Showing posts with label Florence Motor Speedway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florence Motor Speedway. Show all posts

Monday, December 2, 2024

Dale Jr. and the Budweiser No. 8

Dale Jr. and the Budweiser No. 8

Wake Up the Echoes at Florence Motor Speedway

Bud (and Dale Jr.) is Back #NASCAR

 

On Saturday (11/23/2024) night, Dale Earnhardt Jr. woke up some echoes of the past and painted Florence Motor Speedway Budweiser red.

 

Driving a throwback scheme to the glory days of his Hall of Fame career in the NASCAR Cup Series, the 15-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver put on a show for the monstrous, red-clad overflow crowd in the annual Florence 400, charging from the rear of the field into contention for the race victory before a fuel-pump problem ended his night 31 laps before the finish.

 

A subpar qualifying effort in the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet forced Earnhardt Jr. to start 40th in the 41-car field for the prestigious season-ending event, but it didn’t seem to matter a whole lot.

 

Dale Jr. and the Budweiser No. 8 #NASCAR

 

In the early stages of the 250-lap race, Earnhardt Jr. wasted little time getting after the cars ahead, avoiding a crash in front of him just three laps into the race. Over the next 46 laps, he methodically moved his way to 20th position, much to the delight of the jam-packed house.

 

Despite a growing tight condition on his Chevrolet, Earnhardt Jr. continued to move forward and made his first appearance in the top 10 at lap 75 as the Budweiser No. 8 found its groove on the top line.

 

With 20 laps remaining in the first 125-lap segment, Earnhardt Jr. swept into seventh and cracked the top five two laps later, setting up a charge that would see him pass former JRM Late Model start Josh Berry for second on the final lap before the break.

 

Dale Jr. and the Budweiser No. 8 #NASCAR

 

“I was worried up until the race started,” Earnhardt Jr. said after the race. “We had a really bad effort in qualifying. I knew the car was good but that’s kind of been a puzzle for me, trying to figure out how get the car to qualify. When the race started, I felt good about the car and just kind of picked them off as I could.

 

“I was pretty surprised we drove up to second in the first half. I was hoping to get into the top 20 or top 15 if we were lucky. The car was excellent and a lot of guys started to struggle with the balance of their car and lose drive on corner exit.”

 

On the 10-minute halfway break, crew chief Bryan Shaffer and the team changed four tires, added fuel and repaired some nose damage picked up in the latter stages of the first segment before sending Earnhardt Jr. out for the remaining 125 laps.

 

When the field went back to green, Earnhardt Jr. stayed behind leader Treyten Lapcevich, watching the leader’s line and making notes for the end. With 55 laps remaining, the caution waved and the field reset for the charge to the finish.

 

Telling Shaffer that the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet was handling well, Earnhardt Jr. took off from second and settled in behind Lapcevich, noting that the leader was shearing the rear tires and formulating a plan of attack.

 

As the laps wound down, Earnhardt Jr. tracked along in second until the caution waved with 31 laps to go. As the cars headed down the backstretch, Earnhardt Jr. radioed to Shaffer that there was a problem with the engine, as the powerplant shut off and could not be restarted.

 

Hitting pit road, the No. 8 team lifted the hood and discovered that the fuel pump had broken, ending his night. He would eventually finish 28th.

 

“It was about time to turn it on and for sure everybody was going to go hard and see what they had left,” Earnhardt Jr. said following the race. “Going down the backstretch under caution, the fuel pump broke and it started to starve. Nothing we could do about that.”

 

Lapcevich won the race over Doug Barnes, with local favorite Sam Yarborough third. Jacob Heafner was fourth and newcomer Carson Loftin rounded out the top five.

 

Following the race, Earnhardt Jr. said that his plan was to shadow the leader and eventually earn the top spot.

 

“In the second half, we were just going to sit there in second behind that 77 (Lapcevich) and I could see him start to shear the back a little on throttle and I thought when it was time to start pressuring him I could get him to lose some drive off the corner and be able to beat him.”

