TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed out of his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Late Model Stock Car on Saturday night in a good mood. He had finished eighth in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway after qualifying 26th in a 41-car field.
But he was thirsty.
“What’s in the cooler?” Earnhardt asked a team member as FloRacing’s camera crew arrived for a post-race interview. The 49-year-old NASCAR Hall of Famer was not pleased with the answer: “Just water.” He wanted a cold one.
A few minutes later, after his interview, a track official arrived with a handful of beers. Earnhardt cracked one open, took a swig and proceeded to mingle with his team members, smiling and laughing over their beverages.
For Earnhardt, at this point in his life and career, these moments are what it’s all about. Sure, the racing superstar’s presence at the NASCAR Home Track in Florence County incites a palpable stir in the packed grandstands. But the short-track atmosphere is his element.
It’s where he’s found a sense of peace as a race-car driver.
“I know it sounds silly,” Earnhardt said, “but I spent my whole life trying to be as good as I possibly could. Being so competitive you almost make yourself miserable. Every dang time you ran a lap, you wanted to know how it measured up against the field. You do that your whole life, and when you get out of that, you’re so relieved to get out from under that pressure.
“You put pressure on yourself to live up to this expectation — especially as a Cup driver. And so to finally get out from under that pressure. … I mean, I miss racing, but I don’t have to worry about trying to measure up to where I should every week.”
Still, Earnhardt said he sometimes finds himself falling into the trap of his own competitive spirit, letting the misery of frustration infiltrate his mindset. He battled those demons Saturday.
Earnhardt admitted he was disappointed to qualify 26th, especially after a series of ho-hum practice sessions as he and his team worked to find a setup suitable for Florence’s 0.4-mile layout and abrasive asphalt.
“I tried not to let it bother me, but it’s hard not to let it bother you,” he said. “You go out there and run a lap, and you’re like, ‘Well s—, how are those guys making so much time? I’ve got basically the same car as [JR Motorsports Late Model driver] Carson [Kvapil], and he ran faster.’
“So I’m a big chunk of it. What am I doing, and what can I do different?”
Sure enough, though, Earnhardt was able to revert to the proper head space in time for Saturday night’s main event, a 250-lap marathon of a Late Model Stock race.
He methodically advanced from that 26th starting position and muscled his way to 10th by the time the race break arrived on Lap 100. With the entire field on fresh tires after that stop, Earnhardt did his best to manage his rubber for about 100 laps before the final charge with 50 or so laps to go.
He was aggressive, particularly on restarts. Fellow Late Model Stock competitor Brenden “Butterbean” Queen even made it a point to approach Earnhardt post-race and compliment the veteran on his dive bomb into Turn 1 to take a position during the closing laps.
Earnhardt admitted he “didn’t love” finishing eighth, especially in a race that saw his teammate land on the podium. Kvapil finished third behind winner Kade Brown and second-place Kaden Honeycutt.
He had that in mind when he climbed out of his car, a process that takes longer now than it did when he was routinely exiting Cup cars at a younger age. He was worn out from a race that lasted nearly four hours.
Still, the first words he fired at his team members upon exiting his Chevrolet: “That was fun. Good job.”
In that regard, Earnhardt’s second South Carolina 400 was a success. The bliss he experienced from another no-pressure race setting was evident in how he carried himself after the checkers.
He joked with team members. He conversed with friends and a handful of special guests. He signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.
This is Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s happy place — especially after that beer.
Headed home from @FlorenceMSpdwy tonight. Just like we did back in 1996 when we ran there every Friday night. “Release” by Pearl Jam is on the radio as it likely was for a few of those trips years ago. Fun night racing at my old stomping grounds. It was a talented field and we…
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. — The 2023 season has been dominated by one high after another for Kade Brown.
In his rookie season piloting Matt Piercy Racing’s Late Model Stock, Brown added his name to the prestigious list of track champions at Hickory Motor Speedway while also claiming two of the facility’s crown jewels in the Bobby Isaac Memorial and Fall Brawl.
Brown added another noteworthy accomplishment to his growing resume on Saturday evening by winning the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, besting a talented field of drivers that included Kaden Honeycutt, Carson Kvapil, Josh Berry and Brenden Queen.
An ecstatic Brown said the key to defeating the top drivers in the Late Model Stock discipline came down to executing the tire conservation strategy, which ended up getting him to the front of the field.
“We knew clean air was big,” Brown said. “Berry and [Matt Cox] in the first 100 laps got out there. I thought they were in a different zip code, but I felt like we had better pace than anyone while saving. We used less tire and kept it out in front with the clean air. I was getting nervous during those restarts, but I’m happy everything worked out well.”
Brown was admittedly not confident about his prospects as he shook down his No. 23 ValAlsta Chevrolet on Saturday afternoon.
