For the third consecutive year,
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join a stacked Late Model Stock Car field to compete in the annual running of the South Carolina 400 at
Florence Motor Speedway this Saturday night (6 p.m. ET on
FloRacing).
Earnhardt has made a habit of competing at Florence since 2022, when he returned to the Timmonsville, South Carolina track for the fist time since his formative years racing Late Model Stocks around the Southeast. He has South Carolina 400 finishes of ninth (2022) and eighth (2023). The 50-year-old NASCAR Hall of Famer has already competed at Florence twice this year, finishing fourth in February's IceBreaker and 10th in a CARS Tour race on Aug. 30.
On Saturday, he'll be up against a stacked entry list that includes Late Model Stock Car racing's best competitors, including Earnhardt's former JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry, 2022 South Carolina 400 winner Brenden "Butterbean" Queen and defending event winner Kade Brown.
Earnhardt will race a familiar car, as his No. 8 Late Model Stock
will feature the same Budweiser scheme he made famous during his years driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the NASCAR Cup Series.
STREAMING:
Watch Saturday night's South Carolina 400 live on FloRacing
Thanks to his victory in the CARS Tour event at Florence in August, Ryan Millington will start Saturday's South Carolina 400 from the pole.
Below is everything else to know about the 2024 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, including the entry list and how to watch.
South Carolina 400: TV channel, live stream
The 2024 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway will be shown exclusively on
FloRacing, the streaming home of all NASCAR Regional properties.
The race will not broadcast on a traditional TV channel/network.
FloRacing's coverage of Saturday's action is scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m. ET. That's when qualifying will begin for all three divisions (Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Late Models).
Pre-race ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, immediately followed by feature racing. Twin Late Model heat races will begin the feature action, followed by the Street Stock and Mini Stock races.
The 250-lap Late Model feature will close the night.
| Race |
Date |
Streaming start time |
How to watch |
| South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway |
Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 |
4:15 p.m. ET |
FloRacing |
[caption id="attachment_452843" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. pictured before the 2024 IceBreaker at Florence Motor Speedway on Feb. 10, 2024. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)[/caption]
Entry list
Earnhardt headlines the entry list for Saturday's $10,000-to-win South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, marking the third consecutive season he has entered the prestigious Late Model Stock Car event.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer will be racing against the best Late Model Stock Car competitors in the Southeast. Included among them is Berry, who captured the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship while driving for Earnhardt.
Brown, the defending South Carolina 400 winner, will be back in the field, but this time he'll be driving the No. 4 for R&S Race Cars rather than the No. 23 he drove last year for Matt Piercy.
Other notable entries include Queen, Carson Loftin, Jared Fryar, Millington, Brent Crews, Caden Kvapil, Mason Diaz, Landon Huffman, Landon S. Huffman, Treyten Lapcevich, Doug Barnes Jr., Sam Yarbrough and Michael Bumgarner, among others.
The complete Late Model Stock Car entry list is below.
(As of Nov. 18)
| Car No. |
Driver |
| 1 |
Jamie York |
| 2 |
Brandon Pierce |
| 2 |
Ryan Wilson |
| 4 |
Kade Brown |
| 4 |
Jake Crum |
| 5 |
Dexter Canipe III |
| 5 |
Jake Vuncannon |
| 5 |
Bryant Barnhill |
| 7 |
Tristan McKee |
| 8 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 13 |
Cody Kelley |
| 14 |
Jared Fryar |
| 14 |
Vicente Salas |
| 15 |
Ryan Millington |
| 15 |
Jonathan Shafer |
| 16 |
Casey Kelley |
| 17 |
Josh Berry |
| 18 |
Alex Meggs |
| 18 |
Truett Miranda |
| 18 |
Anthony Adams |
| 18 |
Max Reaves |
| 18 |
David Roberts |
| 19 |
Adam Congrove |
| 22 |
Carson Loftin |
| 27 |
Matt Gould |
| 28 |
Ryan Glenski |
| 28 |
Landon Rapp |
| 28 |
Landon S. Huffman |
| 29 |
Brent Crews |
| 32 |
Zack Miracle |
| 32 |
Caden Kvapil |
| 44 |
Conner Jones |
| 45 |
Mason Diaz |
| 47 |
Ryley Music |
| 51 |
Matt Cox |
| 51 |
Donovan Strauss |
| 55 |
Mark Wertz |
| 55 |
Lanie Buice |
| 57 |
Landon Huffman |
| 61 |
Justin Hicks |
| 70 |
Stuart Ricks |
| 71 |
Aaron Donnelly |
| 77 |
Treyten Lapcevich |
| 77 |
Darren Krantz Jr. |
| 88 |
Doug Barnes Jr. |
| 88 |
Duncan Grant |
| 92 |
Bradley Means |
| 95 |
Jacob Heafner |
| 95 |
Sam Yarbrough |
| 97 |
Michael Bumgarner |
| 99 |
Austin Somero |
| 00 |
Chase Burrow |
| 00 |
Jamie Weatherford |
| 03 |
Brenden Queen |
| 04 |
Ronnie Bassett Jr. |
| 09 |
Riley Gentry |
[caption id="attachment_452849" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]
Kade Brown (23) and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen (03) during the 2023 South Carolina 400 on Nov. 18, 2023. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)[/caption]
Race-day schedule
Saturday at Florence Motor Speedway will mark the second full day of racing action in what makes up the South Carolina 400 weekend.
