Late Model Racing Star Unmasks the Competitive Nature of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s CARS Tour

While NASCAR takes a two-week hiatus due to the Olympic Games, fans are getting their fix of competitive racing action from the zMAX CARS Tour. Co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr, the series has seen all the action, drama, and fights, that make it blockbuster value for fans. Such is the competitive nature of the series, that despite Ryan Millington being the first driver to get past the checkered flag at Hickory Motor Speedway, third place Ronnie Bassett Jr was awarded the victory!

Having spent the early part of his career competing against his brother Dale Bassett in the Late Model Series, Ronnie Bassett Jr is back in action where it all began. Reflecting on the competitive nature of the series co-owned by Dale Jr, Bassett Jr emphasized just how fine the margins are between winning and losing in the CARS Tour.

Bassett Jr was in the right place, at the right time

Ronnie Bassett Jr could not have won more controversially in the Late Model Stock Car portion of the CARS Tour at Hickory Motor Speedway. A controversial post-race decision after an incident involving Ryan Milltongton and Connor Hall awarded Bassett Jr an emotional victory. While some may say Basset Jr had luck on his side, as he was in the right place, at the right time, the 28-year-old was also in the top three for the majority of the 125-lap race. However, with very little to separate the drivers, the result could have very easily not gone in Ronnie Bassett Jr’s favor.

In a conversation on Dale Jr Download, Ronnie Bassett Jr shed light on the competitive nature of the zMAX CARS Tour. Responding to Dale Earnhardt Jr’s claim that out of 26 cars, 24 can go on to win any race, Bassett Jr said, “Oh, it’s very competitive, I mean, like you just mentioned, the times are really close. You’re one-tenth off, you’re gonna start 15th, and with as tight as this field is, if you start that far back in the pack, it’s hard to be able to have a decent car. When you get hit with the fenders on it and the tow still straight, so it’s very tough and when you qualify decent, you need to be able to take advantage of it and like we were able to do on Saturday night. We qualified in the top five, we just managed our race car and we were in the right spot at the right time.”

That’s exactly what worked in Ronnie Bassett Jr’s favor. Having finished in a good position during qualifying, the 28-year-old was hoping for a top-three finish at Hickory Motor Speedway. While the opening laps were led by Connor Hall, the majority of the race, from Lap 3 to 123 was led by Ryan Millington. However, when Hall regained the lead with just one lap to go, Millington wasn’t going to let go of his lead that easily, clashing with Hall and forcing him to spin in the final corner, going on to finish first. However, as luck would have had it, race officials penalized both, which awarded Ronnie Bassett Jr his first win in the CARS Tour.

The victory was fate’s way of taking Ronnie Bassett Jr’s story full circle. Having dealt with one setback after another in the last few years, winning in a Late Models race at Hickory Motor Speedway was the result the 28-year-old deserved. His consistency, experience, and hard work shone through, earning him 34 points from the result and a prize money of $10,000. If there’s anyone who deserves it, it’s Ronnie Bassett Jr.

Ronnie Bassett Jr completes his redemption arc

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It was a fairytale ending for Bassett Jr, who went from being third in the final corner to finishing first. The victory was emotional, as it was the first time Bassett Jr was back in the victory lane since his family attempted to revive their NASCAR Xfinity Series team in the last few years. It has been a long road to be competitive in the Late Models since the CARS Tour has proven to be a formidable challenge for Ronnie Bassett Jr. However, the 28-year-old has responded accordingly with a victory at Hickory Motor Speedway.

On the FloRacing broadcast in Victory Lane, Ronnie Bassett Jr said, “Any way you can win these races is awesome. It shows we were in contention and had a shot. We didn’t have the best car over a long run but we hung in there and kept fighting. We’ve had a stressful year and a half coming back Late-Model racing and we’re gradually getting better. It’s not that way you want to do it but anytime you can get one, you take it.”

The Bassett family has had its fair share of struggles in the last few years. In May 2016, a fire struck their race shop, destroying all their cars. In 2020, an incident with Justin Allgaier in Kentucky sent Ronnie Bassett Jr into the wall, wrecking the only family-owned car. The journey may have been long and difficult, but with Ronnie Bassett Jr back in Victory Lane, the 28-year-old is all set to get his career back on track.

Do you think the CARS Tour is as competitive as the NASCAR Cup Series? Let us know in the comments!