A Homecoming at North Wilkesboro
NASCAR champion Chase Elliott is slated to make a highly anticipated appearance at North Wilkesboro Speedway on July 17, where he will take the wheel of the No. 8 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour event.
The race represents Elliott’s first competitive outing with JR Motorsports since 2015, a partnership that originally launched his professional career between 2014 and 2015, a period during which he captured four victories and secured the 2014 Xfinity Series championship as a rookie.
That championship made him the youngest titleholder in series history, and the No. 8 car carries a storied legacy, having been famously piloted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. before Elliott inherited the number.
The CARS Tour, co‑owned by Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Justin Marks, has scheduled the North Wilkesboro weekend for a Friday night showdown, after which Elliott will shift his focus back to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule with Hendrick Motorsports.
Fans will recognize the event as a homecoming of sorts, a chance for Elliott to reconnect with the short‑track roots that shaped his early development while also underscoring the enduring influence of the sport’s legendary figures.