The All-Star festivities have literally begun with a loud bang. Before the NASCAR grid heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway for exhibition races, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s CARS Tour paid a visit. What is more, this Late Model Series had a number of novelties to look forward to. None other than Dale Jr himself joined the broadcast team, and the zMAX CARS Tour LMS Window World 100 was aired on FS1 for the first time. Yet the first part of the race cast a dark cloud on these dazzling elements.
Lanie Buice, wheeling the No. 3 car for Lee Pulliam Racing, fetched a remarkable 2nd-place starting spot for Friday’s race. The 18-year-old trendsetter hoped to become the first-ever female race winner in CARS Tour history. However, not only did her aspirations shatter, but a lot of others also fell into chaos.
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s youngsters wreak havoc
Well, short-track racing can be chaotic to begin with. The .625-mile North Wilkesboro track has 3 degrees of banking in the straightaways and 13 degrees of banking in the turns. The latter factor is probably what rattled Lanie Buice in her CARS Tour outing. Going downhill into Turn 1, Buice wasn’t able to turn her car down soon enough. Jake Bollman was arcing the corner on his own line, and the two ended up meeting going into the corner. In an accordion effect, over 10 cars piled in behind them. Amongst the drivers included in the incident were Ronnie Bassett Jr., Sam Butler, Doug Barnes, Landon S. Huffman, and Corey LaJoie. So much for a grand start to the All-Star festivities for Dale Earnhardt Jr! But let us hear it from the drivers first.
Lanie Buice, the female speedster who was behind the ruckus, issued an apology in a post-race interview. She said, “Super sorry for causing a problem early on, I hate it for everybody. So, hopefully, I have to see the replay to see what really happened. I think we were just racing really hard right there. Maybe I shouldn’t have raced so hard at the beginning of the race. Got a lot to improve, felt like I was feeling it a little bit.”
Lanie Buice on the Lap 1 crash with Jake Bollman pic.twitter.com/AVcaHCo2Kc
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) May 17, 2025
Many drivers felt the rubber laid down by the NASCAR Cup Series cars earlier in the afternoon was a reason. The CARS Tour machines were getting loose as the rubber was ripped from the track surface by their Hoosier tires. Buice also pointed out: “Once we made contact, I couldn’t break that bubble of getting free. I think the different tires earlier from the Cup guys definitely changed the track a little bit. I don’t know if that’s what maybe got me a little bit tight and changed things.”
However, Jake Bollman was far from pleased. With Dale Earnhardt Jr watching from the booth and FS1 airing the race, the embarrassment of getting involved in a wreck was high. The Bill-McAnally Racing ARCA driver said, “Just no patience. That’s all I can say; it is what it is. Just move on. I’m just going to look at it at the end of this weekend and be, ‘Had a fast car, you can’t ask for more in this series.’ So move on to our next race…I’m going to Colorado next weekend for the ARCA series. Just move forward, that’s all you can do.”
Despite Jake Bollman’s concerns, Dale Earnhardt Jr delivered a positive verdict. The CARS Tour co-owner even suggested a boosted alternative.
Dale Jr speaks highly of the chaotic night
Well, the Cup Series veteran was on a mission this weekend. Dale Earnhardt Jr has been booked for Amazon Prime Video’s Cup Series schedule this year, starting with the Coca-Cola 600. But before joining the media giant’s platform, the NASCAR icon decided to brush up on his skills in the CARS Tour. That is why the spotlight was heavier for the Friday race, and also why Lanie Buice and Jake Bollman regretted the wreck. However, Dale Jr adopted a thoroughly unexpected stance on the events of the race, which Landon Lewis won. Given the wildly popular reception of North Wilkesboro, he suggested even the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the track he helped to revive. Dale Jr posted on X after the CARS Tour race: “In ‘25 Xfinity should run spring Bristol and then straight to Wilkesboro instead of Austin.”
What is more, the twin-time Daytona 500 winner explicitly sanctioned the CARS Tour event. Dale Jr said after the Window World 100 wrapped up: “Hey, everybody. Just getting wrapped up here after the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro and reading some of the feedback on social media. I hope that you, if you watched the race I hope you enjoyed it. It was a big, big night for the CARS Tour. We’re very proud, and it’s something we’re very, very passionate about. Just an incredible night.” He added, “So, hope everybody enjoyed the broadcast. I had a lot of fun being part of it. But I think the world of this series and its drivers and teams. And I asked everybody to support it this weekend, and if you did, I just wanted to jump on here real quick and say, big thanks, from all of us.”
Clearly, the veteran was not so bothered by Lanie Buick’s wreckfest antics at North Wilkesboro. Hopefully, the 18-year-old trendsetter will pave a cleaner path in the upcoming races.
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