The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series (originally NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour) was a
late model
Late Model stock car racing, also known as late model racing and late models, refers to a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other primarily on oval tracks. This type of racing was early-on ...
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...
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. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
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 list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...
. 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
David Jay "Davey" Hamilton (born June 13, 1962, in Nampa, Idaho) is a race car driver who competed in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and Stadium Super Trucks. He has made 56 series starts and while never winning a race, finished second thr ...
's
SRL Southwest Tour
The StockCar Racing League 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 Raci ...
.
Champions
NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series
* 2006: Rip Michels
* 2005: Jim Pettit II
* 2004: Jim Pettit II
* 2003:
Auggie Vidovich
August Louis "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 year ...
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 ...
* 2000:
Matt Crafton
Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 88 Ford F-Series (fourteenth generation), Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing ...
* 1999:
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American auto racing driver. He is best known for competing in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2000–2022, last driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. Busch is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series ch ...
* 1998:
Steve Portenga
Steven Portenga (born May 22, 1970) is an American former 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 champio ...
* 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 ...
* 1995:
Lance Hooper
Lance Allen Hooper (born June 1, 1967) is an American former race car driver and crew chief in NASCAR as well as several touring divisions. Hooper attended his first race when he was just two weeks old, and also came from a long line of racing c ...
* 1994: Steve Portenga
* 1993:
Ron Hornaday Jr.
Ronald Lee Hornaday Jr. (born June 20, 1958) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and businessman. He currently owns Team Hornaday Development, a driver development program, as well as Hornaday Race Cars, a Modified racing, D ...
* 1992:
Ron Hornaday Jr.
Ronald Lee Hornaday Jr. (born June 20, 1958) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and businessman. He currently owns Team Hornaday Development, a driver development program, as well as Hornaday Race Cars, a Modified racing, D ...
* 1991:
Rick Carelli
Richard Dean Carelli (born November 9, 1954) is an American former 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 Paul George (born November 5, 1960) is an American professional stock car racing driver and crew chief in NASCAR. He serves as the crew chief of the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driven by Be ...
* 1989: Dan Press
* 1988: Roman Calczynski
* 1987:
Mike Chase
Mike Chase (April 17, 1952 – April 18, 2025) was an American professional stock car racing driver. Winner of the 1994 series championship in the NASCAR Winston West Series, he also competed in the Winston Cup Series, Busch Series, and Craftsm ...