Kade Brown Readies CARS Tour Race at Hickory Motor Speedway

Six-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (NAAPWS) Hickory Motor Speedway winner Kade Brown returns to the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour this weekend at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway hoping that his season of Late Model stock competition transitions into a strong finish in Saturday night’s USAR Pro Cup Throwback 225.

Brown, 17, invades this weekend’s CARS Tour race on the heels of capturing another pole in weekly competition and delivering his 18th top-five of the season driving an entry for Matt Piercy Racing.

Making his first appearance in a CARS Tour race since the spring event at Hickory, Brown is looking to showcase his craft and exercise patience while challenging for a strong finish.

“I feel like I am in a good place for this weekend’s race,” said Brown. “We are coming off another strong weekend in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and I am determined to bounce back from our disappointing CARS Tour finish at Hickory in April.

“As a driver, I have learned so much about how to hone my craft – all while remembering how treacherous the Hickory track can be sometimes. We’ve had a lot of success this season on a Late Model stock level, but I am eager for that success to carry on to a much larger platform like the CARS Tour.”

Brown, a native of Denver, N.C. impressed in his CARS Tour debut at Hickory in the spring, qualifying his car on the outside pole and leading laps during the race. While the finish wasn’t what he or his team had hoped for after suffering an engine failure, Brown plans to use the knowledge obtained from that weekend as well as his six weekly division victories this season to pursue his first major Late Model Stock triumph.

“I’m thinking (Saturday) will be about the same (as the Spring), maybe a little hotter,” Brown said. “With the way everyone runs Hickory, I’m thinking the pace will be very similar. We just have to be mindful of the track temperature and make sure we adjust the car as needed to help us stay in the hunt.”

The proud heritage of the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour is set to be honored this weekend with the series’ annual throwback event at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Teams from both the Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model Tour will adorn tribute schemes that honor many of the best drivers that competed in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series such as Bobby Gill, Shane Huffman, Clay Rogers, Woody Howard, Mardy Lindley and many more.

Brown and Matt Piercy Racing are excited to participate in the annual tradition and will pay homage to five-time USAR Pro Cup Series national champion Clay Rogers.

The decision to recognize Rogers was initiated by former NASCAR driver and two-time ARCA Menards Series winner Damon Lusk who has severed as a mentor for the teenage phenom this season.

“Damon Lusk has done a lot for me this year, and he was the one who suggested we throwback to Clay Rogers,” Brown explained. “We went through some of the old schemes, and he had a lot of success in the No. 44, so we went with that one.”

The No. 44 white and orange Ford driven by Rogers was one of the most iconic paint schemes in the USAR Pro Cup Series during the mid-2000s. Rogers’ most efficient year with the No. 44 was in 2006 when he tallied seven wins across the USAR Pro Cup Series platform, along with claiming titles in the Southern Division and the National Championship.

Of Rogers’ 30 career USAR Pro Cup Series wins, two of those came at Hickory in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Brown is looking to mimic the success Rogers once showed in the USAR Pro Cup Series and believes he can do so with the cars prepared by Matt Piercy Racing.

“It would mean a lot to win on Saturday night,” sounded Brown. “For a lot of reasons of course. I have a lot of confidence with the success that I have had on the Late Model Stock, but also taking in the plethora of notes, feedback and guidance from those around me who want to see me succeed.

“Redemption is on our mind this weekend and I’m looking forward to the opportunity for contending for that checkered flag in our No. 44 ValAsta | Puryear Tank Lines | Carolina Driveline | Race City Steel Chevrolet.”

For more on Kade Brown, please like his Facebook page (Kade Brown Racing), or follow him on Instagram (@kadebrownracing), TikTok (@kadebrown99) and Twitter (@kadebrownracing).

The CARS Tour race at Hickory Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, July 29, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Coverage of the event will be streamed live on FloRacing.com.

Kade Brown Racing PR

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