As the day progressed, Brown gradually found more speed in his car. Two solid practice sessions translated into a fifth place starting position on the South Carolina 400 grid. But that only put more emphasis on Brown finding an ideal balance between being conservative and aggressive to maintain track position.
With Berry and Cox setting a blistering pace, Brown elected to wait until after the Lap 100 race break to make his move. Berry and several others elected to be conservative with their tires while Brown charged to the front, taking control of the South Carolina 400 in the process.
Several late cautions forced Brown to hold off attacks from the likes of Kvapil and Honeycutt. Brown briefly lost the lead to Kvapil on one restart, but he successfully took it back during the following green flag run after getting a great jump on the bottom line.
Honeycutt was the last obstacle standing in the way of Victory Lane for Brown. The two exchanged dive bombs during the final restart of the evening, which ended up falling in Brown’s favor as he sprinted toward the most prestigious victory of his young career to date.
Taking a checkered flag in the South Carolina 400 carried plenty of emotions for Brown, who still has fond memories watching short track veterans engage in high-speed chess back when the event still took place at the now-defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway.
Brown absorbed many lessons about saving tires at abrasive tracks by watching Lee Pulliam, Chad McCumbee and others log laps around Myrtle Beach. Sharing the honor of being a South Carolina 400 winner with them and other Late Model Stock veterans was a humbling experience for the young prospect.
“I used to look up to [these Late Model Stock guys] when I was racing Legends cars,” Brown said. “I’d go to [Myrtle Beach Speedway] and watch [them race]. It means so much to even be out here with them, but to compete with them for wins is another level.”
Even Brown was surprised to score such a big victory with Berry in the field, who was making his second start in the No. 62 for Kevin Harvick Inc.
Among the accomplishments Berry has accumulated in a Late Model Stock include victories in crown jewel events like the South Carolina 400, Thanksgiving Classic and ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Despite not being in a JR Motorsports Late Model, Berry cemented himself as an early favorite for Saturday’s South Carolina 400 by setting the fastest time in qualifying.
The tire saving strategy did not play out in Berry’s favor during the final 150 laps. He found himself on the losing end of a heated battle for third with Kvapil, who was driving the same car Berry made famous at short tracks in the southeast during the past decade.
Brown said having Berry present for the Fall Brawl and South Carolina 400 was the perfect test to see how much progress he and Matt Piercy Racing had made together during the year. Checkered flags in those events to close out the year have only bolstered the confidence Brown has in his own driving ability.
“In both races, we had Josh Berry, who is the best to do it,” Brown said. “We have some momentum with finishing out 2023 and hopefully that carries into 2024. It’s our first year with Matt Piercy Racing, and I think we proved a lot just about everywhere we’ve gone.”
The upcoming season is primed to be more hectic for Brown. He will venture away from Hickory to tackle other diverse tracks like Florence, where he looks to keep proving himself against the premier drivers in the Late Model Stock discipline.
Hickory has long produced drivers who have excelled at the top levels of NASCAR. With a track championship and three crown jewel wins to his name in 2023 alone, Brown is on his way to following in their footsteps.
Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting used to racing his Late Model Stock Car at Florence Motor Speedway. Having finished ninth in last year’s South Carolina 400 at the NASCAR Home Track, the 49-year-old during Saturday’s edition of the race will have his third chance at a Florence victory in 2023.
Earnhardt is included on the loaded entry list for this year’s South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing). He finished sixth in the track’s Locked In 150 a couple months ago to secure his place in the 250-lap feature. Earnhardt also ran Florence’s Icebreaker in February, when he logged a 16th-place finish.
Saturday’s South Carolina 400 figures to be another action-packed show one year after Late Model Stock star Brenden “Butterbean” Queentook the checkered flag in what was his debut race with Lee Pulliam Performance. Queen is back for 2023, as is Carson Kvapil, the JR Motorsports driver whom Queen outlasted for last year’s win.
After winning the Locked In 150 in September, South Carolina short-track racing veteran Sam Yarbrough will start the 2023 South Carolina 400 from the pole position.
That’s all we know ahead of a long day of practice and qualifying Saturday as more than 40 Late Model Stock Car competitors look to add a Florence crown jewel to their trophy cases that evening.
Below is everything to know about the 2023 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway, including the entry list and how to watch.
South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway: TV channel, live stream
The 2023 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway will be shown exclusively on FloRacing, the streaming home of all NASCAR Roots properties.
That means the race will not broadcast on a traditional TV channel/network.
FloRacing’s coverage of Saturday’s action is scheduled to start at 4:30 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.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. pictured ahead of the 2022 South Carolina 400 (Photo: Jaylynn Nash/NASCAR)
Entry list
Dale Earnhardt Jr. headlines the entry list for Saturday’s South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway. But the NASCAR legend’s Hall of Fame credentials will do little to help him against a stacked field of Late Model Stock Car aces.
