Over the course of the offseason, we will go back and recap each race of the 2023 ASA STARS National Tour season. The inaugural season featured seven different winners in ten races at ten different tracks, with a points battle that went down to the wire.
Race No.3 – ECMD 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway
After a thriller at Madison International Speedway, the stars of the ASA STARS National Tour turned to North Carolina and perhaps the most anticipated race of the season outside of the opener. The series kicked off the NASCAR All-Star Race week and NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway with the ECMD 150 alongside the CARS Tour.
Entries were capped at 56, with 52 making the trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the largest car count of the year for the series. Among the entrants were five NASCAR Cup Series stars, including 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, Erik Jones, Noah Gragson and Daniel Suarez.
After being originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, the race was moved to Wednesday, May 17 due to rain. Qualifying was washed out, with qualifying results being reverted to combined practice speeds, giving Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez the Go Fas Racing Pole Award in his Super Late Model debut. Grant Enfinger, Hudson Halder, Derek Kraus, Billy VanMeter, Blaine Rocha and John Bolen transferred through the Last Chance Qualifier, while Ty Majeski, Michael Hinde, Jett Noland and Austin Nason received provisionals.
Matt Craig and Noah Gragson led the field to green after the redraw, with Craig jumping out to the early race lead. He led the first 42 laps before giving up the lead to Bubba Pollard, who prevailed in a fierce battle with William Byron for the first stage win.
Byron took the lead from Pollard on lap 58 and dominated the majority of the second stage, but a yellow with five to go in stage two bunched the field back up. The restart allowed his NASCAR Cup Series teammate Chase Elliott to get ahead of him and steal the second stage win.
The two then traded the lead in the first six laps of the final stage before the re-arrival of one Bubba Pollard. The Georgia Super Late Model veteran took the lead from Elliott on lap 107, then navigated lapped traffic the remaining 43 laps and held off the two NASCAR stars to take the win in the ECMD 150.
ECMD 150 – North Wilkesboro Speedway
Entries: 52
Started: 32
Go Fas Racing Pole Award Winner: Daniel Suarez
Stage Winners: Bubba Pollard/Chase Elliott
Lead Changes: 9
Leaders: 4
Most Laps Led: Bubba Pollard (58)
Winner: Bubba Pollard
For more information on the ASA STARS National Tour, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: ASA STARS National Tour | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced in October 2022, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.
The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner – the ASA/CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.
The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the series.
Track Enterprises, a racing promotions company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of Champion Racing Association (CRA) in January 2022 and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series, which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.
