Myrtle Beach Speedway concludes every season of auto-racing with the Myrtle Beach 250 on the second weekend of November, followed by the Myrtle Beach 400 on the following weekend, which consists of a 225-lap Late Model feature. Many rookies who compete in the Myrtle Beach 400 use the 100-lap Limited Late Model feature as a way to prepare for the grueling Late Model feature, with Empire Racing development driver Devin Dodson among the group of competitors competing in both races.
Dodson’s weekend at Myrtle Beach Speedway got off to a fast start, as he posted the fastest qualifying time of the 36 Limited Late Model drivers. However, despite a strong start, Dodson’s car began to fade as the evening progressed, and with 25 laps to go, Dodson was involved in an accident with NASCAR veteran Cale Gale, which ended his night, and forced him to settle with a disappointing 19th place finish.
Dodson was frustrated that he was unable to bring home his #9 Limited Late Model home with a strong finish after a promising start, but believes that the knowledge he obtained throughout the Myrtle Beach 250 has helped him prepare for the 225-lap Late Model feature on Saturday evening.
“We had a couple of run-ins where we got three-wide and got shuffled to the back,” Dodson said. “I hit the outside wall coming off Turn 2 and knocked the tow out of it, and just started dropping back from there. One of the few things we learned was that we had a really strong car, and that we have to keep the nose clean and take care of the tires. Taking care of the car is pretty much the main goal here.”
A native of Bishopville, Maryland, Dodson got his auto-racing career started in 2005 when he began racing go-karts across the southeast and mid-Atlantic, where he picked up several wins and championships. Dodson’s career continued to progress in the following years, and in 2015, he scored a victory in the Delaware Dirt Track Championship Event at Delaware International Speedway.
Dodson’s success on the dirt track caught the attention of the Empire Racing Group, a development team for Richard Petty Motorsports that fields ARCA cars and Late Models for Thad Moffitt, who is Richard Petty’s grandson. Empire Racing signed Dodson to a development deal in October of 2017, with Dodson scheduled to make his debut alongside Moffitt in the track’s “Breast Cancer Awareness Night” on October 21st.
However, Dodson’s debut with Empire Racing would end quickly, as on the second lap of the race, Myrtle Beach Speedway regular Sam Yarbrough got into the back of polesitter Ryan Repko going into Turn 1, which caused both cars to turn sideways in front of the field, triggering a 15-car crash. Dodson and his teammate Moffitt were trapped on the high side of the racetrack with nowhere to go, and both sustained heavy damage in the accident that relegated them to 24th and 25th place finishes, respectively.
Despite the early struggles, Dodson has been extremely grateful for the opportunity given to him by Empire Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports. He has also praised his teammate Thad Moffitt for his knowledge about Late Models, and for his help both on and off the racetrack.
“I’m honored to just know the Pettys and Thad Moffitt,” Dodson said. “I’ve learned a lot of stuff from Thad, and he’s really helped me out on my line here. It’s an honor to race side-by-side with him, and to learn and look after him, as well as to live up to that kind of name. This whole opportunity is just really awesome.”
With both the struggles of “Breast Cancer Awareness Night” and the Myrtle Beach 250 behind him, Dodson looks forward to having an opportunity to race alongside famous Late Model veterans such as Lee Pulliam, Tommy Lemons Jr. and Josh Berry. Dodson is aware that a victory in the Myrtle Beach 400 requires patience, but he added that he hopes to qualify up near the front of the field in order to take better care of his car and avoid the carnage behind him.
“You have to take care of the car, and you have to take care of the tires,” Dodson said. “That’s pretty much the main mission here, but I also want to stay up at the front and try to be aggressive when it’s time to be aggressive, and just play the race smart.”
Dodson showed some speed in the five practice sessions for the Myrtle Beach 400 on Friday afternoon, as he was 22nd fastest out of 59 cars with a time of 21.009. However, there will be a strong field of drivers that Dodson will have to outrun on Saturday in order to join the long list of drivers who have won the prestigious event, including former winners Lee Pulliam, Timothy Peters and Myatt Snider.
