602 Nationals Preview
On the horizon is the 602 Nationals, an inaugural showcase with a $50,000 prize on the line. Taking place at the Ultimate Motorsports Park in Elkin, NC, this event will highlight the talents of 602 Late Model drivers from across the nation.
The format for the 602 Nationals is a modified version of $100,000-to-win smash events from earlier in 2024, The Big Deal and the XR Stock Car Rampage. Qualifying, heats and one alphabet soup run are all included as preliminary events for the $50,000-to-win finale.
Qualifying Night (Thursday, March 27)
The action kicks off on Thursday with a dedicated Qualifying Night. Drivers will have two hours of practice time to shake down their cars and get familiar with the track before the official qualifying rounds begin. Teams will draw a pill during registration to determine qualifying groups, which will contain around 25 competitors each.
Points are awarded based on performance within a group. Quick time in a group will receive 400 points, 2nd will receive 398, 3rd will receive 396, and points will continue to descend by 2. If a driver does not attempt a qualifying lap, they will still receive points for being in attendance, but they will be behind the eight ball the rest of the weekend.
Preliminary Night (Friday, March 28)
Friday will feature heat races to finalize the qualifying process for Saturday’s events. Heat races will be lined up based on qualifying results with an invert of 6 cars in each race. A heat race win is worth 200 points, 2nd 197, 3rd 194, and continues to descend by 3. Racers will receive 2.5 points for every car they pass compared to their official starting position.
The Top 20 in overall Qualifying Points from the Preliminary Night will transfer directly into the $50,000-to-win Feature. A dash will be held (with number of competitors to be announced) to determine the first few rows of the starting lineup. The rest of the field will be split into Alphabet Soup based on their Qualifying Points totals.
Finale (Saturday, March 29)
The culmination of the event will feature a series of ascending Alphabet Soup mains. In each race, up to 24 cars will start and the Top 10 finishers will transfer into the next main. This will go all the way until the end, when the Top 10 finishers of the B Main transfer into the $50,000-to-win finale.
The 30 competitors with the best finishing position that do not transfer into the finale will compete in the non-qualifier feature. Finally, the 30 feature racers will line up 3-wide and take on the Ultimate Motorsports Park for 50 laps to determine the winner of the 602 Nationals.
Grandstand tickets are $20 on Friday. Tickets for the big show on Saturday are $30. A 2-day grandstand pass can be purchased for $45. Pit passes are $50 per day including Wednesday. Kids 12 and under can get into the pits for $25 a night.