 

It wasn’t to be, thanks to the mechanical failure, but for quite some time on Saturday night, the glory days were back and the massive crowd celebrated the chance to see it happen.

 





Florence Speedway Results
November 23, 2024 South Carolina 400

  1. Treyten Lapcevich
  2. Doug Barnes
  3. Sam Yarbrough
  4. Jacob Heafner
  5. Carson Loftin
  6. Brent Crews
  7. Kade Brown
  8. Darren Krantz Jr
  9. Casey Kelley
  10. Riley Gentry
  11. Brenden Queen
  12. Cody Kelley
  13. Jarad Fryer
  14. Leland Honeyman
  15. Bryant Barnhill
  16. Zack Miracle
  17. Caden Kvapil
  18. Justin Hicks
  19. Chase Burrow
  20. Vicente Salas
  21. Ryan Millington
  22. Landon Huffman
  23. Ryley Music
  24. Adam Congrove
  25. Josh Berry
  26. Jake Crum
  27. Donovan Strauss
  28. Dale Earnhardt Jr
  29. Jamie Weatherford
  30. Connor Jones
  31. Alex Meggs
  32. Matt Cox
  33. Ryan Glenski
  34. Austin Green
  35. Ronnie Bassett Jr
  36. Mason Diaz
  37. Jonathan Shafer
  38. Landon S Huffman
  39. Matt Gould
  40. Truett Miranda
  41. Ryan Wilson

 

source: JR Motorsports Media
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Saturday, November 18, 2023

South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway

South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway

Entry list, live stream, more for 2023 race featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr., other NASCAR stars

South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway

 

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.

 

Today’s South Carolina 400 figures to be another action-packed show one year after Late Model Stock star Brenden “Butterbean” Queen took 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.

 

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.

 

Entry list

Dale Earnhardt Jr. headlines the entry list for today’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.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. headlines the entry list for Saturday’s South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway.

 

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 (As of Nov. 15):

  1. 51 Matt Cox
  2. 02 Justin Milliken
  3. 03 Brenden Queen
  4. 34 Matt Linker
  5. 13 Cody Kelley
  6. 16 Casey Kelley
  7. 95 Jacob Heafner
  8. 21 Lanie Buice
  9. 99 Austin Somero
  10. 23 Kade Brown
  11. 95 Sam Yarbrough
  12. 94 Jamie Weatherford
  13. 07 Averitt Lucas
  14. 1 Trent Barnes
  15. 88 Doug Barnes Jr.
  16. 71 Katie Hettinger
  17. 29 Casey Wyatt
  18. 2 Gracie Trotter
  19. 18 Anthony Adams
  20. 5 Carter Langley
  21. 2 Brandon Pierce
  22. 30 Paul Owens
  23. 55 Mark Wertz
  24. 28 Ryan Glenski
  25. 75 Coy Beard
  26. 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  27. 8 Carson Kvapil
  28. 62 Josh Berry
  29. T2 Travis Truett
  30. 20 Josh Dickens
  31. 32 Zack Miracle
  32. 5 Bryant Barnhill
  33. 18 Truett Miranda
  34. 21 Landon DeVaughn
  35. 28 Landon S. Huffman
  36. 11 Josh Williams
  37. 16 Adam McCumbee
  38. 09 Riley Gentry
  39. 75 Landon Huffman
  40. 18 David Roberts
  41. 43 William Sawalich
  42. 10 Kaden Honeycutt
  43. 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr.
  44. 51 Stephen Nasse
  45. 7 Tristan McKee

 

source: MSN.com Media
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Saturday, October 14, 2023

NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Combine

NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Combine

A Huge Opportunity for Aspiring Racers

#NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Combine
On Oct. 9, NASCAR and Rev Racing announced the 15 drivers
participating in the Advance Auto Parts Drive for Diversity Combine.

 

To get to Florence Motor Speedway, you drive through the cotton fields surrounding NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough’s home town, pass a country store called “Becky’s Place” and turn right off East Smith Street.

