Multiple champions entered at Florence Motor Speedway

Live coverage of the South Carolina 400 at Florence starts at 7:30 p.m

 

The 30th running of the South Carolina 400 will take the green flag Saturday night at Florence Motor Speedway, and the entry list features more than 50 drivers who will be vying for a starting position in the event that continues the legendary history of the Myrtle Beach 400 at Myrtle Beach Speedway.

 

The entry list that will battle for a coveted starting position in Saturday’s event includes track and regional champions from up and down the East Coast, as well as a two-time Daytona 500 and NASCAR Xfinity Series champion.

 

RELATED: Everything to know about the South Carolina 400

 

Multiple rounds of qualifying will determine the 40-car starting field, with more than a dozen drivers expected to be sent home before the green flag even waves for the 200-lap late model stock car main event.

 

Below is a closer look at some of the racing champions on the entry list for Saturday’s South Carolina 400 and their accomplishments.

 

• We’d be remiss if we didn’t start with the most well-known name on the entry list: Dale Earnhardt Jr. The two-time Daytona 500 winner and two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion is making a rare late model stock car start. Earnhardt won at Florence during his formative years racing late model stock cars, so there’s no reason why he can’t win at the track again.

̶1̶9̶9̶8̶ 2022. @BassProShops | #JRNation pic.twitter.com/XWoXbboc2W

 

— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) November 1, 2022

 

PHOTOS: Dale Jr.’s throwback scheme for the SC 400

 

• When identifying contenders for events like the South Carolina 400, one must consider the reigning track champion. That honor belongs to 16-year-old Kade Brown, who claimed his first Florence track championship this year in his first full season racing late model stock cars for AK Performance. He also won the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series South Carolina state championship.
• Typically a contender in a super late model, Matt Craig is set for a rare late model stock start in the South Carolina 400. Craig is a multi-time super late model champion with both the CARS Tour and Pro All Stars Series. In 2021, he won the legendary All American 400 at Tennessee’s Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
• Brenden Queen has been turning heads for several seasons with his impressive performances at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia, where he is the three-time and defending track champion in the late model stock division. A victory in the South Carolina 400 would be his first marquee victory in a major late model stock event.
• The driver of the second JR Motorsports entry in the South Carolina 400 is Carson Kvapil, the son of 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil. The 19-year-old racer recently completed his first full season racing late model stock cars, claiming the CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship in the process.
• You’ll be hard pressed to find a driver with more experience at tracks with worn out asphalt than Sam Yarbrough. A six-time track champion at Myrtle Beach Speedway, Yarbrough won the last race held at the historic South Carolina venue in 2020. He won the Myrtle Beach 400 in 2007 and will attempt to add the South Carolina 400 to his resume.
• The 2022 season was a statement year for Landon Huffman, who ran the full schedule at Hickory Motor Speedway in pursuit of his first track championship. He accomplished his mission thanks to three victories, joining his father Robert Huffman as track champions at one of the Southeast’s most historic venues.
• He doesn’t get behind the wheel of a race car as often as he used to, but Dexter Canipe Jr. can still be a contender if the cards fall his way. The son of 1997 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion Dexter Canipe, the younger Canipe made his mark at Hickory Motor Speedway when he captured the 2016 track championship.
• Speaking of Hickory Motor Speedway, two-time track champion Ryan Millington is heading to Florence for the South Carolina 400. The 2017 and 2020 Hickory champion has been riding a wave of momentum recently after winning the Bobby Isaac Memorial, one of Hickory’s marquee late season events that honors the legacy of 1970 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Isaac.
• A familiar face at tracks across Virginia, Mark Wertz has been involved in the short-track racing scene for more than two decades. In that time he’s scored five track championships, with his most recent coming in 2020 at Langley Speedway in the modified division.
• Race fans may recognize Jason Kitzmiller as an occasional competitor in the ARCA Menards Series, but when he’s not competing on a national stage, he’s racing with the Super Cup Stock Car Series. This year he won six times en route to his first championship with the Super Cup Stock Car Series, momentum he hopes to carry into the South Carolina 400.
• Better known by his nickname “Boo Boo,” Ross Dalton is one of the more accomplished drivers on the entry list. He’s scored track championships at a variety of venues around the Southeast, including Ace Speedway, Orange County Speedway and Caraway Speedway. This year alone he’s scored nine victories at eight different race tracks.
• Blaise Brinkley makes the trek to Florence after competing regularly at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina, the last few seasons. He captured the 2021 Caraway track championship and will look to add a South Carolina 400 trophy to his case.
• A familiar name at nearby Anderson Motor Speedway, David Roberts joins the field for the South Carolina 400. Roberts is a multi-time late model stock car track champion at Anderson, something he hopes will give him an edge when the green flag waves at Florence.

Live coverage of the South Carolina 400 at Florence starts at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on FloRacing.

 

source: NASCAR Media