Plenty of changes are in store for the CARS Tour as the series opens its 2023 season with the Puryear Tank Lines 225 at Southern National Motorsports Park, a NASCAR Home Track in Lucama, North Carolina.
Not only does the series have a new broadcast partner in FloRacing, but Saturday’s opener will be the first CARS Tour race under a new ownership group consisting of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, former driver Jeff Burton and Trackhouse Racing Team owner Justin Marks.
RELATED: Follow the CARS Tour all season on FloRacingThe goal of the new ownership group is to bolster the solid foundation that has been existent in the CARS Tour since its inaugural year in 2015. This is the series in which drivers like William Byron, Christopher Bell, Todd Gilliland, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry and more have developed their skills against some of the best short-track competitors in the southeast.
To kick off the new era, the CARS Tour heads back to the track that hosted its first race in Southern National. The series has raced at Southern National 12 times between its Late Model Stock Car division and the defunct Super Late Model Tour, but Saturday marks the first time the series has raced in Lucama since 2020.
Several talented drivers make up the entry lists in both the Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model Tour for the Puryear Tank Lines 225.
Below is everything you need to know about Saturday's event at Southern National.
[caption id="attachment_384746" align="alignnone" width="2560"]What channel is the 2023 CARS Tour opener on?
All the on-track action for the Puryear Tank Lines 225 at Southern National can be viewed live on FloRacing, the official streaming home for all NASCAR Roots properties.
The event will not be shown on a television network. Below is the complete schedule for FloRacing's coverage of the Puryear Tank Lines 225.| Date | Start Time | How to Watch |
| Saturday, Mar. 11, 2023 | 3 p.m. ET | FloRacing |
Complete schedule for the Puryear Tank Lines 225
This year's CARS Tour opener will take place on Saturday, March 11. Practice is scheduled for both Friday and Saturday, with qualifying set to take place for both divisions 90 minutes before the green flag. The Pro Late Model Tour kicks off the racing at Southern National with a 100-lap feature. Once that race concludes, the Late Model Stock Car Tour hits the track for 125 laps. Below is the complete schedule at Southern National Motorsports Park (all times ET).- Friday, March 10
| Time | Event |
| 8:30 a.m. | Trailer parking |
| 9:30 a.m. | All cars unloaded |
| 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Safety inspection of all cars and equipment |
| 1 p.m. | Pits open |
| 1:30 p.m. | Crew chief meeting |
| 2:15-6:15 p.m. | Practice (three rounds for LMSC & PLM) |
| 6:45 p.m. | Pits close |
- Saturday, March 11
| Time | Event |
| 7 a.m. | Trailer & hauler parking |
| 7:15 a.m. | Pits open |
| 7:30 a.m. | Mandatory crew chief meeting |
| 8-9:15 a.m. | Race tire selection |
| 9:30-10:50 a.m. | Practice (two rounds for LMSC & PLM) |
| 11 a.m. | Mandatory crew chief, driver & spotter meeting |
| 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Mandatory pre-qualifying tech |
| 12:30 p.m. | Track safety meeting/grandstands open |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | Qualifying (single car for LMSC & PLM) |
| 2:40 p.m. | Driver introductions |
| 2:55 p.m. | Pre-race ceremonies |
| 3 p.m. | Puryear Tank Lines 225- PLM (100 laps), LMSC (125 laps) |
Entry lists
