The series started off as a few different things, all with the same idea but lacking the motivation and financial power to bring it to the level it should be. Way back in 1992, Kerry Bodenhamer and a few investors brought the UARA-STARS as we know it today to life. Why make a late-model touring series?
Mr. Bodenhamer said it best .... "It came to a point where if you wanted to move up to a higher series and get noticed, everything you own was obsolete and had to be sold. We wanted a touring series for the already existing late-models to show their talents in a touring series, something different than their

local tracks they run at weekly. We started this off and ran into some problems early as expected, but we are commited and look to make it work well into the future." Kerry and his staff at the UARA-STARS are doing just that.

The first race of the UARA-STARS series was held on Mach 16th, 2002 at Hickory Motor Speedway. The race was won by Keith Bumgarner and had 29 cars taking the green flag. Nobody knew what to expect, but it turned out to be a great race with great names. Wade Day, Danny O'Quinn Jr., Alex Yontz, B.J. Mackey, Ashley Huffman, Matt Carter, Robert Elliott and Jamie Yelton were just some of the names that competed in that first race. Some were known, others have become known in big ways, and the UARA-STARS gave them the legs to get their name out against the best in the business.

As the years passed, it only got bigger, with more "big" names of the late-model world competing in the series. The big names you've heard of all have wins in the series. Frank Deiny Jr., Woody Howard, Steven Wallace, Jason York, Brandon Ward, Timothy Peters, Denny Hamlin, Wayne Grubb, Jack Bailey and Dean Ward all have wins. All those drivers moved on to bigger series after the runs in the UARA. Some of the stars of today that will follow in their footsteps are Matt DiBenedetto, Jake Crum, Darrell Wallce Jr. and Ross Furr, they all are on the verge of getting that call to come up solely on their performance in the UARA.

What makes all this work is the diversity in tracks. Some drivers go on a tear at their local track and just can't be beat. The question is if they can duplicate that somewhere else. Where some might be good at say Hickory, it could be hard to match that performance at Tri-County. Over the years the UARA-STARS competitors have had to compete at 27 different tracks in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. If you could master this series, you were truly a wheel man. Ross Furr, Matt McCall, Lee Tissot, Danny O'Quinn, Brandon Ward and Jason York have all shown they are above the rest in being series champions. Jamey Caudill(9) and Jamie Yelton(7) are the series all-time wins leaders. Just to show how competitive this series is, neither has a championship on their mantel. But they are here this year again, and once again are near the top ready to take their first series championship.

What makes the UARA better than the rest? Your local stars that you read about and want to see are able to come to your area at some point during the year and sometimes even compete with your local drivers to find out who's the best on your home track. With over 48 different winners in 99 races, the competition is noticeably there. The UARA with such fierce competitors, has never had a repeat champion. The shows are well run and are 99% of the time the best race a particular track runs the entire year, even with their weekly shows. After 7 years the UARA-STARS has no plans of slowing down at all. Bringing the best talent in the South, to a different track each week, the only thing that is missing is you if you don't join us. And trust me, you really are missing out. Hurry out and see the stars of tomorrow today, before they become the stars you missed out on. I can't wait for the next 100 races!