When people lose a parent, it can often take them to dark places and make them “shut down” for a period of time, but this is not the case for Tyler Hughes. The young driver will be returning to racing in the Myrtle Beach 400 for the first time since the loss of his father, Don, to cancer last month.
He’s doing what his father would have wanted him to do and that’s race.
Despite the loss of his father, Hughes says he is not preparing for the race any differently, but there will be some emotions for Hughes when he climbs back into his Late Model Stock Car.
“I’m not treating it any different than any other race,” Hughes told Race22.com. We are still working our butts off to make sure we bring the best car we can possibly bring to try and win this race. It will be a little bit more emotional for me being that my dad won’t be there, But I know he would want nothing more than for us to go out there and just do the best job we possibly can.”
Hughes came up short at Dominion this season, but he’s using that as motivation this year for Hughes. He is also coming off a third-place finish in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Virginia State points standings. Hughes, who scored a top ten finish in the Myrtle Beach 400 last year, will be returning to the race after notching five wins at Dominion and coming in second-place in the points standings.
“We ran well at the 400 last year and I felt we could’ve finished better but the push truck knocked the rear spoiler off the car on a red with about 20 to go. I’d really love to win this race as a bounce back from coming up short for the title at Dominion.”
Hughes will have plenty of support at Myrtle Beach, as the entire racing community in the Mid-Atlantic has rallied around him recently. And if he can pull off a signature win at Myrtle Beach it will be a very emotional victory lane, but one Hughes has earned both on and off the track.
