Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set to make his Pro Late Model debut this Friday night at the Florence Motor Speedway. He will be competing in the CARS Tour event driving a No. 23 GMS Race Cars machine. This marks a significant step for Earnhardt Jr., as this will be his first time competing in a straight rail Late Model, having previously driven perimeter rail Stock Cars.
The event also brings a personal connection to the race, as Earnhardt Jr. will be racing alongside his first cousin, Tony Eury Jr., who serves as the Director of Chassis Development at GMS Race Cars. This collaboration allows Earnhardt to race alongside both of his crew chiefs from the Dale Earnhardt Inc. No. 8 team in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The competition at Florence is also highlighted by an interesting dynamic. Earnhardt and the Eurys will be facing a team owned by a former tire changer from that era in DJ Copp, who has recently built a car for Bayley Currey. This adds an extra layer of intrigue to the night.
Earnhardt expressed that he felt he needed to try out a new vehicle after a period of inactivity, stating they put a car together and decided to just show up and drive it. If this debut goes well, Earnhardt is looking ahead to potentially aiming for a Super Late Model start out west in a CARS Tour West race alongside Kevin Harvick.
Source: Short Track Scene