For example, Earnhardt will race against the driver who delivered JR Motorsports the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship. Josh Berry, who will drive the No. 4 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series next season for Stewart-Haas Racing, will pilot Kevin Harvick’s late model at Florence.
Last year’s SC 400 front-runners Brenden Queen and Carson Kvapil are back in the field for 2023. As are talented late model drivers William Sawalich, Kaden Honeycutt, Doug Barnes Jr., Katie Hettinger, Kade Brown, Carter Langley, Brandon Pierce, Ryan Glenski, Landon Huffman, Josh Williams and Stephen Nasse, to name a few.
The complete Late Model Stock Car entry list is below.
(As of Nov. 15)
51 Matt Cox
02 Justin Milliken
03 Brenden Queen
34 Matt Linker
13 Cody Kelley
16 Casey Kelley
95 Jacob Heafner
21 Lanie Buice
99 Austin Somero
23 Kade Brown
95 Sam Yarbrough
94 Jamie Weatherford
07 Averitt Lucas
1 Trent Barnes
88 Doug Barnes Jr.
71 Katie Hettinger
29 Casey Wyatt
2 Gracie Trotter
18 Anthony Adams
5 Carter Langley
2 Brandon Pierce
30 Paul Owens
55 Mark Wertz
28 Ryan Glenski
75 Coy Beard
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 Carson Kvapil
62 Josh Berry
T2 Travis Truett
20 Josh Dickens
32 Zack Miracle
5 Bryant Barnhill
18 Truett Miranda
21 Landon DeVaughn
28 Landon S. Huffman
11 Josh Williams
16 Adam McCumbee
09 Riley Gentry
75 Landon Huffman
18 David Roberts
43 William Sawalich
10 Kaden Honeycutt
04 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
51 Stephen Nasse
7 Tristan McKee
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s South Carolina 400 history at Florence Motor Speedway
(Photo: Jaylynn Nash/NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. last year made a significant return to his roots 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.
Junior 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.
The 2023 edition of the South Carolina 400 will be his second 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 16th. He finished sixth in the track’s Locked In 150 a couple months ago.
Brenden “Butterbean'” Queen crosses the finish line to win the 2022 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway (Photo: Jaylynn Nash/NASCAR)
Race-day schedule
Saturday at Florence Motor Speedway will mark the second full day of racing action in what makes up the Charlie Powell Memorial event.
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.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Time
Event
8:30 a.m. ET
Late Model trailer parking
9 a.m. ET
Late Model pit gates open
9:30 a.m. ET
Late Model tire area opens / Late Model tech line opens
10:30 a.m. ET
Support divisions parking / gates
11 a.m. ET
Support divisions tire area opens
Noon ET
Driver’s meeting
12:30 p.m. ET
Practice Round 1 (Street Stocks 20 minutes; Mini Stocks 20 minutes; Late Models 45 minutes)
2 p.m. ET
Practice Round 2 (Street Stocks 15 minutes; Mini Stocks 15 minutes; Late Models 30 minutes)
3 p.m. ET
Grandstands open
3:15 p.m. ET
Pre-qualifying tech: Late Models
4:30 p.m. ET
Qualifying (Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Late Models)
6 p.m. ET
Pre-race ceremonies and features (Late Model Heat Race 1 25 laps; Late Model Heat Race 2 25 laps; Street Stocks 50 laps; Mini Stocks 50 laps; Late Models 250 laps)
South Carolina 400 race format
Below is the race format for the South Carolina 400, via Florence Motor Speedway.
ALL TEAMS WILL QUALIFY WITH THE TOP 20 LOCKING IN FROM QUALIFYING. THE POLE POSITION IS RESERVED FOR THE 95 OF SAM YARBROUGH WITH HIS WIN IN THE LOCKED IN 150.
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.
Brenden “Butterbean'” Queen celebrates winning the 2022 South Carolina 400 at Florence (Photo: Jaylynn Nash/NASCAR)
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 Josh 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.
Myrtle Beach 400
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
South Carolina 400
Year
Winner
2020
Ty Majeski
2021
Ty Majeski
2022
Brenden Queen
(Photo: Jaylynn Nash/NASCAR)
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.
Chase Elliott posted a “little life update” to social media Friday, indicating that he underwent a procedure for a shoulder injury and that he planned to have a clean bill of health for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Elliott, driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 Chevrolet, posted a short video to the X (formerly Twitter) platform, saying that he had “an old injury that I needed to get tended to, and obviously, the offseason is a much better time to do that than my last surgery” — a reference to the leg injury that sidelined him for six races early last season. In the video, Elliott’s right arm is supported in a sling, but he indicated that he was “all good, ready to go” for the 2024 campaign.
Hendrick Motorsports provided a statement Friday, saying that Elliott “underwent successful outpatient surgery to correct a torn labrum. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, who has experienced chronic shoulder pain in recent years, learned of the tear Monday following an MRI. It will not affect Elliott’s status for the 2024 NASCAR season, which begins in February.”
