Former Cup Series Director Lets Slip CARS Tour’s Beefier Purse Plans Amidst Promise of Performance Based Evaluation

Since its creation in 2016, the CARS Tour has grown into one of America’s most sought-after short-track competitions. One of the reasons behind it is seamless management and a gradual expansion of the series. In recent times, a notable addition to the team is former NASCAR executive Kip Childress as the competition director.

Having spent 14 years in NASCAR, Childress has added a lot of value to the competition’s operating team. Calling for better time and resource management in an interview with eminent journalist Matt Weaver on NASCAR Productions media day, the 52-year-old discusses the possibility of expanding the series and using performance in a season as a metric for a team’s payout.

The authorities want to increase monetary benefits for committed teams

The Touring 12 system has been an attractive option for race teams. The franchise-based system gave full-time teams multiple benefits, like collaborative merchandise and marketing-based incentives. That has also affected the attendance numbers. With a guarantee of the country’s most talented late-model racers racing throughout the season, it can lure fans in good numbers.

Gradually, the series has seen teams commit full-time. Talents like Brenden Queen and Brandon Pierce have also found a platform to showcase their skills. However, a merit-based system would find a larger audience. Hoping that approach would work, Kip Childress revealed that the CARS Tour wants to implement performance and attendance-based returns.

“We’re still working through the finer details, but we are going to reallocate those funds. There will still be some incentive programs, but making it to where it’s not required, you be part of a program. We want to make it performance-based,“ disclosed Childress.

“We want to make it to where if you’re running frequently and having a great season, that you can benefit from that. Whether that is putting it back into the purse, we still don’t know yet. We still have a program to keep teams coming back on consecutive weekends, and we’re looking to beef up our post-season awards too, in terms of dollars to help our race teams.”

With a financial buff, the CARS Tour can also prove to be a destination for development programs. Cup Series or Xfinity Series teams can use it as a platform to extend a branch and develop young talents for the future. This can expand the series by a considerable margin and move it up the ladder among grassroots tournaments.

“We have to manage that within the scope of our rules to make sure that no one has a leg up on the other,” Childress stated. “Having teams like JRM and KHI that are part of our garage area, you can look at those teams and realize they aren’t throwing a ton of money at it. They have a budget to work within and it’s not exorbitant, you know? They are examples of being able to be competitive in our series without having to throw a ton of dough at it.”

Reiterating the difference between a race car driver’s growth at developmental teams like JRM and KHI, Kip Childress said, “They see this series as a chance to teach racers how to race, and if you just come here and spin a ton of money, and lap the field, what are you really teaching anyone?”

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Kip Childress also spoke on how the experience with Dale Earnhardt Jr has helped him grow in different aspects of management. Having been an integral part of it since last year, his importance is bound to increase with time.

Kip Childress elaborates on the learning atmosphere in the CARS Tour

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“There are a lot of components to CARS Tour, and everyone has been really helpful in getting me up to speed, and that’s been the biggest thing so far is just learning what it takes to get us to the race track,” said Kip Childress. Despite having served as a decision-maker in NASCAR for more than a decade, there were some facets in which he needed help.

Co-owners Dale Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Burton have introduced him to the driver’s perspective of the competition. This has made him understand the driver’s needs and opinions better. Childress has also had help from Operations Director Keeley Dubensky and Technical Director Gary Ifft. Dividing the resources between them has helped them form an effective system.

“We have a small group from a full-time standpoint, there is myself and Keeley and we’re working dividing up better what the duties are. I want her to be able to focus on the operations side of what we do.”  Highlighting Dubensky’s role, he added, “Like today, this media day, this is her element, she is in her zone.”

“That and operational things with track relationships. That’s Keeley. That’s going to allow me to focus more on the competition side of what we do, working with our officials in the infield, the inspection line and making sure those aspects run smoothly. I think the opportunity she and I have to work together and divide those processes will make for smooth weekends.“

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Everything about the CARS Tour has a positive tinge to it. With a veteran management core of talented drivers and the finances to support them, CARS Tour has undoubtedly grown a lot since 2016.