Tar Heel 250 to Mark the Return of ASA to Hickory Motor Speedway

Macon, IL (April 7, 2023) – The ASA STARS National Tour makes a trek to the State of North Carolina for two dates in the month of May and the name of the race at Hickory Motor Speedway has now been unveiled. The Tar Heel 250 for the national pavement super late model series will take place on Thursday, May 25 at the track tabbed as the “Birthplace of NASCAR Stars.”

The race will be part of “Thursday Thunder in the Foothills,” which will feature a support division of race cars to be announced soon. The ASA STARS race is also co-sanctioned with the ASA Southern Super Series.

“We are looking forward to working with Kevin and the incredible staff at Hickory Motor Speedway,” said Bob Sargent, of Track Enterprises, which owns and operates the ASA STARS National Tour. “It’s such a historic venue and I’ve always wanted to bring a race there. So to have the ASA STARS National Tour at Hickory in its inaugural season means a lot to me.”

The race name, Tar Heel 250, comes from North Carolina’s history as the “Tar Heel State.” The term Tar Heel has been used as a source of pride since the 1860s and continues to be the namesake of the state and the University of North Carolina sports teams.

Hickory Motor Speedway has a rich history of racing dating back to the track’s inaugural season in 1951. This will be ASA’s second appearance at the 3/8ths mile race track. Former NASCAR Cup Series competitor and Xfinity Series winner Scott Wimmer won the sole event for ASA at Hickory in 2000.

Hickory Motor Speedway has hosted 35 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1953 until 1972, while also hosting what’s now the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 1953-1998. The Xfinity Series visited Hickory 339 times in that span, more than any other facility.

“We are excited for the opportunity to host the ASA STARS National Tour in their inaugural season at the Tar Heel 250,” said Kevin Piercy, General Manager of Hickory Motor Speedway. “We are already getting a good bit of calls from fans for this event. We believe the ASA brand will create a foothold at Hickory Motor Speedway, and we are looking forward to the Tar Heel 250 being part of the Thursday Thunder in the Foothills night of racing.”

The Tar Heel 250 is right in the middle of “Speedweek” in the Charlotte-metro area of North Carolina. Millbridge Speedway, in Salisbury, NC, features the Extreme Outlaw Midget Series on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday will see the Tar Heel 250 – Thursday Thunder in the Foothills at Hickory Motor Speedway for the ASA STARS National Tour. Friday brings CARS Tour action for Late Model Stock Cars at Tri-County Speedway in Hudson, NC. To cap the week off, there will be two days of NASCAR action at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with the Coca-Cola 600 culminating the week on Sunday.

The ASA National Tour is also racing at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina on Tuesday, May 16. For more information on the race and how to purchase tickets, please visit this link.

More information regarding the Tar Heel 250 – Thursday Thunder in the Foothills, including the schedule of events, support divisions, ticket information, and early ticket sales will be released soon.

The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on March 11. Georgia racer Casey Roderick won the Sunshine State 200.

The series’ next event is on Sunday, May 7 at Madison International Speedway in Wisconsin for the Joe Shear Classic. Tickets are available online by visiting misracing.com/tickets.

For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).

ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.

The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ASA CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.

The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the Series, thanks to Team Construction.

Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President, Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.

-ASA STARS National Tour Release