The series began in 1982 as the NASCAR Winston Racing Series, providing weekly sanctioned racing at local short tracks. In 2001, due to restrictions imposed by the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, Winston's naming rights were replaced by Dodge, coinciding with that manufacturer's re-entry into the Cup Series that year. The Dodge sponsorship ran until 2006. Whelen Engineering then took over naming rights in 2007, renaming it the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. For the 2010 season, NASCAR lowered the minimum age for participants from 16 to 14.
In 2005, the series became the first NASCAR-sanctioned points championship to have a permanent presence outside the United States, with tracks in Saint-Eustache, Quebec; Delaware, Ontario; and Wetaskiwin, Alberta electing to join. Advance Auto Parts assumed naming rights on June 10, 2020. On February 12, 2026, NASCAR announced that O'Reilly Auto Parts — which had simultaneously become title sponsor of the NASCAR Xfinity Series — would also assume sponsorship of the local racing series under its current name.
The series operates on a points system that has evolved considerably since its founding. Under the original regional format used from 1982 to 2004, a Competition Performance Index (CPI) determined regional and national champions. The CPI incorporated four weighted factors: winning percentage, top-five finish rate, car counts relative to competing tracks, and total feature starts. This formula rewarded both consistency and field size.
With a change to a divisional format in 2005, a simpler point structure replaced the CPI. Two points per finishing position were awarded in the feature event, with a maximum of 25 cars scoring points and 50 points available to the winner. Bonus points were added based on car count thresholds. Further adjustments over subsequent seasons reduced the maximum scoring grid to 20 cars in 2010 and 18 cars in 2014. By 2014, bonus points for the feature winner were also restructured to reward winners who started from deeper in the field.
Individual participating tracks determine which car classes score series points, within established Weekly Series guidelines. Eligible categories as of 2005 include Super Late Models (with offset chassis), standard Late Models (with perimeter chassis), pavement Modifieds (including Tour Type and SK formula cars), dirt Modifieds and Late Models, street stocks, and super stocks. All participating tracks are short tracks, ranging from quarter-mile to five-eighths of a mile in length. The majority are paved, though a substantial contingent of dirt tracks also competes.
The series has crowned a national champion every year since 1982. Larry Phillips of Springfield, Missouri, was the dominant champion of the 1980s and 1990s, winning six national titles in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, and a final championship in his later career years. Philip Morris of Ruckersville, Virginia, became the standout driver of the 2000s and 2010s, winning in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2018 — five championships spread across more than a decade. Lee Pulliam of Semora, North Carolina, won four titles in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017, establishing himself as one of the series' most decorated modern-era competitors.
Other notable champions include Ted Christopher in 2001, Josh Berry in 2020, and Connor Hall, who claimed back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. Jacob Goede of Carver, Minnesota, won in 2019 and again in 2025.
The series includes tracks spanning the continental United States and Canada. Notable participating venues include Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina; New Smyrna Speedway in Florida; Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia; and Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington. Canadian venues include Edmonton International Raceway in Alberta, Autodrome Chaudière in Quebec, Autodrome Granby in Quebec, Eastbound International Speedway in Newfoundland, and Le RPM Speedway in Quebec.
As NASCAR's foundational grassroots competition tier, the Local Racing Series has served for over four decades as the entry point into NASCAR-sanctioned racing for drivers across North America. Its alumni include drivers who went on to careers in the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series. The series' ability to integrate Canadian tracks in 2005 demonstrated NASCAR's expansion ambitions beyond the traditional American Southeast, and the consistent roster of regional short tracks it sanctions has made it one of the most geographically diverse motorsport championships on the continent.
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