The 2024 season opens first with the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum exhibition in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, then with its points-paying opener on Feb. 18 — the 66th running of the Daytona 500.
Elliott ended up 17th in the Cup Series standings last season, tops among drivers who did not qualify for the postseason.
A win in the inaugural Locked In 150 at Florence in September secured the South Carolina 400 pole position for Yarbrough. This eliminated any concerns about Yarbrough potentially being relegated to a heat race and gave him a clear plan of attack in pursuit of a second victory in the event.
Despite this, Yarbrough said the pole will only benefit him for so long, adding that his No. 95 Aaron’s Sales & Lease late model needs to be perfect through all 250 laps if he wants to be up front at the end of a long, grueling night.
“You still have to go through the motions and be the best you can be,” Yarbrough said. “It’s certainly nice to know where I’m starting, but it doesn’t make the task any easier when it comes to making sure the car is good enough to win the race.”
Just putting together an efficient setup for the Locked In 150 was a trepidatious process for Yarbrough and his McCumbee Elliott Racing team.
The entire afternoon saw Yarbrough deal with frustration as he struggled to find speed against a talented field of competitors. A major swing prior to qualifying proved to be a turning point for Yarbrough, as he used the newfound speed to pull away with a Locked In 150 victory during the closing laps.
The inaugural #LockedIn150 belongs to Sam Yarbrough.
While Yarbrough was happy with what he and his team discovered in the Locked In 150, he does not expect the same game plan to be effective Saturday evening. A larger entry list and opportunities for diverging strategies will put more emphasis on Yarbrough finding perfect track position when it comes time to get aggressive.
“[The South Carolina 400] is probably going to be a little bit different,” Yarbrough said. “The final run is going to be 125 laps, so you’re going to see a lot of people jockey for position during those first two segments while others fall back. It’s going to be harder to finish this race off simply because more good cars are coming.”
Among Sam Yarbrough’s accomplishments as a driver include six titles at the now defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)
Yarbrough has never known a South Carolina 400 to not be reliant on patience and strategy in his 13 previous attempts, which stem back to when the event was known as the Myrtle Beach 400 at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
Although Yarbrough earned six Myrtle Beach track championships before its closure in 2020, he only visited Victory Lane in the track’s crown jewel event once back in 2007. He accomplished that feat by maintaining solid track position and keeping his car out of trouble, which allowed him to pass the late Marty Ward for the win with 10 laps remaining.
The following years at Myrtle Beach would see Yarbrough put together several more solid performances but come up short of a second win each time. For Yarbrough, the challenge of claiming South Carolina’s Late Model Stock crown jewel comes down to consistently outsmarting other competitors lap after lap.
“Everybody brings their best,” Yarbrough said. “When it comes to these races, there’s a whole field of good cars. You really have to buckle down and stick to your game plan or you’ll do something you don’t need to do that’ll hurt you later in the run. This race asks a lot more out of the people and the car. It’s just a tough race to win.”
When the Myrtle Beach 400 was rebranded to the South Carolina 400 at Florence in 2020, Yarbrough was once again faced with many of the same obstacles that defined racing at Myrtle Beach for so many years.
The two South Carolina 400s Yarbrough has competed in so far were dominated by tire conservation just like the Myrtle Beach 400, but a slightly less abrasive surface at Florence provided more flexibility for Yarbrough to be slightly more aggressive earlier in the race.
In two starts at Florence Motor Speedway for the South Carolina 400, Sam Yarbrough has recorded finishes of 3rd and 20th. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)
Yarbrough believed he had executed his strategy perfectly in last year’s South Carolina 400. After starting on the pole, he spent most of the event pacing the field until two separate collisions with Mason Diaz took him out of contention, relegating him to 20th in the running order.
Just like in 2022, Yarbrough is set to lead a stacked group of competitors from the top spot Saturday evening. He is confident about parking his car in Florence’s frontstretch Victory Lane if he is responsible with his car and avoids trouble on the track.
“We’ll get the car as good as we can get it,” Yarbrough said. “We’ll try to dial it in on a long run and not be too concerned about the speed since we’re already starting on pole. It’s going to be about getting the car comfortable, but we’ll have to save tires. You can’t do too much, just take what the track gives you, otherwise you’ll get put in a bad hole.”
Should Yarbrough prevail in the South Carolina 400, he will become the first driver to win the prestigious event between two different tracks. The only other driver on the entry list who could pull this feat off is 2017 Myrtle Beach 400 winner Josh Berry.
Yarbrough will have a head start on making history Saturday as he looks to further cement himself as one of the best Late Model Stock competitors in South Carolina with two wins in the state’s most cherished short track event.
Josh Williams will drive the No. 11 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024 with primary sponsorship from Alloy Employer Services, the team announced Thursday.
