The zMAX CARS Tour is Back in Raleighwood!

For a venue built as a place to race for backyard bragging rights amongst friends, Raleigh's Wake County Speedway has grown over the decades into the epicenter of grassroots stock car racing in central North Carolina.

Located at 2109 Simpkins Road, just off US Highway 401, and about 10 minutes south of downtown, "America's Favorite Bullring," regularly hosts Friday night races inside its tight quarter-mile paved oval confines. The speedway operated as a dirt track for 24 years before being paved in time for the 1987 season. The track became NASCAR-sanctioned in 2020.

It's fun to imagine what the Simpkins family envisioned for their little race track when they broke ground on the red clay racing surface in 1962. The name "Wake County Speedway" was chosen by Glenn Simpkins so as not to be confused with the recently closed Raleigh Speedway. That short-lived, half-mile paperclip-shaped paved racetrack was located near today's 440 Beltline, just a few miles north of downtown. You can read about the full history of Wake County Speedway, here.

This Saturday, March 29th, the venerable facility will host the traveling zMAX CARS Tour (based in Mooresville, NC). Fans will pack the historic grandstands and grassy knoll to watch the best Late Model Stock Car drivers in the nation. The series, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks, is a proving ground for up-and-coming Late Model Stock Car drivers with dreams of racing full-time in NASCAR.

Saturday's race, the Accent Imaging 125 will feature 125 laps by the CARS Tour regulars as well as some of Wake County Speedway's best drivers like Clay Jones and Carson Haislip, among others. The Southern Ground Pounders vintage racing club will run a 35-lap race at 6:30 pm, and the local R&R Towing Bomber/Any Cars will close out the show at 8:30 pm with a 20-lap race presented by Forever Clean.

Accent Imaging 125/zMAX CARS Tour Event Poster

Be sure to get to your seat early to catch a live music performance at 6 pm from the LeithCars.com Victory Lane Stage showcasing the talents of Nashville recording artist Paige King Johnson. Paige is a seven-time Carolina Country Music Award winner from Angier, NC. She's worked alongside 90’s country music legend Pam Tillis, making her first Grand Ole Opry appearance and released her debut album, Honky Tonk Heart, featured on CMT, RFD TV, Newsmax & more. She has shared the stage with artists Clint Black, Joe Nichols, Kylie Morgan, Diamond Rio, Scotty McCreery, Neal McCoy & more. Our Rock the Ring pre-race mini-concert is presented by B&B Supply in Wilow Spring, NC.

Paige King Johnson performs at 6 pm from the Victory Lane Stage.

Advance tickets are on sale now through 11:30 pm this Friday, March 28th for $25 and discounts for students, military, seniors, and children ages 6 - 12. Kids 5 and under are free.

Order your advance tickets through MyRacePass.

All race day tickets will be $30 and will go on sale on Saturday, March 29th, at the ticket gate beginning at 3 pm.

Read more about the zMAX CARS Tour's return to Wake County Speedway here.

We are excited also to announce that along with our regular Raccoon Grill food vendors on duty for Saturday night's race, our friends from Moonrunner's Grill will be providing their food truck menu to hungry race fans.

Book your overnight stay for the race at Wake County Speedway's official hotel partner, Tru by Hilton Raleigh-Garner.