The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour is bolstering their relationship with Keen Corvette Parts through a unique challenge being offered to competitors in both divisions.

A four-race program known as the Keen Corvette Parts Challenge will encompass events at Ace Speedway, the Throwback 276 at Hickory Motor Speedway, South Boston Speedway, and the season finale at Caraway Speedway. The driver who accumulates the most points across those four races will receive $10,000.

CARS Tour founder Jack McNelly considers Tom Keen to be one of the most active figures involved with short track racing today and is honored to have his support through a program that will benefit the series and its drivers.

“Keen Parts sponsored the Tri-County race last year and I got to know Tom there,” McNelly said. “Tom reached out to me and said he wanted to do something bigger and better for this year. We gave it some thought over what that plan would look like and that’s how this four-race challenge was born.”

Any driver in the Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model Tour is eligible to participate in the Keen Corvette Parts Challenge, regardless if they are full-time in their respective series or wish to just run the four races on the program.

Drivers from the two divisions will compete against each other for an opportunity to win the $10,000 paycheck. Whoever racks up the second-most points between the LMSC and PLM Tour during the Keen Corvette Parts Challenge receives a $5,000 check, while third place takes home $2,500.

Trophies will be presented to the top three finishers in the Keen Corvette Parts Challenge with their cash winnings at the end-of-year CARS Tour banquet.

All the changes the CARS Tour has experienced over the past several months were a driving factor behind Keen’s decision to develop the four-race program alongside McNelly. Keen is confident in the future of the CARS Tour and hopes his relationship with the series will last long after the inaugural Keen Corvette Parts Challenge.

“We’ve been involved with racing for quite a while from [the NASCAR Cup Series] to Late Models,” Keen said. “Late Models are getting a lot of attention these days and grassroots people are what make it work, so why not give back to them? The CARS Tour is a great place to do that.”

Keen added he is always eager to try out new concepts that will bring in more money and exposure for short track competitors and envisions doing the same with the CARS Tour should Keen Corvette Parts Challenge play out in a successful manner.

With momentum favoring the CARS Tour after two races under the new ownership group, McNelly stressed the importance of promoting the Keen Corvette Parts Challenge so that Keen and other potential sponsors continue to see the value the series holds as a premier short track division in the southeast.

“If this thing works for all parties concerned, there’s a darn good chance [the Keen Corvette Parts Challenge] is going to continue or get better,” McNelly said. “I take this as a challenge on our end that we deliver what Tom is looking for. He’s doing this to support the series so that they can market and sell their product and services, just like our other partners.”

The first race in the Keen Corvette Parts Challenge will take place on May 5 when both the LMSC and PLM Tour travel to Ace Speedway. The event will be streamed live on FloRacing.