 

Follow a sandy dirt road a few hundred yards to the speedway, climb a set of rickety wooden stairs, and you’re on top of the main grandstand at this jewel of a short track.

 

#NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Combine

 

To the 13 NASCAR Drive for Diversity aspirants who tested their skills in late model stock cars on Wednesday, however, Florence is more than just a 0.4-mile bullring. For them, it’s a Field of Dreams.

 

Lanie Buice started racing when she was 10-years old, and she hopes her performance in NASCAR’s two-day Advance Auto Parts Drive for Diversity Combine will continue to advance a career that began with the chance visit to a go-kart shop.

 

“I was driving with my dad to work one day, and I saw a go-kart shop on the side of the road,” said Buice, now 16, after turning her first laps at Florence. “I had one of those little lawn go-karts when I was younger, and I saw the go-kart shop, and I begged him to take me in…

 

“The next week, we had a go-kart, and we went to the track. We went every single week and just made laps, made laps, made laps at a lot of different tracks. We tried to move around a lot and tried to develop me.

 

“I thought I’d be in go-karts forever, but I flipped the go-kart when I was 13 years old—right when COVID hit and we were practicing—and I broke my collarbone. Mama was like, ‘Hey, I think we should try something else.’”

 

The invitation to the Drive for Diversity Combine affords Buice the opportunity to take the next step in her career under the banner of Rev Racing, the competition arm of the D4D program.

 

“Being a candidate for the Drive for Diversity is huge to me and my family,” Buice said. “I know it’s a huge deal for other drivers just like me. We don’t have the funding to continue to develop higher-up. Really, I depend on sponsors to put me on the track on the weekends.

 

“I’ll be extremely thankful if I’m chosen to be one of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity drivers… I don’t want to stop. I want to keep going. I love it.”

 

Interestingly, the D4D drivers aren’t told their lap times either during or after their runs in the late models. Buice thought she did well but had no way of knowing exactly how fast she ran. That’s by design.

 

“It matters to us at the end of the day, as far as the evaluation,” said Brandon Thompson, NASCAR vice president of diversity and inclusion. “But we don’t want them as focused on that, because there are other things that go into the evaluation.

 

“How are they able to adapt? How are they able to take the feedback and coaching they’re given from the competition staff and apply it and translate that to speed? Also, how consistent they are and how much improvement they may make.”

 

The evaluations, which include Tuesday’s go-kart session in Concord, N.C., the late model trials in Florence as well as a media component, will determine this year’s D4D class, which will be announced later this year.

 





“It gives me a lot of freedom to work on iRacing, to go to the gym and continue to try to develop my racing career…

 

“I absolutely love racing. It is my element. I thrive in it. I love talking to people—everything about it. Being at the race track all the time really helps. I’d rather do that over going to a homecoming or a prom or something—I really don’t have an interest in that.

 

“I want to be at the race track.”

 

Fifteen ‘Drive for Diversity Driver Development’ Drivers

#NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Combine

 

Name: TJ DeCaire
Age: 16
Hometown: Land O' Lakes, Florida
Car type: Pro/Late Model Stock

Name: Regina Sirvent
Age: 20
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
Car type: NASCAR Mexico Challenge, Late Model Stock

Name: Paige Rogers
Age: 20
Hometown: New Haven, Indiana
Car type: Pro/Late Model Stock

Name: Nathan Lyons
Age: 14
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina
Car type: U.S. Legend Car

Name: Lucas Vera
Age: 16
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Car type: U.S. Legend Car

Name: LaQuan McCoy Jr.
Age: 12
Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina
Car type: Bandolero

Name: Lanie Buice
Age: 16
Hometown: Jackson, Georgia
Car type: Late Model Stock

Name: Justin Campbell
Age: 18
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia
Car type: Late Model Stock

Name: Jayda Mack
Age: 14
Hometown: Chino Hills, California
Car type: Pro Late Model

Name: Jalen Mack
Age: 18
Hometown: Chino Hills, California
Car type: Pro Late Model

