Grassroots racing has always been the lifeblood of NASCAR. Throughout the years, it has produced generations of drivers before they reached the sport’s biggest stage. That’s exactly what the zMAX CARS Tour has set out to protect since coming under the ownership of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks. Now, that vision has received another major boost after one of motorsports’ biggest names officially joined the ownership group.
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s zMAX CARS Tour adds new owners
The zMAX CARS Tour announced Tuesday that Speedway Motorsports and CEO Marcus Smith have joined the series’ ownership group. This brings one of the most influential organizations in American motorsports into the rapidly growing grassroots series.
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The series itself has come a long way in just over a decade. Jack McNelly founded the CARS Tour in 2014 using the remnants of the Pro Cup Series to create the Southeast’s premier asphalt Late Model championship. Today, the tour features two flagship divisions- Late Model Stock Cars (LMSC) and Pro Late Models (PLM) and has become one of the sport’s most respected proving grounds for aspiring NASCAR drivers.
Its profile grew even more in 2023 when Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks purchased the series. Since then, the ownership group has worked to strengthen grassroots short-track racing and create a clearer path for talented young drivers to reach NASCAR’s national series.
The addition carries even more weight given Speedway Motorsports’ long history in the sport.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Bruton Smith, who started his career sponsoring grassroots races around the Southeast, created the organization. Then he started Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960, which contributed to the transformation of modern stock car racing. Over the following decades, Speedway Motorsports expanded by building and acquiring nationally recognized race tracks across the country.
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Its reach went beyond speedways. The company also built several businesses that became staples of the racing industry, including the Performance Racing Network, U.S. Legend Cars International, and SMI Properties. Together, those ventures expanded Speedway Motorsports’ presence in broadcasting, race car manufacturing, and motorsports merchandising.
Marcus Smith has been part of that journey for nearly three decades. After graduating from college in 1996, he began working full-time in corporate sales at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he had grown up. In 2004, he joined Speedway Motorsports as a director. In 2008, he became President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway in addition to holding the combined positions of business President and Chief Operating Officer.
In 2015, Smith was named CEO of Speedway Motorsports. Today, Marcus oversees 11 motorsports entertainment venues. These collectively host 15 NASCAR Cup Series race weekends, along with NHRA, IndyCar, World of Outlaws events, car shows, music festivals, and other major attractions.
Explaining why the company chose to invest in the CARS Tour, Smith said the decision fits naturally with Speedway Motorsports’ long-standing commitment to driver development.
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“Since the creation of U.S. Legend Cars International in 1992, Speedway Motorsports has been committed to grassroots racing and developing the next generation of NASCAR drivers. This investment with the zMAX CARS Tour is a logical next step for us to help Legend Car drivers move to late models and then to NASCAR’s national series.”
The move strengthens an ownership group that has already invested heavily in grassroots racing over the past few years. With Speedway Motorsports now involved, the CARS Tour gains another experienced partner that understands both the commercial side of the sport and how to help it grow.
Not to mention, it marks another important step in building a clearer path from regional short tracks to NASCAR’s biggest stage.
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