At the center of the continuous chain of beaches known as the Grand Strand lies the coastal city of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Known for its luxurious hotels, restaurants, and an endless supply of golf courses, Myrtle Beach has grown into one of the largest tourist attractions in the United States over the past several decades, bringing in approximately 14 million visitors each year.
Just over 10 miles inland off U.S. Route 501 lies the half-mile short track of Myrtle Beach Speedway, which has served as a starting point for several NASCAR drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. Despite not hosting a major NASCAR event since 2000, Myrtle Beach Speedway still plays host to several auto racing divisions, along with conducting a weekly racing series that starts in February and concludes with the prestigious Myrtle Beach 400 in November.
The current general manager of Myrtle Beach Speedway is Steve Zacharias, who will be entering his seventh year at the short track when the Icebreaker kicks off the 2018 season on February 10th. Auto racing has been a part of Zacharias’ life since a young age, and he is constantly working to make improvements to the facility in order to provide an authentic short track experience to both fans and competitors.
“I grew up racing,” Zacharias said. “I had the opportunity to start working at Myrtle Beach around seven years ago, and saw roughly the same group of people that I grew up with, and over the course of time, they became family to me. I’m passionate about this place because I enjoy my job, and because I want to make sure racing is what it used to be, and make this track as successful as possible.”
The 2017 season was eventful for Zacharias and his staff, as the track kicked off the first Whelen Modified Tour season after its merger with the Whelen Southern Modified Tour, in which Timmy Solomito took home the checkered flag after passing Rob Summers with only eight laps remaining. Myrtle Beach was also scheduled to host the CARS Tour on September 16th, but a conflict with the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 test session forced Zacharias to cancel the event.
The 2017 Late Model season at Myrtle Beach would feature a dominating performance from former ValleyStar Credit Union 300 and Myrtle Beach 400 winner Lee Pulliam. The Semora, North Carolina native visited victory lane in thirteen out of the track’s nineteen events, which allowed him to cruise to a championship in Myrtle Beach’s Late Model division, and secured him the national championship in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for the fifth time in his career.
Although 2017 featured many memorable moments at Myrtle Beach Speedway, it was also a year marred by tragedy and loss. On August 2, 2017, veteran Myrtle Beach competitor succumbed to injuries that he sustained in a car accident after leaving the speedway on July 21st. Tragedy once again struck the speedway on November 10, 2017 when driver Jackie Ward was killed during a practice session for the Myrtle Beach 400 after making contact with another competitor going into Turn 1.
Zacharias has engaged in numerous activities in order to honor the memories of Evans, Ward and several others who passed away in 2017, which included starting the Racing Brotherhood Foundation, which was designed to help aid Evans’ family in his medical expenses, but now serves to provide financial assistance to families of drivers facing similar financial difficulties stimulating from accidents. Zacharias added that while he will always member all of the positive moments that 2017 brought, it will always remind him of the adversity that he and the track had to go through.
“It was a very successful season as a business, but as a family it was one of the most trying years,” Zacharias said. “When I think of 2017, I’m going to think about the loss that we’ve had as a group, but at the same time, I think that they’re all proud of what the speedway is and what it means right now, and the Racing Brotherhood Foundation is going to carry on their memory. This year will always be about remembering the friends and family that we lost.”
With the hardships of 2017 still fresh in his mind, Zacharias has turned his attention to the Icebreaker on February 10th, which will be the third consecutive year that the event has served as the season-opener of Myrtle Beach’s weekly racing series. Zacharias got the idea for the Icebreaker by talking with his friend, and Myrtle Beach Speedway regular Brian Vause on how to make improvements to the track. The Icebreaker moved Myrtle Beach’s traditional season-opener in April all the way back to early February, but Zacharias added that the reaction to the change from both fans and competitors has been overwhelmingly positive.
The 2018 season will be another busy one for Zacharias, as the track will once again host the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour alongside the several weekly divisions. Zacharias remains optimistic about the future of Myrtle Beach Speedway, and believes that the track can maintain its average Late Model car count of 18 competitors, as well as improve upon its success in recent years.
“We hope to at least maintain the success that we had last year,” Zacharias said. “We obviously try to get better every year, but we usually work on a week-to-week basis. We’re going to make the Icebreaker as great as it can possibly be, and when it’s over, we’re going to focus on the CARS Tour race in March. I would like to maintain and better 2017 as a whole.”
The 2018 edition of the Icebreaker will consist of features in the Mini-Stock, Street Stock and Limited Late Model divisions that will lead into the 125-lap Late Model feature. Lee Pulliam will look to defend his victory from last season, but he is expected to face a challenge from a strong group of Late Model drivers, including track regulars Brian Vause and Chad McCumbee, as well as two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Tommy Lemons Jr.