Name: Eloy López Falcón
Age: 18
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
Car type: NASCAR Mexico Challenge, U.S. Legend Car

Name: Cassidy Keitt
Age: 14
Hometown: Lexington, North Carolina
Car type: U.S. Legend Car

Name: Cameron Carraway
Age: 12
Hometown: Castro Valley, California
Car type: Restricted Late Model, Micro Sprints

Name: Caleb Johnson
Age: 15
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Car type: Pro Late Model, U.S. Legend Car

Name: Arthur Gama
Age: 18
Hometown: Porta Alegre, Brazil
Car type: NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race





 

source: NASCAR Media
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Sunday, November 20, 2022

Brendan Queen Wins the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway!

Brendan Queen Wins the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway!

Dale Jr. Sent to the Back Twice Due to Penalties - Finishes 9th

Brendan Queen Wins the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway!

 

The path to Victory Lane for three-time Langley Speedway track champion Brenden Queen in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway came down to a matter of survival.

 

An evening dominated by tire conservation, intense racing and heated rivalries culminated with Queen holding off Carson Kvapil for a crown jewel victory in his debut race with Lee Pulliam Performance. 

 



 

Queen admitted Saturday’s triumph in the South Carolina 400 served as major validation for him by proving to the entire short track community that he can win at any facility on the East Coast.

 

“I finally win away from [my home track of] Langley,” Queen said. “Everybody questioned if I was a one-track wonder, but we proved [on Saturday] we can get it done down South. We’re taking [this] trophy back to Virginia.”

 

After carefully conserving his equipment during the first two stages, the opportunity for Queen to pounce on the lead came with 20 laps remaining.

 

Mason Diaz, who had worked vigorously to get back to the front following an earlier spin, found himself battling South Carolina short track veteran and 2007 Myrtle Beach 400 winner Sam Yarbrough for the win over a handful of late restarts.

 

As Diaz tried to clear Yarbrough off Turn 2, the latter was forced off track before miraculously saving his car in front of oncoming traffic. Yarbrough was not pleased with Diaz’s aggressive maneuver but was allowed to maintain his spot on the front row.

 

Yarbrough retaliated against Diaz on the following restart in Turn 4, which prompted Diaz to retire from the race by climbing out of his car in Florence’s frontstretch Victory Lane and doing a mock celebration with his crew.

 

With two of the fastest cars eliminated from contention, Queen and Kvapil were left to settle the South Carolina 400 amongst themselves during the closing laps. Queen perfectly executed all his restarts to keep plenty of distance between himself and Kvapil.

 

Fresh off another second-place finish in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway, Kvapil wanted to end his stellar rookie season with JR Motorsports by earning a crown jewel victory while competing alongside his boss Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

Despite the disappointment, Kvapil admitted he was relieved to avoid the chaos that broke out between Diaz and Yarbrough.

 

“I honestly didn’t know if we were going to wreck out,” Kvapil said. “It was getting pretty sketchy with [Diaz and Yarbrough]. They were beating and banging pretty good before they decided to wreck each other. It was a battle just to finish, but once those guys cleared themselves out, we were focused on winning.”

 

Saturday’s performance highlighted Kvapil’s efficiency at Florence in his limited starts, as he finished second to Ty Majeski in last year’s South Carolina 400 after leading 38 laps.

 

Kvapil’s trips to Florence have taught him many valuable lessons regarding patience behind the wheel. He is confident he can one day utilize that knowledge by parking his Late Model Stock in Victory Lane.

 

“It’s basically been a letdown for us with every race [at Florence],” Kvapil said. “This one doesn’t hurt as bad knowing we didn’t have the best car. We had the best car in last year’s race, but luck didn’t favor us. There’s always next year.”

 

Rounding out the top three finishers in Saturday’s South Carolina 400 was Isabella Robusto, who was thrilled to put together a strong performance in the physically demanding event.

