpeedFest 2024 on Racing America

About “Protect Your Melon – Buckle Up SpeedFest” Event:

SpeedFest began in 2005 at the now defunct USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL before moving to Georgia’s Lanier National Speedway in 2009. SpeedFest then found its home at Cordele Georgia’s Watermelon Capital Speedway at Crisp Motorsports Park in 2012 and has been held there ever since. Some of the biggest names in motorsports have won SpeedFest including Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Harrison Burton, Chandler Smith, and Corey Heim. Bubba Pollard has won the last two SpeedFest events at the track

-Track Enterprises Release
-Photo credit: James Gilbert/Getty Images