Williams has ground through the Xfinity Series for years, running the majority of the tour’s events since 2018 in lesser-funded equipment. Then came a call over the summer from leadership at Kaulig Racing. Now, Williams prepares to step into a car with a team that made a deep run into the NASCAR Playoffs in 2023.
“I didn’t believe it at first,” Williams told NASCAR.com. “It’s one of those deals where, a lot of times, you don’t see a driver like me get the opportunity to run for a team like that. Super excited about it, though, man. I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun and run up front all year long.”
The 30-year-old Floridian competed full-time in 2023 with DGM Racing, the team with which he’s made 167 of his 186 Xfinity Series starts. Williams also has two ARCA Menards Series wins to his name, both of which came in 2016, the year he made his Xfinity debut.
In those 186 starts, Williams has just 11 top-10 finishes – all with DGM. What’s particularly noteworthy is that those career-best results came at about any track type imaginable, including short tracks, superspeedways, intermediates and the in-between ovals along the way. His personal best so far is a sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway in 2020.
Now comes the reward: After years of seeking better chances, an opportunity came to him this time.
“Josh Williams has fought tooth and nail for everything in his racing career, and we’re really excited to have him race for us,” Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, said in a press release. “We love his energy and passion at the track, and we think his personality and drive will fit right in with the Kaulig Racing culture.”
Talks didn’t just spark recently either, according to Williams.
“We started working on this deal actually last year, just kind of having some conversations and kind of developing the friendship a little bit,” he said. “And then this year, it kind of got a little bit more serious. They felt like I was a good fit over there for those guys and what they’re trying to accomplish.
“This is a tough sport. You know, there’s only so many seats, and there’s way more drivers than seats. It’s a cool opportunity, man. And, you know, I know a lot of the guys that work over there at Kaulig. I’ve known them all the way back from the ARCA days. There’s quite a few of us in the shop that have had relationships over the past 10 or 15 years. I think it’s gonna be really good, man. They’ve got really fast race cars and really good people and a lot of resources.”
With better equipment comes higher expectations. Kaulig Racing placed both Chandler Smith and Daniel Hemric in the Xfinity Series postseason in 2023, with Smith winning at Richmond Raceway and its third full-time car victorious three times – twice with AJ Allmendinger and once with Kyle Larson.
“There’s always pressure, right?” Williams said. “In years past, it’s like, ‘Well, I mean, shoot, Josh finished 10th. That’s awesome. They’re not supposed to do that.’ But now it’s like, ‘Oh man. Josh finished 10th. They should have won the race.’ So yeah, there’s a little bit of pressure there. But you know, it’s gonna come to us for sure. And then once everybody kind of gets to see each other, and we all start jiving and everybody’s rowing in the same direction, I think we’re going to be up front every week.”
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Such is the difference between racing mid-pack in less-funded equipment as opposed to the front of the field on a consistent basis.
“When you’re driving for a smaller team, and you know you’re limited on resources, you’re limited on cars,” Williams explained, “you’ve kind of got to take a different approach at the way you drive, the way you race, the way you handle the race. So I’ve kind of got to prepare myself to race a little bit different, kind of be more aggressive from start to finish and really push the equipment every lap because you know that it’s got the ability to win races.”
Alloy Employer Services, which the press release states focuses on proactive claims management for workplace injuries and risk management, began its relationship with Williams in 2020 and has sponsored him at both DGM Racing and BJ McLeod Motorsports.
“Josh Williams represents the spirit of racing as we know and love it,” said Alloy CMO Chris Estey. “We are excited and confident in his potential for the 2024 season. His blend of competitive edge, skill and sportsmanship promotes a super opportunity for him and all his sponsors. For all of us to be aligned with Kaulig Racing produces a powerful recipe.”
Kaulig Racing noted Alloy will be joined by “a host of long-term and new partners who have been with Williams throughout his (Xfinity) career.”
Of course, a retrospective on Williams’ past wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the spring Xfinity race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Williams parked his No. 92 Chevrolet on the frontstretch for officials to retrieve after being told to park by NASCAR.
The walk-off incurred a one-race suspension for Williams for disobeying a NASCAR request, but it also brought the spotlight to Williams’ personality, allowing him to highlight the charitable work he does away from the track.
Since 2015, Williams has visited more than 150 hospitals to meet with sick children and families around the country, forming a relationship with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which helps build closed circuit television and radio studios in children’s hospitals to better the experience for their patients. Additionally, Williams has continued to collect painted handprints from each child to run on the hood of his race car in the season finale, bringing them even closer to the action.
“It makes you appreciate life 100%,” Williams said of his visits. “You know, I tell all my guys here at JW Motorsports, I’m like, listen, you guys think you’re having a bad day? You’re not having a bad day. You know, you need to appreciate what you have and just keep pushing forward and, you know, make the best out of each opportunity because there’s somebody out there that’s, they are having a bad day, whether they know it or not.
