Myrtle Beach Speedway came to life on Friday afternoon as 59 Late Model teams took to the track to prepare for the 25th running of the Myrtle Beach 400. A fair share of rookies showed speed early in the day, but Late Model veterans would find themselves at the top of the charts by the time the sun had set.
Although Tommy Lemons Jr., did not take many practice laps around Myrtle Beach Speedway, his Jumpstart Motorsports teammates displayed horsepower early on, as Justin Johnson was the only driver to break the 20-second bracket with a time of 20.966. Although Justin Hicks was not able to match Johnson’s time in the second practice, he led the field in the second session with a time of 21.079.
Bobby McCarty was fastest in the third Late Model session with a time of 20.780, with his Nelson Motorsports teammate Brandon Pierce close behind him with a time of 20.904. McCarty practiced the #12 AutosbyNelson.com Late Model for Timothy Peters, who is competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and will not be competing in the Myrtle Beach 400 on Saturday evening.
By the time darkness began to fall upon the speedway, familiar faces began to find their way towards the top of the charts, as 2017 Myrtle Beach Late Model track champion Lee Pulliam posted the fastest overall time across all five sessions with a time of 20.581. A former winner of the Myrtle Beach 400 back in 2013, Pulliam will look to join Robert Powell and Frank Deiny Jr. as repeat winners of the prestigious race.
Only 25 drivers elected to participate in the fifth and final practice session of the day, but the speeds continued to pick up, with Josh Berry posting the second fastest time of the day with a 20.630. Berry narrowly missed winning his first Myrtle Beach 400 in 2016 when Christian Eckes edged him in a photo finish, but Berry will look to have a strong run on Saturday evening in order to earn a victory for his boss Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will be ending his NASCAR career at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
Combined Practice Times:
1. 5 Lee Pulliam- 20.581
2. 88 Josh Berry- 20.630
3. 12 Bobby McCarty*- 20.780
4. 01 Jake Crum- 20.797
5. 16 Chad McCumbee- 20.810
6. 88 Charles Powell III- 20.817
7. 18 Ty Gibbs- 20.818
8. 2 Dennis Holdren- 20.837
9. 51 Matt Cox- 20.845
10. 8 Tyler Hughes- 20.889
11. 2 Brandon Pierce- 20.904
12. 22 Grayson Cullather- 20.913
13. 36 Neil Meredith- 20.918
14. 83 Jeremy McDowell- 20.946
15. 8 Anthony Alfredo- 20.958
16. 4 Annabeth Barnes-Crum- 20.962
17. 44 Justin Johnson- 20.966
18. 98 Stefan Parsons- 20.968
19. 02 Justin Milliken- 20.990
20. 16 RD Smith- 20.995
21. 26 Peyton Sellers- 20.999
22. 9 Devin Dodson- 21.009
23. 41 Sam Mayer- 21.011
24. 21 Travis Swaim- 21.013
25. 7 Justin Crider- 21.020
26. 46 Thad Moffitt- 21.025
27. 15 Ryan Millington- 21.049
28. 1 Michael Faulk- 21.062
29. 5 Cole Glasson- 21.073
30. 61 Justin Hicks- 21.079
31. 16 Colby Howard- 21.086
32. 17 Bryant Barnhill- 21.093
33. 00 Shane Lee- 21.100
34. 32 Jerry Miracle- 21.101
35. 94 Jamie Weatherford- 21.105
36. 30 Brian Vause- 21.106
37. 11 Lucas Williams- 21.117
38. 60 RA Brown- 21.119
39. 33 Macy Causey- 21.130
40. 23 Dexter Canipe Jr.- 21.130
41. 24 Blaise Brinkley- 21.143
42. 112 Trey Gibson- 21.147
43. 51 Blair Addis- 21.157
44. 9 Ashton Higgins- 21.158
45. 21 Jimmy Wallace- 21.159
46. 97 Greg Edwards- 21.164
47. 99 Layne Riggs- 21.188
48. 24 Colin Garrett- 21.219
49. 18 David Roberts- 21.222
50. 95 Jacob Heafner- 21.232
51. 03 Brenden Queen- 21.255
52. 25 Kevin Leicht- 21.256
53. 63 Chris Throckmorton- 21.265
54. 10 Ed Williams- 21.283
55. 27 Tommy Lemons Jr.- 21.346
56. 2 Matt Leicht-21.446
57. 70 Stuart Ricks- 21.726
58. 33 Jason Tutterow- 21.978
*- substituting for Timothy Peters