The preliminary entry lists for both the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model Tour feature an even mix of new and familiar names. Headlining the Late Model Stock Car feature is defending series champion Carson Kvapil, who will be driving the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Nobody could match the efficiency displayed by Kvapil during the 2022 season, as he ended up accumulating four victories and 13 top fives. Kvapil is joined on the entry list by the drivers who make up the CARS Tour's loyalty program -- known as the Touring 12. This list includes Connor Hall, who won three Late Model Stock Car Tour races in 2022, along with three-time Langley Speedway track champion Brenden Queen, Chad McCumbee, Cale Gale and Isabella Robusto, among others. For the Pro Late Model Tour, Caden Kvapil, who is Carson's younger brother, moves over from his family team to the organization that won last year's championship with Luke Fenhaus in Highlands Motorsports. Caden Kvapil is expected to be a favorite for the Pro Late Model Tour title, but he will have competition from drivers like Katie Hettinger, who is driving for Anthony Campi Racing.The complete entry lists for the CARS Tour's Puryear Tank Lines 225 can be found below:
- Late Model Stock
| Car No. | Driver | Hometown | Owner |
| 00 | Jody Measamer | Sanford, NC | Measamer/Usry |
| 03 | Brenden Queen | Chesapeake, VA | Lee Pulliam Performance |
| 04 | Ronnie Bassett Jr. | Lexington, NC | Bassett Racing |
| 08 | Deac McCaskill | Raleigh, NC | McCaskill Motorsports |
| 0 | Landon Pembelton | Amelia, VA | Sellers Racing |
| 1 | Andrew Grady | Youngsville, NC | Mike Darne Racing |
| 2 | Brandon Pierce | Alton, VA | Lee Pulliam Performance |
| 2W | Ryan Wilson | Randleman, NC | Ryan Wilson Motorsports |
| 4 | Dylon Wilson | Wilkesboro, NC | TwoBoros Performance Shop |
| 4F | Jonathan Findley | Bristow, VA | Derek Peebles Motorsport |
| 6 | Bobby McCarty | Madison, NC | R&S Race Cars |
| 8 | Carson Kvapil | Mooresville, NC | JR Motorsports |
| 8B | Chase Burrow | Mechanicsville, VA | Top Gun Motorsports |
| 8F | Tate Fogleman | Durham, NC | JFCO Motorsports |
| 10 | Kaden Honeycutt | Aledo, TX | Mike Darne Racing |
| 14 | Jared Fryar | Trinity, NC | Jimmy Mooring Racing |
| 15 | Ryan Millington | Statesville, NC | Millington Motorsports |
| 16 | Chad McCumbee | Supply, NC | McCumbee Elliott Racing |
| 19 | Jessica Cann | Winston-Salem, NC | Mixed Merchants Motorsports |
| 20 | Joshua Dickens | Easley, SC | Mitchell Mote Performance |
| 22 | Cale Gale | Winston-Salem, NC | Nelson Motorsports |
| 24 | Mason Diaz | Manassas, VA | Chad Bryant Racing |
| 29 | Brian Obiedzenski | Franklinton, NC | Brian Obiedzenski Motorsports |
| 32 | Zack Miracle | Indian Trail, NC | Miracle Motorsports |
| 42 | Carson Brown | Mooresville, NC | Cook Racing Technologies |
| 44 | Conner Jones | Fredericksburg, VA | R&S Race Cars |
| 55 | Isabella Robusto | Fort Mill, SC | Lee Faulk Racing & Development |
| 59 | Blake Lothian | Wellesley, MA | Mike Darne Racing |
| 67 | Cameron Bolin | Sharon, SC | Bolin Family Racing |
| 77 | Connor Hall | Hampton, VA | Chad Bryant Racing |
| 81 | Mini Tyrrell | Manassas, VA | Timmy Tyrell Racing |
| 95 | Jacob Heafner | Dallas, NC | Carroll Speedshop |
| 97 | Jason Kitzmiller | Maysville, WV | CR7 Motorsports |
- Pro Late Model
| Car No. | Driver | Hometown | Owner |
| 03 | Kyle Campbell | Conniver, NC | Kyle Campbell Racing |
| 5 | Zac Fowler | Ellicott, MD | E33 Motorsports |
| 5B | Gavin Boschele | Mooresville, NC | DLP Motorsports |
| 6 | George Phillips | Newton, NC | Setzer Racing & Development |
| 7 | Tristan McKee | Williamsburg, VA | Accelerated Development |
| 7C | Justin Crider | Statesville, NC | Robin Crider Racing |
| 7T | Tyler Church | Concord, NC | Tyler Church Racing |
| 8 | Rusty Skewes | Mechanicsville, VA | Top Gun Motorsports |
| 9 | Ashton Higgins | Weaverville, NC | ALH Motorsports |
| 13 | Austin MacDonald | Pictou, Nova Scotia | King Racing |
| 15 | Brett Suggs | Mooresville, NC | TH Motorsports |
| 19 | Bryan Kruczek | Epping, NH | Bobby Webber Racing |
| 24 | Carter Langley | Zebulon, NC | Ashley Crim Racing |
| 28 | Isabella Robusto | Fort Mill, SC | Wilson Motorsports |
| 29 | Logan Boyett | Cantonment, FL | E33 Motorsports |
| 43 | Nick Loden | Stanley, NC | Loden Motorsports |
| 43H | Matt Horniman | Claremont, NC | Stillwell Racing |
| 44 | Justin Whitaker | Burlington, NC | JFCO Racing |
| 48 | Jeff Batten | Nashville, NC | B&J Racing |
| 49 | Luke Morey | Denver, NC | Luke Morey Racing |
| 77 | Logan Jones | Fredericksburg, VA | J&L Motorsports |
| 81 | Katie Hettinger | Metamora, MI | Anthony Campi Racing |
| 96 | Caden Kvapil | Mooresville, NC | Highlands Motorsports |