The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series (originally NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour) was a
late model
A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.)
The precise definition ...
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It or ...
series sanctioned by
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
that was held in the
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...
. The original NASCAR Southwest Tour began in 1985 and ran until NASCAR discontinued the Elite Division in 2006.
The cars feature a perimeter frame chassis where rails of equal lengths must kick out, compared to the more modern offset chassis where one side is straight and one side kicks out. They weigh 2,900 pounds and have a fiberglass body.
When NASCAR eliminated the Elite Division at the end of the 2006 season, several competitors joined former IRL driver Davey Hamilton's
SRL Southwest Tour
The SRL Southwest Tour Series is a late model stock car racing league operating since 2001. The series is a continuation of the Tri-Track Challenge run in California between 1997 and 2000. The series is also connected to the former Supermodified Ra ...
.
Champions
NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series
* 2006: Rip Michels
* 2005: Jim Pettit II
* 2004: Jim Pettit II
* 2003:
Auggie Vidovich
August "Auggie" Vidovich II (born February 20, 1981) is an American professional stock car racing driver.
Racing career
Vidovich was born in Lakeside, California. Vidovich has competed in the Elite Division Southwest Series for several years. He ...
NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour
* 2002: Eddy McKean
* 2001:
Craig Raudman
Craig Raudman (born August 6, 1961) is a former NASCAR driver from Redding, California. He won the 2001 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour championship. He only competed in one Busch Series event. It came in 2002, when he ran the event at Las Vega ...
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and th ...
* 1998:
Steve Portenga
Steven Portenga is a retired NASCAR driver. He spent more than 2 decades racing in various national and regional support series to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and he won the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour championship for late models in 1994 ...
* 1997: Brian Germone
* 1996:
Chris Raudman
Chris Raudman (August 26, 1963 - October 28, 2021) was an American stock car racing driver. He was a regular competitor in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour, and was the series' 1996 champion; he also attempted to qualify for one NASCAR Winst ...
Rick Carelli
Richard Dean Carelli (born November 9, 1954) is a retired American race car driver from Arvada, Colorado. He was nicknamed the "High Plains Drifter". He won multiple times in the No. 6 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series truck. He is the spotter for Er ...
* 1990:
Doug George
Douglas P. George (born November 5, 1960) is an American professional stock car racing driver and mechanic. He currently serves as the crew chief of the No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado driven by Blaine Perkins in the NASCAR Camping Wor ...
* 1989: Dan Press
* 1988: Roman Calczynski
* 1987:
Mike Chase
Mike Chase (born April 17, 1952) is an American former stock car racing driver. Winner of the 1994 series championship in the NASCAR Winston West Series, he has also competed in the Winston Cup Series, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series and ...