Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set to face a new challenge when he returns to Florence Motor Speedway on Friday night. The NASCAR Hall of Famer will make his first start in a straight-rail Pro Late Model during the zMAX CARS Tour Cook Out 225 at the South Carolina track.
Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 23 GMS Race Cars entry in the 100-lap Pro Late Model race, which is scheduled to start around 7 p.m. ET. FloRacing will stream the full event live. The move gives Dale Earnhardt Jr. another chance to race at a track he knows well, but this time he will use a chassis that is different from the Late Model Stock cars he has driven during his recent short-track appearances.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Faces New NASCAR Late Model Challenge
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has raced Late Model Stock cars in his return to grassroots racing, but Friday will mark his first time in a straight-rail Late Model. His previous Late Model starts came in perimeter-rail cars, which have different handling characteristics.
The new car comes from GMS Race Cars. Earnhardt’s first cousin, Tony Eury Jr., works there as director of chassis development. Tony Eury Sr. is also involved with the team. Both previously worked as crew chiefs on Earnhardt’s Dale Earnhardt Inc. No. 8 NASCAR Cup Series team.
“Tony Jr. was at FURY and now he’s at GMS and they’re building these great cars and they have this new chassis, and they’ve been racing ‘em all across the country,” Earnhardt said Tuesday on the Dale Jr. Download podcast.
CARS Tour Brings Dale Earnhardt Jr. Back to Florence
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he wanted more seat time after completing his 2026 broadcast schedule with Prime and Turner Sports. He had already planned to race a Late Model Stock car at Newport Speedway in October, but he decided not to wait.
“We put a car together and we’re going to give it a shot. I think Tony Sr. is going to come out. Kind of like a family reunion. He said ‘what do you want it to look like’ and I said ‘don’t care’ and ‘don’t even put my name on it.’ Let’s just show up and drive it.”
Earnhardt will also race against former DEI team member DJ Copp, who changed tires for the team and now owns a team preparing a car for Bayley Currey.
Florence is familiar territory for Earnhardt. He raced at the 0.400-mile track during the 1990s and has returned in recent years for Late Model Stock races, including the South Carolina 400.
NASCAR Stars Join Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Late Model Race
The CARS Tour event will feature a strong Late Model Stock field after the Pro Late Model race. Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch will compete in Red Bull-wrapped cars, while championship contender Caden Kvapil will lead the JR Motorsports effort.
The Pro Late Model race will run for 100 laps, followed by the 125-lap Late Model Stock race. That gives fans two different forms of Late Model racing at Florence Motor Speedway on the same night.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is also a co-owner of the CARS Tour, has previously discussed making more short-track starts. He has mentioned a possible Super Late Model appearance, potentially in a CARS Tour West race with Kevin Harvick.
For now, Earnhardt’s focus is Friday night: a new Late Model chassis, familiar faces and another NASCAR-related grassroots racing appearance at Florence.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Make Pro Late Model Debut at Florence Facing Unfamiliar Challenge