TIMMONSVILLE, SC – The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour’s inaugural trip to Florence Motor Speedway for the Aaron’s 250 saw Nolan Pope claim his first win in a thrilling last-lap battle with Timothy Peters.
The ensuing LMSC feature was primarily dominated by Peters, but an efficient tire conservation strategy from Pope enabled him to charge his way through the field and pass the two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner with a great run off Turn 4 coming to the checkered flag.
Pope believed that he could conserve his equipment at the front of the field alongside Peters, Layne Riggs and Lee Pulliam after qualifying in fifth, but he quickly adjusted his strategy when he realized how aggressive his competition was at the beginning of the feature.
“We were going to try and ride out front, but everyone was going faster than I wanted to,” Pope said. “I knew we were going to have a good chance, but we just had to be there. After that last caution 80 laps in, I told my spotter that my car was really good around the bottom and as long as it stayed there, we had a shot.”
Pope dropped to the tail end of the field while Riggs held off challenges from Pulliam, Matt Cox and Justin Johnson. Riggs’ chances of a third consecutive victory ended soon after when a faulty alternator cost him two laps on pit road.
Johnson assumed control of the lead and encountered little resistance from the likes of Cox and Peters, but a mechanical issue on Lap 69 forced him to bring his Late Model into the pits, denying him his first career victory.
With Johnson out of the race, Peters gained the upper hand on his closest competition in McCumbee after the latter used up his tires. However, several drivers, including Pope, began to weave their way through slower traffic after successfully conserving their tires.
Once Pope dispatched Pulliam and teammate Corey Heim, he made short work of McCumbee, but he had less than 15 laps to get around lapped cars and chase down Peters for that elusive first career win.
Peters did not think Pope was a contender for the win until he saw him rapidly approaching in his rearview mirror, but he admitted that there was not much he could do to stall out Pope’s momentum and beat him to the checkered flag in the closing laps.
“I just gave him a little too much room, but I was getting really tight,” Peters said. “I think I went a little too soon after the last caution. This one will go in the memory bank when we come back down here for the big race, so hopefully things will go the same way except 10 yards in my direction.”
Pope, who was coming off a dismal weekend at Carteret County Speedway that saw him get banned from the Touring 12 following a post-race altercation, was solely focused on being consistent and gaining spots, but was also oblivious as to where he was in the running order until the checkered flag flew.
“I had no idea that was even for the lead,” Pope said. “Nobody said anything, but when I crossed the line, everybody started yelling and I asked if that was for the win, and I was told yes. I really didn’t want a yellow, but luckily that didn’t happen and we were able to clear [Peters] off Turn 4 for the checkered.”
The LMSC portion of the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour season will conclude with the Old North State Nationals from Oct. 24-25 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. The Super Late Models finish their 2020 campaign with the All-American 400 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour is broadcast live on CARSTour.TV.
(find full race results listed below)
About the CARS Tour
The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour is one of the premier short track series in the United States. Drivers compete in Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Models at the best short tracks across the Carolinas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. The CARS Tour can be found on Facebook at “CARS Tour“, on Twitter @CARSTour, and on Instagram as @CARS_Tour. For more information, visit www.carsracingtour.com or call their Mooresville, N.C. offices at 704.662.9212.
Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour Release
Photo courtesy of Brandon Zumbach
Stay tuned to superlatemodel.com. We will have more on the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour as it becomes available.
Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour – Florence Motor Speedway
Aaron’s LMSC 125 – Feature Results
125 laps
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Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour – Florence Motor Speedway
Aaron’s LMSC 125 – Qualifying Results
Time Trials
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For more information on the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour visit carsracingtour.com
