Ron Lemasters | 4/5/2024
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 5, 2024) — While Carson Kvapil makes his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, veteran driver Mason Diaz will wheel the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet in the zMAX CARS Tour Presented by SoundGear event on the same day at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Diaz, 23, has plenty of experience on Hickory’s .363-mile oval both in weekly competition and in the CARS Tour. He is also the most recent series winner at Hickory, taking the annual Throwback 276 in July, and finished sixth in this race a year ago.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Diaz said following test day at Hickory earlier this week. “I want to thank everyone who thought about putting me into this seat. My mindset is, it’s a normal race weekend. Last year, we went to Hickory in the zMAX CARS Tour and came out with a win, so it’s just the same as any other weekend.
“Obviously, it’s a huge opportunity and I don’t want to go in with any other outlook than a normal race weekend. The JRM cars are always fast.”
Kvapil, the LMSC points leader after winning the season opener at Southern National Motorsports Park, will return to the No. 8 on April 13 at New River All-American Speedway to continue his quest for a third straight championship. In the meantime, Diaz will compete to keep JRM at the top of the owner’s standings at Hickory, a track where he’s enjoyed much success.
“I followed (former JRM driver) Josh Berry there plenty of times when he was driving that car, and finished second to him like four times,” Diaz laughed. “It’s a race track where I’m pretty good. It’s low-grip and lets you actually manage the race.”
Following a test day at HMS earlier this week, Diaz got his first opportunity to drive the flagship Chevrolet from JRM.
“I can finally see why JRM is so fast everywhere,” he said. “Working with Bryan (Shaffer) is pretty cool. The whole team, I’ve known them for years, and I appreciate the opportunity to work with them this weekend.”
Ron Lemasters | JR Motorsports