“And working with the kids and being around the families and stuff like that, it means a lot to me. And if I can give back just a little bit of my time and try to make their day just a little bit easier and take their mind off of things for a little while, that’s what means most.”
Grassroots racing is near and dear to Williams’ heart. JW Motorsports, his aforementioned team, fields anything from go-karts at Millbridge Speedway to Bandoleros at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Summer Shootouts to limited late models and late model stocks at local short tracks, all in the name of giving younger drivers a chance to develop as racers.
“The grassroots racing has changed a ton in probably like the past 10 years,” Williams said. “You know, you don’t really see a lot of parents that take their kids to the race track and be competitive anymore. They’re either affiliated with a team or a person that does this full-time. And I try to bring that old-school racer back. I try to teach the kids how to work on their car, try to teach the parents the best, cost-effective way to run all year long instead of running minimal races just to try to keep the dollar going.
“And it’s really hard right now to be competitive in any form of racing, whether you’re racing the CARS Tour late model stock or you’re racing go-karts at Millbridge. It’s super tough, so just trying to teach people what I’ve been taught over the years, saving money and trying to do things the right way.”
Ken Squier spent a career talking about other folks and rarely spoke about himself.
That’s our loss.
The world of sports — NASCAR, in particular — is so much richer for his unselfish approach.
Squier, who passed away Wednesday night at the age of 88, likely did as much for the growth of NASCAR as any car owner, crew chief or driver. Yet the Vermont native and lifelong resident of the Granite State never saw it that way.
“I don’t talk about myself; what the hell is there to say about me?” Squier said before his 2018 induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“The whole game here is to talk about the people that do the job …”
At that, Squier excelled.
“In the old days, you know, (the) ‘60s and ‘70s, four people would get killed every year and that was the reality of the sport and it wasn’t nearly as safe as it is now,” Squier said.
“So that was a part of it that needed to be talked about, because it was the kind of people, and that went back to World War II, and they didn’t give a damn. If you said go, they went, gone. That was a whole different thing than any other sport in this country. … This was the one (sport) where the guys put it on the line, and if they failed, they got hurt, and sometimes very badly. But it was worth the gamble. They absolutely, positively wanted to do it.”
Squier’s fingerprints are all over the sport – from his timeless and unforgettable terminology used to describe the action and its participants to the formation of the Motor Racing Network, which he helped launch and sustain, to the use of in-car cameras, an idea he “borrowed” while on assignment in Australia.
He coined the phrase “The Great American Race” to aptly describe the Daytona 500 and painted a picture of racers as “ordinary people doing extraordinary things” and “common men doing uncommon deeds.”
“He was a big pusher for Cup racing,” seven-time series champion Richard Petty said of Squier. “He understood the racing people, he understood NASCAR and he was really good at it.
“If you’re an amateur or never heard a race or never knew anything about a race, he could explain it to you in layman’s terms. He was one of the first ones, if not the first one, they got to (tell) the general public how exciting Cup racing was.”
* * *
“And there’s a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison!” Squier practically shouted to a national television audience. “The tempers overflowing …”
Not many words have had any greater impact on NASCAR than those, spoken after the completion of the 1979 Daytona 500.
Richard Petty had just won the race for the sixth time, inheriting the lead after the front-runners – Yarborough and Allison – crashed on the backstretch on the final lap of the race.
The event was the first live, flag-to-flag NASCAR race aired by CBS. It had come at the urging of Squier, among others.
A large portion of the country was snowed in, providing the network with a ready-made audience. And Squier was just the man to help bring the sport to the masses.
NASCAR was growing and while its schedule included races out West, at Riverside and Ontario, California, as well as in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania and Delaware, it was still seen as primarily a Southern entity.
Squier knew the series was beginning to attract a wider audience. And he knew CBS could deliver the action to that audience.
“That caught on,” Squier said of the network’s growing interest. “They saw those crowds that (NASCAR founder and president Bill) France was putting together. And through the ’70s, that Daytona 500 year after year consistently grew more of the drama, more of the adventure.”
Squier was the lead announcer for the Daytona 500 on CBS for 19 consecutive seasons (1979-1997) and worked as the studio host until 2000. He served in a similar capacity for TNN during its coverage of NASCAR as well as with TBS.
“Though he never sat behind the wheel of a stock car, Ken Squier contributed to the growth of NASCAR as much as any competitor,” Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO said in a statement. “Ken was a superb storyteller and his unmistakable voice is the soundtrack to many of NASCAR’s greatest moments. His calls on TV and radio brought fans closer to the sport, and for that he was a fan favorite. Ken knew no strangers, and he will be missed by all. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Ken Squier.”
* * *
In 2013, officials with NASCAR and the Hall of Fame announced the formation of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence, in honor of Squier and longtime Motor Racing Network announcer Barney Hall. The award recognizes significant contributions made to the sport of NASCAR by members of the media.
Squier and Hall were the inaugural recipients of the prestigious award.
