MACON, Ill. — 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 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 three-eighths-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 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.”
Keyword: ASA STARS, Hickory Reveal Race Name