The CARS Tour just completed another successful race, but this one had something a little different. Two Cup Series stars showed up at Florence Motor Speedway, and they brought one of the biggest names in the energy drink world with them. Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch both raced under Red Bull colors, thanks to an unusual chain of events.

Van Gisbergen and Zilisch were offered a ride by co-owner of the series, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and once they said yes, their common sponsor, Red Bull, came along for the ride. Dale Jr., in an interview with journalist Matt Weaver, explained exactly how the unexpected collaboration came together.

“The fun thing about the Red Bull deal was, and you probably heard the story,” Dale Jr. said to Weaver in Florence. “Hettinger texted me, ‘Hey man, I got nobody driving my car. I got another car, and we’ll run. You got somebody who wants to drive it? I’ll cover some of the cost. I’m not asking sked for nothing. If it’s a cup guy, he might bring no money.’

“Having owners like that really makes things really nice, because then you can slot in an SVG or somebody and not have to worry about bringing a bunch of money to the deal,” Dale Jr continued.  “So Hettinger took one for the for the series and put SVG in his car.”

The NASCAR Hall of Famer further spoke about how everyone in the series was brought together by their common love for racing. No one was there for the money. When he pitched the idea to the two Trackhouse Racing drivers, however, he didn’t expect them to get on board. They surprised him.

Dale Jr. explained that the idea came together almost by accident. While discussing plans with Red Bull for next year, he mentioned that two of their athletes were set to race in his series that weekend. He then pitched the idea of putting both cars in Red Bull liveries, telling the company it would not have to spend anything. Red Bull offered to at least cover the cost of the wraps, and the entire collaboration came together in a matter of days.

Neither the brand nor its athletes had to spend anything on the event, which was something Dale Jr. described as “the funnest kind of deal.” Through his initiative and owner Chris Hettinger’s sacrifice to give SVG a seat for the race in Florence, the CARS Tour showcased the potential of what a sponsorship deal with Red Bull could do for Late Model Stock racing.

While there were some hurdles, which Dale Jr. mentioned, with having Red Bull athletes flown in and out for the event because they don’t stay in hotels, he said having the Florence race line up with the date of NASCAR’s first Chase race in Darlington helped make the logistics easier.

SVG finished 13th, and his Trackhouse rookie teammate Zilisch — who drove the 8 Chevrolet for Dale Jr.’s JR Motorsport — finished 6th on his return to the Late Model Stock Series. It was Caden Kvapil who took the win in the Late Model events. The Pro Late Model event saw Kaden Honeycutt edge out Dale Earnhardt Jr in for the win in the 100-lap race. 

While neither Red Bull driver got on the podium, the energy drink brand may yet return to the CARS Tour in some capacity. Dale Jr. believes Red Bull came away impressed by what it saw in Florence, saying, “I think Red Bull was like, ‘Oh, this is kind of neat, what they got going on here.’”

The CARS Tour will return to Tri-County Speedway in Granite Falls, North Carolina, next Saturday. Even if Red Bull isn’t at that particular event, Dale Jr. would hope that the race in Florence showed the kind of sponsors that can look at the CARS Tour as an opportunity to get into the roots of racing in America.