Five years later, Squier was once again recognized by his peers in NASCAR with his selection into the Hall of Fame.
It was an honor he said he didn’t deserve.
“I really believe those awards in the Hall of Fame should be for those who sat in those cars,” he said.
Squier was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Vermont Governor Phil Scott.
“Ken’s first version of his remarks ran about 26 minutes over, and there was not one single mention of himself,” Scott noted. “It was all about everyone else. But I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. He’s been telling us the great American story his whole life, but we never hear his story.”
Squier wouldn’t have had it any other way.
In addition to his career in radio and television, Squier was also a track promoter and was one of the founding owners of Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont.
* * *
Kenley Dean Squier was born April 10, 1935 in Waterbury, Vermont. His father, Lloyd, owned and operated radio station WDEV in Waterbury and also announced harness racing at local county fairs as well as larger venues. It’s where the younger Squier got his first taste of motorsports – those larger fairs also often hosted open-wheel races.
“Daring drivers, dancing with death and danger in every corner,” he once recalled. “Why, they’d take your breath away. I was fully involved.”
Still just a teen, Squier got his first taste of calling races – from the back of a truck in the infield at Morrisville Speedway in Vermont.
“The first race I announced when I was 14; I did it off the back of a logging truck, using a bullhorn,” Squier told the Tampa Bay (Florida) Times in July of 1975. “It ended in a riot involving about 400 people, and the Vermont State Police had to be called out to stop it.”
He also eventually tried his hand at driving, but admitted, “I was a very mediocre driver, at best, and I knew if I was to stay in auto racing, it would have to be as a promoter/announcer.”
A mediocre driver perhaps. But a true Hall of Famer behind the microphone.
The smack-dab middle of November usually has a chill in the air, and Thanksgiving’s approach signifies the wind-down of the racing calendar. That wrap-up time, however, has produced true classic moments and milestones during NASCAR’s 75 years, including one of its all-time greatest races.
November 15th stands out as one of the foremost dates in NASCAR history, with the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway holding center stage for its significance. The event has entered stock-car racing lore for Alan Kulwicki’s triumph in the multi-layered championship battle and the changing of the guard with Richard Petty’s final Cup Series start coinciding with Jeff Gordon’s first.
The full replay of the 1992 Hooters 500 from our NASCAR Classics library is worth bundling up with again 31 years later.
More consequential November 15th moments stand out. Dale Earnhardt claimed his first Cup Series title on this date, edging out Cale Yarborough to top the standings in the 1980 finale at Ontario (California) Motor Speedway. Eighteen years to the day later, Dale Earnhardt Jr. became an Xfinity Series champion, sealing the first of two consecutive titles in the 1998 season-ending event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, won by Jeff Burton — now his colleague at NBC Sports.
Clint Bowyer edged out Carl Edwards for his lone national series championship in the Xfinity finale at Homestead on Nov. 15, 2008. One year later, Jimmie Johnson landed a knockout in the next-to-last race of the year, winning at Phoenix Raceway to pave the way for the fourth of his record-tying seven titles.
And eight years ago today, the last of Earnhardt Jr.’s 26 Cup Series victories came at Phoenix in – of all things – a rain-shortened event at in the arid Arizona desert. That Southwestern weather oddity and the final win of a Hall of Fame career also remain preserved for posterity, another fall moment to be thankful for.
At just 16, Lanie Buice already possesses a strong desire for motorsports.
The Locust Grove, Georgia native has spent most of 2023 gaining valuable on-track experience in a Late Model Stock Car at the abrasive Florence Motor Speedway in South Carolina. Although she did not visit Victory Lane this year, Buice made a name for herself by besting many track veterans to finish second in the point standings at the NASCAR Home Track.
Buice’s determination is one of many reasons why she is the recipient of the 2023 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award.
Named after Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, who became the first African-American to win a NASCAR Cup Series event in 1963, the award is presented to a driver based on his or her on-track performance in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, as well as other qualities like sportsmanship and community service.
The news came as a pleasant surprise for Buice, who is thrilled to be part of the endearing legacy of Scott that permeates through NASCAR today.
“It’s an absolute honor to represent the Wendell Scott family,” Buice said. “He paved the way for so many drivers and continued to push through during his whole career. He worked hard to get his first win, but he never stopped, so I want to put that same passion into everything I do to get my win.
“Wendell Scott was dedicated, and that’s something I can relate to in so many different ways.”
(Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)
As is the case for many young women seeking to break into NASCAR’s top ranks, Buice’s career started on go-kart tracks. She began racing when she was 10.
Since she did not come from a racing background, Buice leaned on the people around her while progressing through the ranks. Roberts Kart Shop co-owner Steve Roberts was instrumental in convincing Buice to continue her career in Legends cars, where she continued to obtain valuable knowledge through her car owners Andy James and Doug Stevens.