 

Robusto’s goal for the weekend was to simply gain valuable experience in tire conservation at Florence. As the carnage started to unfold during the final stage, Robusto methodically picked off her competition to provide herself a much-needed confidence boost heading into the offseason.

 

“We started 30th in this race and just wanted a Top 10 finish,” Robusto said. “I was able to keep the nose clean for the first 150 laps, and then I knew we had to go 110 percent with the new tires on. Next thing I knew, I was restarting fourth with three laps to go.”

 

Queen also enters the winter with plenty of high expectations following his first outing with Lee Pulliam Performance.

 

Piloting a car for a successful driver like Pulliam, whose accomplishments include four NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, was something Queen knew would carry plenty of significance when he first signed the deal, which is why he wanted to make a strong first impression in the South Carolina 400.

 

Queen responded by adding his name to the list of South Carolina 400 winners that include Pulliam, Josh Berry, Timothy Peters and Scott Riggs, a feat Queen said is very close to his Hampton Heat triumph he obtained at Langley in 2020.

 

“This might be the biggest win of all with how everything played out,” Queen said. “Luckily, I didn’t wreck anybody to win it, but I did use her up a little bit. She had enough left in her to get the job done.”

 

Now that he knows the potential he and Pulliam possess as a combination, Queen is eager to keep working with the Late Model Stock legend and continue to bolster his growing resume in the discipline.

 

“This gives us such huge momentum,” Queen said. “We really feel we can win every race we show up to. When you have confidence in yourself to win, the sky is the limit.”

 

Florence Motor Speedway Results (Finish)

  1. Brendan Queen
  2. Carson Kvapil
  3. Isabella Rubusto
  4. Cody Kelley
  5. Matthew Craig
  6. Bryant Barnhill
  7. Doug Barnes
  8. BooBoo Dalton
  9. Dale Earnhardt Jr
  10. Casey Kelley
  11. Heath Causey
  12. Averitt Lucas
  13. Landon Pembleton
  14. Kade Brown
  15. Anthony Adams
  16. Justin Whitaker
  17. Riley Gentry
  18. Brandon Pierce
  19. Whitney Meggs
  20. Sam Yarbrough
  21. Zack Mircacle
  22. Connor Jones
  23. Mason Diaz
  24. Matt Cox
  25. Katie Hettinger
  26. Jacob Heafner
  27. Tristan McKee
  28. Ryan Glenski
  29. Mark Wertz
  30. Kaden Honeycutt
  31. Justin Milliken
  32. Ryan Millington
  33. Austin Somero
  34. Michael Bumgarner
  35. Blaise Brinkley
  36. Dexter Canipe Jr
  37. Trent Barnes
  38. Landon Huffman
  39. Jamie York
  40. Justin Hicks
  41. Ryley Music
  42. Jamie Weatherford

 

Florence Motor Speedway Results (Stage 2) : 1. Sam Yarbrough; 2. Matt Cox; 3. Carson Kvapil; 4. Jacob Heafner; 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr; 6. Brendan Queen; 7. Doug Barnes; 8. Matthew Craig; 9. Casey Kelley; 10. Landon Pembleton;

 

Florence Motor Speedway Results (Stage 1) : 1. Matt Cox; 2. Sam Yarbrough; 3. Connor Jones; 4. Matthew Craig; 5. Zack Miracle; 6. Ryan Millington; 7. Carson Kvapil; 8. Mark Wertz; 9. Mason Diaz; 10. Kaden Honeycutt; (Note: Dale Earnhardt Jr – 18th)

 

 

source: NASCAR Media
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Saturday, March 19, 2022

Live on FloRacing – 3 #NASCAR Roots Races

Live on FloRacing – 3 #NASCAR Roots Races

Live on FloRacing – 3 #NASCAR Roots Races

 

FloSports (FloRacing's parent company) is a subscription sports broadcaster and streaming service. The company is based in Austin, Texas, United States, and was founded in 2006. FloRacing streams live sporting events to audiences around the world.

 

 

Today fans can enjoy three NASCAR Root Races Live:

 

 

source: NASCAR Media

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