The zMAX CARS Tour will kick off Window World 450 race week the way it’s meant to start in Wilkes County, under the lights on Friday, July 17, at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The Spears Manufacturing 75 and the Skyline National Bank 100 will headline a short-track doubleheader at the historic venue, setting the tone for a weekend that leads into the track’s first NASCAR Cup Series points race in nearly 30 years.

Spears Manufacturing will sponsor the Pro Late Model feature, while Skyline National Bank will serve as entitlement sponsor of the Late Model Stock Car division race.

The Pro Late Models will open the weekend with the Spears Manufacturing 75, a 75-lap feature event showcasing many of the sport’s rising stars set to compete Friday night. The field has featured recent winners such as Kaden Honeycutt, Mason Walters and Dawson Sutton, while rising talent Keelan Harvick has made an early impact with a runner-up finish in limited starts this season. At just 13 years of age, the third-generation racer, Harvick, won the Pro Late Model race in the series’ most recent visit to North Wilkesboro.

“Having an opportunity to sponsor an event at the legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway is an honor for all of us at Spears Manufacturing,” said Matt Baker, vice president of sales operations. “This event will showcase many of the best drivers in the region and allow us to extend our long-standing support of short track racing beyond the West and into the great state of North Carolina.”

Following the Pro Late Model race, the Late Model Stock Car division will take to the track for the Skyline National Bank 100. The division has produced several current NASCAR standouts, including Carson Kvapil and Brendan “Butterbean” Queen, giving fans a chance to see the sport’s next generation before they reach NASCAR’s national stage. It continues to showcase top talent, with recent winners including Caden Kvapil, Connor Jones and Landen Lewis. Caden Kvapil won the Late Model Stock Car race in the tour’s 2025 finale at North Wilkesboro.

“North Wilkesboro Speedway has a long history in this region, and it’s been great to see it come back,” said Blake Edwards, president and CEO of Skyline National Bank. “The Skyline National Bank 100, with its logo inspired by past banking partnerships at the track, is a natural way for us to support both its history and what’s ahead.”

The zMAX CARS Tour is one of the premier grassroots racing series in the country, featuring Pro Late Model and Late Model Stock Car competition and serving as a proving ground for emerging talent. The series has helped launch the careers of numerous drivers who have advanced to NASCAR’s national divisions.

The zMAX CARS Tour has been an integral part of North Wilkesboro Speedway since the track’s reopening in 2022, helping reestablish grassroots racing at one of the sport’s most historic venues as it built toward its return to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

Window World 450 race-week ticket packages, individual event day tickets and camping can be purchased online at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com.