For Street Stocks, Mini Stocks and Late Models on Saturday, there will be two practice sessions ahead of qualifying. For the Late Models, those who don't log a top-20 time in qualifying will compete in the heat races later in the evening to try to secure their starting positions. The top six finishers of those heat races will advance to the main event.
Below is the complete race-day schedule for Saturday at Florence.
(All Times ET)
| Time |
Event |
| 7:30 a.m. |
Trailer Parking |
| 8 a.m. |
RV/Campground Parking |
| 8 a.m. |
Pit Gates Open |
| 8:30 a.m. |
Late Model Tire Area Opens / Late Model Tech Line Opens |
| 10 a.m. |
Support Division Tire Area Opens |
| 11:15 a.m. |
Driver's Meeting |
| 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. |
Rotating Practice |
| 1:40 - 2:50 p.m. |
Rotating Practice |
| 3:15 p.m. |
Late Model Pre-Qualifying Tech |
| 3:30 p.m. |
Grandstands Open |
| 4:15 p.m. |
Qualifying |
| 6 p.m. |
Pre-Race Ceremonies |
| Followed by... |
Late Model Heat Race No. 1 (25 Laps) |
| Followed by... |
Late Model Heat Race No. 2 (25 Laps) |
| Followed by... |
Street Stock Race (50 Laps) |
| Followed by... |
Mini Stock Race (50 Laps) |
| Followed by... |
South Carolina 400 (250 Laps) |
South Carolina 400 race format
Below is the race format for the South Carolina 400, via Florence Motor Speedway.
ALL TEAMS QUALIFY WITH THE TOP 20 LOCKING IN FROM QUALIFYING. THE POLE POSITION IS RESERVED FOR THE NO. 15 OF RYAN MILLINGTON WITH HIS WIN IN THE CARS TOUR EVENT ON AUG. 30.
AFTER QUALIFYING, THE TOP 20 WILL LOCK INTO THE 250 LAP FEATURE.
ALL OTHER CARS WILL BE RELEGATED TO TWO 25 LAP HEAT RACES WITH THE TOP 6 FINISHERS ADVANCING.
THE TRACK HAS THE OPTION TO ADD 3-4 PROVISIONALS IF DESIRED, TO CAP THE STARTING FIELD TO 36 CARS.
THE FEATURE WILL BE 250 LAPS WITH A 10-MIN BREAK AT LAP 125. CAUTION LAPS WILL COUNT UNTIL LAP 200.
[caption id="attachment_452856" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]
Kade Brown celebrates winning the 2024 South Carolina 400 on Nov. 18, 2023. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)[/caption]
South Carolina 400 results
Although the Myrtle Beach 400 no longer exists, the tradition that started back in 1993 remains alive and well in the South Carolina 400.
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 Berry, Christian Eckes, Myatt Snider, Timothy Peters and Scott Riggs. Will Burns claimed the final Myrtle Beach 400 in 2019.
