A look at prominent Pro/Super Late Model Racing Regions Part 1 (Wisconsin, Southeast USA, and North Carolina)

December 24th, 2023,

[Initially I was going to do this all at once, but I will be breaking this up into multiple parts to make it more single-sitting friendly. The final part will be where I draw a bit of comparisons, with a focal point on the Maritimes]

Introduction

Wisconsin, Southeast US, North Carolina, Northeast US, California, Northwest US, Michigan, Maritime Canada, Quebec/Ontario. What do these 9 regions I isolated share in common? I believe them to be the most prominent regions for Pro/Super Late Model racing in Canada + the USA. Let’s start by briefly looking at each, without ranking them:

Wisconsin

What isn’t to love about Wisconsin PLM/SLM racing? Electric, large crowds, huge quantity of home town drivers, birthplace/home region of the current best SLM driver in the world, #91 Ty Majeski, excellent, deep talent pool, history, and lots of marquee/major races. One thing of note is the region is known for running 2 bbl carburetor packages instead of 4bbl, and still having some difference between some track rules within the region.

Wisconsin is where the majority of the Midwest Tour SLM touring series races take place, and in general, as far as prestigious races in the region, they include:

- Father's Day 100 - Milkwaukee Mile
- Joe Shear Classic Madison International Speedway
- Wisconsin International Raceway 250 - at least $10,000 to win
- Slinger Nationals, Slinger Speedway, Wisconsin - at least $20,000 to win
- Oktoberfest, La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway

Just some notable drivers include: NASCAR Hall of Famer, and 8-time Slinger Nationals Winner Matt Kenseth; 5-time Snowball Derby winner Rich Bickle Jr.; NASCAR Hall of Famer Dick Trickle, who also has a statute of his likeness in his hometown; 2-time Snowball Derby Champion, and 5-time Midwest Tour Champion Ty Majeski; ASA Champion Johnny Sauter; up and coming NASCAR star Sam Mayer, and NASCAR innovator/Hall of Famer Alan Kulwicki.

Southeast USA

Here we go. Frequently considered to be the highest level of competition in the world for this Asphalt, Template-bodied Super Late Model Racing. Some of the best PLM/SLM drivers are native to this region, and the region often draws some of the very best talents from everywhere else. The biggest feather in the cap, is that it is home of the Snowball Derby. For the purposes of this context, I will consider the region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. To try to keep the length and focus of this article under control, I am going to stick to the past 10-15 years span.

The Southeast USA is where the Southern Super Series SLM Touring Series runs, with the addition of North Carolina. I will touch upon why I separated NC when I get there. The Southern Super Series is typically considered to be the highest calibre regional touring series for this type of racing.

Some notable races in the region include:

- Snowball Derby, Five Flags Speedway, Florida - $35,000 to win
- All American 400, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Tennessee - $20,000 to win
- Speedfest, Crisp Motorsports Park, Georgia
- Rattler 250, South Alabama Speedway, Alabama - $25,000 to win
- The Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128, Freedom Factory, Florida - $30,000 to win
- Governor's Cup, New Smyrna Speedway, Florida - $15,000 to win
- Blizzard Series 4 race mini-points series - Five Flags Speedway, Florida
- North/South Super Late Model Challenge, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Tennessee

Some notables drivers from the region include: NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2-time Snowball Derby Champion Chase Elliot; Winner of countless marquee SLM and PLM races, and one of the best to ever do it/a Mount Rushmore of PLM/SLM racing, Bubba Pollard; prominent contender Casey Roderick; NASCAR up and comers Corey Heim & Jake Garcia, and the region in which many like NASCAR Stars Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek made some of their biggest impacts in the Late Model scene on their way up.

North Carolina

The main reason I separated and included North Carolina is because it is distinguished largely by it’s heavy Late Model Stock Car class of racing, as well as influence and significance to NASCAR. Despite this, it has had it’s share of strong PLM/SLM drivers, but often times with cross-over between LMSC (Late Model Stock Cars).

The Pro All Star Series (PASS) South Division used to run in North Carolina and surrounding regions from 2006-2018, the CARS Tour Super Late Model Series ran in a similar way to PASS South from 2015-2021, and now the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series which continued on from the SLM Series in 2022 to present is doing much the same.

Some notable races include:
- The Easter Bunny 150, Hickory Motor Speedway, North Carolina
- More recently, a big feature at the revived North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Carolina - in 2023, IMO the Super Late Model race there genuinely rivaled the 2023 Snowball Derby for it’s initial entry list.

Some notable drivers, which include some that may be more notable for LMSC vs PLM/SLM, or vise-versa, but do both: Matt Craig, one of the more prolific, recently dominant SLM drivers from the region; Caden Kvapil, the up and coming younger brother of Carson Kvapil - Caden has been excelling in the CARS Tour PLM Series; Preston Peltier has seen lots of success in the region, particularly in the Easter Bunny 150; NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Daniel Hemric; Brandon Setzer who races, but also plays an important role in driver development; Kyle Grissom who has won roughly 25% of his 29 PASS South Races, and NASCAR Cup Series Veteran Ryan Blaney who has a lot of North Carolina SLM Touring Series races under his belt.