Cassidy Hinds and Naake – Klauer Motorsports Announce Ambitious October Classic Schedule

Arvada, CO racer Cassidy Hinds made her Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series debut in August, when the series visited her home track, Colorado National Speedway (CO), for the first time since 2007. Hinds drove her team’s #3 Super Late Model to a 19th-place finish, after alternator issues ended her night in the “Salted Metals 150”. Hinds will now make her second start in the series, this time driving for Naake – Klauer Motorsports #88 in the “Bulwark/TenCate October Classic 135” on Sunday, October 15th at Kern County Raceway Park (KCRP). To add to the challenge, she will also compete in the Spears Pro Late Model Series presented by Sigma Performance Services, in the familiar Naake-Klauer Motorsports #88 Pro Late Model.

The decision to compete in both Naake – Klauer Motorsports cars was somewhat of a surprise for Hinds, as she has been an occasional starter in the teams Pro Late Model efforts, all of them at KCRP. Her Pro Late Model efforts have shown great promise, and the team has had good speed, but lady luck has prevented the popular driver from visiting Victory Lane. She led her first series laps in last year’s October Classic weekend, in the “Salute to the Oil and Gas Industry 55”, ultimately finishing a career best second in the Spears Pro Late Model Division. But in 2023, she will get the opportunity to also compete with the senior series, as the Naake – Klauer Motorsports team returns to Super Late Model competition.

“Running the Super Late Model for Naake-Klauer Motorsports came about kind of suddenly” Hinds explained about the recent addition to the weekend schedule. “As most of the fans know, I have been running their Pro Late Model for two years, and now that I’ve been running a Super Late Model of my own, he called me and asked me if I wanted to run his Super Late Model at Kern (County Raceway Park).”

Hinds is in her second full season in a Super Late Model, after making one start in 2021. She was sixth in the championship standings at CNS in 2022, just falling short of the Rookie-of-the-Year title to Zach Morris. Her 2023 effort finds her fourth in the championship standings. She had five top-five finishes in her nine Super Late Model starts at CNS, adding another top-10 to those numbers. But now she will head to KCRP, at track that is a different animal. She is excited for the challenge and to compare the two different types of racecars.

“I’m really excited to run the Super Late Model at Kern for the first time”, Hinds expressed. “Ever since I started running Super Late Models at CNS, I’ve wanted to know what it would be like to run it at Kern. I’m interested to experience the difference between the Pro Late Model and Super Late Model at the same track on the same night.”

If the Junior at Metropolitan State University of Denver can pull off a victory in either division, it would be a very popular win for the Nutrition Major. With her busy collage schedule and racing on the side, it takes a lot of help to make the long trip from Colorado to Bakersfield. Hinds is thankful for that help and for those who have supported her racing aspirations.

“I can’t thank my family enough for all of their hard work and dedication to making my dreams come true”, Hinds stated. “Thank you to Mike Naake for putting me in his race cars for so many years, and of course my sponsors for this race, Frontier Restoration and American Standard Coatings.”

The “Bulwark/TenCate October Classic” will pay $10,000 to the winner thanks to the “Winner’s Bonus” from Competition Cams and Raymond’s Trophy & Awards. Second will receive $2,500 with third $1,750, fourth $1,500 and fifth $1,350 thanks to the Raymond’s Trophy Top-five Bonus. The Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series Super Late Models will be joined by the Spears Pro Late Models presented by Sigma Performance Services, who will race for $5,400 in the “Sigma Performance Services 54”. The Spears Modified Series will also join in at the fast ½-mile oval, Kern County Raceway Park. The action will take place on Sunday, October 15th, in the 35th annual event.

Celebrating its twenty third season in 2023, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race”.

SLM PC: Randy Erwin

PLM PC: K. Peters