Below is the complete list of Myrtle Beach 400 and South Carolina 400 winners.
| Year |
Winner |
| 1993 |
Jody Ridley |
| 1994 |
Gary St. Amant |
| 1995 |
Freddie Query |
| 1996 |
Jay Fogleman |
| 1997 |
David Blankenship |
| 1998 |
Stephen Grimes |
| 1999 |
Scott Riggs |
| 2000 |
Greg Edwards |
| 2001 |
Robert Powell |
| 2002 |
Robert Powell |
| 2003 |
Timothy Peters |
| 2004 |
Frank Deiny Jr. |
| 2005 |
Frank Deiny Jr. |
| 2006 |
Frank Deiny Jr. |
| 2007 |
Sam Yarbrough |
| 2008 |
Jamey Caudill |
| 2009 |
Lucas Ransone |
| 2010 |
Frank Deiny Jr. |
| 2011 |
Garrett Campbell |
| 2012 |
Anthony Anders |
| 2013 |
Lee Pulliam |
| 2014 |
Travis Swaim |
| 2015 |
Myatt Snider |
| 2016 |
Christian Eckes |
| 2017 |
Josh Berry |
| 2018 |
Chad McCumbee |
| 2019 |
Will Burns |
| Year |
Winner |
| 2020 |
Ty Majeski |
| 2021 |
Ty Majeski |
| 2022 |
Brenden Queen |
| 2023 |
Kade Brown |
[caption id="attachment_452857" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]
(Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)[/caption]
Florence Motor Speedway track profile
Even casual race fans know about South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway, one of the most iconic venues the NASCAR Cup Series visits on an annual basis.
Those same fans may or may not know about a NASCAR Home Track located just 15 miles south of Darlington known as the Diamond of the Southeast. Florence Motor Speedway, nestled in the town of Timmonsville, is indeed a gem of a short track.
Florence Motor Speedway, now a NASCAR-sanctioned venue and part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, has been hosting local short track racing since 1982. It has been operated on the watch of owner and promotor Steve Zacharias since 2020.
Zacharias is the reason Florence’s racing season begins with the IceBreaker, an event that features late-model stocks in addition to super trucks, limited late models and mini stocks. He brought the IceBreaker to Florence from nearby Myrtle Beach Speedway upon that track’s closing.
The track itself is unique in its layout. The 0.4-mile paved oval features progressive banking in the corners, a combination that’s prone to producing side-by-side racing.
Perhaps the most unique attribute of Florence Motor Speedway is that fact that, with the exception of the frontstretch in front of the grandstands, it has no outside wall.
“It’s unusual the first time you go there and experience it,” 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Josh Berry told NASCAR.com. “But after a while, it’s no big deal.
“It’s a really fun track.”
Watch the complete Florence Motor Speedway track profile below.
[ndmsvideo vid="374720" play="false"]
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s South Carolina 400 history at Florence Motor Speedway
[caption id="attachment_452848" align="alignleft" width="300"]
(Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)[/caption]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a significant return to his roots in 2022 when he competed in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway.
In what was the 30th edition of the race, Earnhardt drove a car sporting a throwback scheme to the Bass Pro Shops car his father Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove in the 1998 NASCAR All-Star Race.
He qualified 26th and methodically worked his way into contention ahead of the final 50-lap run. With 13 laps to go, Earnhardt made contact with Matt Cox down the backstretch while the two were racing for third.
The contact sent Cox into the inside wall, and event officials penalized Earnhardt by sending him to the tail of the field for causing the crash.
Earnhardt marched back through the field a second time, but an incident with Landon Pembelton with fewer than five laps left saw Earnhardt penalized a second time, resulting in a ninth-place finish.
The race was Earnhardt‘s first at Florence Motor Speedway since his formative years in the 1990s.
PHOTOS: Dale Jr. in action at Florence
He returned for the 2023 edition of the South Carolina 400. He qualified 26th and methodically worked his way through the pack to ultimately finished eighth in the 250-lap event.
The 2024 edition of the South Carolina 400 will be his third start in the prestigious race; he ran 23rd in the 1996 Myrtle Beach 400, the South Carolina 400's predecessor.
Earnhardt also raced in Florence's Icebreaker in February; he finished fourth. He finished 10th in a CARS Tour event at Florence in August.