NASCAR Roots
By Brandon White
NASCAR.com
Published: 14 Nov, 2022
7 Minute Read
Nestled in the small town of Timmonsville, South Carolina lies one of NASCAR’s most unique short tracks in Florence Motor Speedway, home of the prestigious South Carolina 400.
Constructed in 1982 as a dirt track before being paved in 1988, Florence has seen plenty of talented drivers visit Victory Lane throughout its proud history. That list includes Joe and John Hunter Nemechek, along with Matt Hirschman, Robert Huffman and Dave Mader III, among others.
Since 2020, Florence’s most prestigious race has been the South Carolina 400 held every November in honor of former track owner Charlie Powell. The event serves as a spiritual successor to the Myrtle Beach 400, which took place at the now-defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway from 1993 through 2019.
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The South Carolina 400 has challenged the best late model stock drivers during its brief existence. Along with an abrasive surface that will put a heavy emphasis on tire conservation, Florence has no walls on the backstretch or in the turns. One mistake could send a driver into a massive run-off area that extends into the adjacent forest.
Now in its third year, the South Carolina 400 has quickly become one of the proudest end-of-year traditions in late model stock racing, with more history set to be added when the green flag flies on Nov. 19.
Below is everything you need to know about the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway.
All the on-track action for the South Carolina 400 can be viewed live on FloRacing, the official streaming home for all NASCAR Roots properties.
The event will not be shown on a television network.
Below is the complete schedule for FloRacing’s coverage of the South Carolina 400.
A full weekend of racing is in store for the South Carolina 400, with practice starting Thursday, Nov. 17. That will lead into the feature events on Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19.
Five different divisions will be in action over the weekend at Florence. Limited Late Models, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks are set to race on Friday, and the 200-lap Late Model Stock event will be preceded on Saturday by Bandolero, Legend and Super Truck features.
With a big field of cars expected for the Late Model Stock race, the top 20 in group qualifying Saturday will be locked into the main event. Two separate rounds come afterwards, in which the top 10 from each session will round out the 40-car grid.
Below is the complete schedule for all of the weekend action at Florence Motor Speedway (all times ET).
Entries continue to pile in for the South Carolina 400, and every driver who enters will be looking to join Ty Majeski as a winner of the prestigious event.
Headlining the early entrants is NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. A two-time Daytona 500 champion, Earnhardt developed his skills at tracks like Florence during the 1990s and is set to return to his roots by running the South Carolina 400 for the first time in his long career.
RELATED: More on Junior’s entry
Earnhardt’s car will be one of two Late Model Stocks fielded by JR Motorsports in the South Carolina 400, with the other being piloted by Carson Kvapil. The son of 2003 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil will be behind the wheel of a JR Motorsports car as he looks to continue a stellar season in late model stock competition.
Joining Earnhardt, Jr. and Kvapil on the preliminary entry list is three-time Langley Speedway track champion Brenden Queen, who will drive a car fielded by four-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Lee Pulliam. Queen and Pulliam recently announced plans to contest the entire 2023 season together.
Denver, North Carolina native Kade Brown is also set to compete in the South Carolina 400. The 16-year-old just wrapped up a stellar season at Florence that saw him win the track championship.
More entries are expected for the South Carolina 400 over the next few weeks. Below is the current entry list for the race.
The 200-lap South Carolina 400 will be divided into three stages.
Each of the first two stages will run 75 laps, and a 50-lap shootout will determine the winner of the event. The final stage is named in honor of former Myrtle Beach competitor Terry Evans, who tragically passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident in 2017.
Additional information surrounding the total purse and payouts for each stage in the South Carolina 400 will be announced in the coming weeks.
For 26 years, late model stock competitors across the southeast had the Myrtle Beach 400 circled on their calendar.
The driver who found the most success during that timeframe was Frank Deiny Jr. He tallied three consecutive Myrtle Beach 400 victories from 2003-05 before adding one more checkered flag in the prestigious race back in 2010, which he accomplished by passing Steve Grissom’s son Kyle Grissom with 20 laps remaining.
Other notable drivers who have scored a Myrtle Beach 400 victory include current NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contender Josh Berry, Christian Eckes, Myatt Snider, Timothy Peters and Scott Riggs. Will Burns claimed the final Myrtle Beach 400 in 2019.
Since becoming the South Carolina 400 at Florence, no driver has been able to match the pace of Ty Majeski. His win in 2020 came in his first late model stock appearance, and the 2021 race saw Majeski grind his way to a victory after starting 32nd.
Although the Myrtle Beach 400 no longer exists, the tradition that started back in 1993 remains alive and well, as an even mix of veterans and newcomers are set to descend upon the track in November for its crown jewel event.
Below is the complete list of winners between the Myrtle Beach 400 and the South Carolina 400.