It was through former NASCAR Cup Series driver Ken Ragan that Buice got connected with AK Performance, a Late Model Stock program operated by Kendall Sellers that also fielded Legends cars. After several conversations, Buice agreed to join AK Performance in 2023 for a full season in Late Model Stocks.
While Buice and AK Performance traveled to several different tracks around the southeast, they primarily centered their attention on Florence. Nothing came easy for Buice at the track, as she was tasked with adapting to the heavier cars against a group of seasoned veterans, all while figuring out important techniques such as tire conservation.
Ascertaining proper race craft around Florence was a long process for Buice, but she gradually made progress with every race.
“Florence is very complicated,” Buice said. “You have to be very focused and hit the same line every lap while not wearing your tires. There’s a lot to it, and Florence is definitely more technical than any other track I’ve ever been to.”
One area particularly on which Sellers advised Buice was how to exit Florence’s fourth turn. She said that corner requires drivers to be patient on exit; being overly aggressive will cause drivers to abuse the right rear too much, hindering them at the end of the race.
Sellers said Florence’s rigid layout requires drivers to walk a fine line between being conservative and aggressive. He said Buice’s fortitude behind the wheel is one of her strongest qualities, and he’s been impressed with how she has reigned in her aggression to be more methodical.
“[Lanie] is not scared to go get it,” Sellers said. “Sometimes she is not scared to go over the line, but she’s got a lot of drive to do better every time she’s on the track. Lanie is hard on herself, but she is hard-nosed and wants to win.”
Buice’s rookie season at Florence saw her finish inside the top five on nine different occasions. The closest Buice came to obtaining a victory was the second twin feature on June 17, when she finished second to Doug Barnes Jr. in a 20-car field.
Going up against so many talented Late Model Stock drivers every week was enlightening for Buice. By observing where her competition was making up time at different points in a race, Buice believes she is in a much better position to contend for victories moving forward.
“All the guys [at Florence] are such great drivers,” Buice said. “You have Matt Cox and Ryan Glenski. Doug Barnes Jr. was there quite a bit, as well, so I really learned a lot from racing against those guys. They’ve been around a while, so figuring out how to pass those guys has been very beneficial.”
Buice was ready to put her knowledge of Florence to good use when it came time for the driving portion of the 2023 Drive for Diversity Combine.
Compared to where Buice was in January, Florence proved to be the easiest part of the Combine. She felt comfortable making laps in one of Rev Racing’s Late Model Stocks after two eventful days of media training and learning more about race craft at the Trackhouse Motorplex.
Lanie Buice was one of several drivers invited to participate in the 2023 Drive for Diversity Combine, which wrapped up at Florence Motor Speedway. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)
Regardless of whether she is selected for a seat at Rev Racing next year, Buice plans to utilize the information obtained from the Combine to keep improving as a driver.
“I learned a lot at the Combine, especially when it came to the media stuff,” Buice said. “I’ve never really done a bunch of interviews like that before, but I enjoyed it. That week challenged me, and I learned a lot about myself along with what I can do and what I need to work on.”
Now that she has joined other names such as Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth and Katie Hettinger as a Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner, Buice intends to keep embodying those winning characteristics on and off the track.
Buice is still trying to figure out exactly how to use her platform to make a difference and inspire others seeking a career in NASCAR. One area on which Buice does plan to focus is assisting those with mental disabilities, a cause that has been close to her since childhood.
“I’m very passionate about giving back to the community,” Buice said. “I have [an aunt with mental disabilities], and I’ve spent a lot of time with that community as I’ve grown up by coaching basketball and helping out with a cheer team, so that’s something I’m interested in giving back to one day.”
With a bright future ahead of her, Lanie Brice is determined to embody the characteristics that helped her earn the 2023 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)
Buice has plenty of time to assemble that outline as she closes out the remaining races on her schedule this year before embarking on a busy 2024.
Sellers is confident Buice’s first victory in a Late Model Stock will occur soon if she continues to make strides in qualifying and keeps the car in one piece. He added those traits are going to be imperative when she eventually faces tougher competition than the Florence weekly shows.
“We need to keep improving at every level,” Sellers said. “You have to check every box, especially against the best Late Model Stock drivers. Those guys don’t miss for 125 laps straight. They are on it in qualifying and during the race. If we execute everywhere, that’s all I can ask for.”
Reflecting on everything she has experienced in 2023, Buice is grateful not only to receive the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award, but for all the support she has received to keep fulfilling her passion of being in a stock car.
Buice is optimistic her dream of one day being in NASCAR’s top divisions is just beginning. Until that day arrives, she remains determined to make all the correct decisions that will allow to achieve her goal and inspire other female competitors along the way.
“I really want to represent the family of Wendell Scott by paving the way for others just like he did,” Buice said. “Opening those doors for people to see the talent female drivers have. We have the skill, the drive and passion for going into the NASCAR world and winning.”
