Short Track Weekly: Previewing the South Carolina 400

The temperature is dropping, leaves are falling and Thanksgiving is less than a week away.

That can only mean one thing. It’s South Carolina 400 week at Florence Motor Speedway.

One of Late Model Stock car racing’s crown jewel events is back and bigger than ever, with a stacked entry list, a sold out crowd expected and the return of an iconic paint scheme.

Here’s everything you need to know for this weekend’s South Carolina 400.

The History

If you were to look up the previous winners of the 400, you’d only find three names. Ty Majeski in 2020-2021, Brenden Queen in 2022 and Kade Brown in 2023.

But the event is listed as the 32nd Annual South Carolina 400, so where do the previous 27 years come from?

The answer lies down the road. The South Carolina 400 is a spiritual successor to the Myrtle Beach 400, held at the now-extinct Myrtle Beach Speedway from 1993 to 2019. The Myrtle Beach 400 was one of Late Model Stock racing’s iconic events, but it was at risk of facing a similar fate to the track itself with the speedway set to be demolished.

Fortunately, Myrtle Beach promoter Steve Zacharias purchased Florence Motor Speedway and preserved the history of the historic track, including its marquee event. It was rebranded as the South Carolina 400 for 2020 and beyond.

Since then, a unique tradition has been added for winners of the 400 at Florence. Drivers that claim the event now receive a commemorative palm tree on the property, decked out with a race winner’s banner. They line the drive up to the track. The tradition began back in 2023 and all four previous races are displayed on the property, further adding to the prestige of winning the race.

Bud is Back

You read that correctly.

For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return to the 400 this weekend, driving the famed No. 8 Budweiser car for the first time in 17 years.

Earnhardt last drove the car in 2007 while competing for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the NASCAR Cup Series before departing the team for Hendrick Motorsports and new sponsors in 2008.

Since then, the widow of Dale Earnhardt Sr., Teresa Earnhardt, has held the trademarks for nearly everything DEI-related, including the font of Earnhardt Jr’s famed No. 8 and the Budweiser sponsorship.

Teresa released the trademarks for both this past summer, allowing Earnhardt Jr. to acquire what he needed to bring back the fan-favorite scheme that once graced the NASCAR world.

This will mark the first time since his return to Late Model Stock racing in 2022 that Earnhardt Jr. will be behind the wheel without a No. 3 on the door, including the past two 400s and a CARS Tour race at Florence in August.

Ryan Millington Locked In for Pole

While there are currently 56 cars on the entry list vying for only 36 spots, one driver is already locked in to the top starting spot when the green flag flies on Saturday night: Ryan Millington.

This is thanks to another unique detail to the 400 known as the locked-in race. The event, typically held on Labor Day weekend at the track, awards pole position for the 400 to the race winner.

In previous years, the locked-in race had been a Florence weekly show, but in 2024 it was the CARS Tour’s Cook Out 225. That night, Millington picked up his first CARS Tour win in four years to lock up the pole, as long as he attempts a qualifying lap.

Expect Millington to remain a factor throughout the night, as he’s long been known for his success at tire conservation tracks such as Florence.

The tires used back in August are the same that will be in play this weekend. With 250 laps on the card, tire management will be a major factor in the battle for the win. Watch for Millington to try and end the night where he starts on Saturday.

Notable Entries

Aside from the notables listed above, who else should you expect in the South Carolina 400 field?

It’s hard to start the list without mentioning the past two winners of the event, Queen and Brown. Queen will be in his typical No. 03 for Lee Pulliam Performance, though he has made hints that this could be one of his final races in the car. The defending winner, Brown, will make just his second start for R&S Racing in the No. 4 ahead of a full-time drive in the CARS Tour next year.

Also driving for R&S will be NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Berry in the No. 17. Berry, a late model stock legend in many regards, won the Myrtle Beach 400 back in 2017 and has the chance to become the first driver to earn victories in the event at both tracks.

The will be no shortage of CARS Tour representation at the 400. Regulars Brent Crews, Conner Jones, Ronnie Bassett Jr, Treyten Lapcevich, Landon Huffman and others will be in attendance along with the aforementioned Queen and Millington.

One final driver to note is Carson Loftin, an 18-year old standout who will make his debut driving the famed Nelson Motorsports No. 22. Loftin had a breakout season in the SMART Modified Tour in 2024. He’ll make the move to Late Model Stock cars with Nelson and the CARS Tour in 2025.

The Format

Saturday morning will see two full-field practice sessions for the Late Model Stock cars followed by single car qualifying for all 56 cars.

Local division qualifying will start at 4:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, and will lead into late model time trials where the top 20 cars will lock in to the 36-car field on time.

Following opening ceremonies at 6:00 p.m., a pair of late model heat races will commence, each 25 laps in length. The top six finishers from both heat races will transfer into the main event.

After local division features are wrapped up, the 250-lap South Carolina 400 will get underway, with a halfway break at lap 125 and $10,000 going to the winner.

All coverage of the 32nd Annual South Carolina 400 at Florence can be found live on FloRacing this Saturday, Nov. 23, at 4:15 p.m. ET.