“This series belongs to the racers”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens up on mindset behind recent CARS Tour changes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained the CARS Tour series' mindset behind changing tire compounds ahead of the Florence Motor Speedway race. The legendary driver will participate in the 125-lap race, with the winner earning an automatic pole for the South Carolina 400 on November 23.

The CARS Tour is a nationwide stock car auto racing series. Sponsored by zMAX, the late model racing is hosted on paved short tracks in Nevada, California, South and North Carolina, and Virginia. On January 9, 2023, Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Justin Marks, and Kevin Harvick jointly purchased the series.

Ahead of the Florence race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up on the reason behind changing the tire compound right before the night's race. He outlined that it's the competitors' call and the Tour would do whatever the racers are confident in.

"Our drivers are eager to be a part of that conversation. They've helped, some tires got brought this weekend. Some of our competitors went out and ran on yesterday to try to get some more answers and find some solutions. But in the end, we're going to go the direction that our competitors are most confident in because they're the Tour, this series belongs to the racers and the teams," Earnhardt Jr. said via FloRacing on X (1:13).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will compete at the Cook Out 225 and was 13th fastest in the practice session on the half-mile oval. He will field the #3 Sun Drop Chevrolet.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens up on his CARS Tour race preparation

Co-owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick are set to compete at the 0.4-mile speedway. While the former will mark his entry in the Late Model Stock Car racing, the latter will race in the Premier Late Model racing.

Earnhardt Jr. donned the 1994 SunDrop paint scheme at the 2022 North Wilkesboro race. He bagged a third-place finish behind Carson Kvapil and Mason Diaz. Last year, he signed a multiyear deal with the sponsor and finished 16th the same year at the Langley Speedway. The 26-time Cup Series race winner's upcoming Florence race will also mark the continuation of his multiyear partnership with the brand.

The 49-year-old opened up on his race preparations. During the same interview, he said.

"Notoriously been a bad qualifier, so I'm not going to be too upset, depending on, you know, no matter where we end up. We're going to try to take care of the tire the best we can, have something at the end, have a fun run till the end. We got enough to win. If we don't, hopefully we're still pretty good and competitive so that we can get us a reasonable finish," the 49-year-old said (1:49).

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports has fared well so far this season, with Justin Allgaier currently leading the regular standings with 806 points while Sammy Smith is 11th. Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones are 13th and 14th respectively in the standings.