NEWPORT NEWS, VA :: Langley Speedway season regular Casey Wyatt looks to bring his single car race team to Myrtle Beach Speedway and go after its most prestigious event, the Myrtle Beach 400.
While he did not have much to show in his 2014 race season at Langley Speedway, his fourth place finish in the season’s points was still good enough to most even though they spent the majority of the season chasing a car refusing to respond to adjustments. But the frustrations of being one of the many small backyard garaged race teams never stood in the way of the highly motivated race team that makes up Casey Wyatt Racing.
Casey Wyatt has laps around Myrtle Beach Speedways .538 short track oval and a fifth place finish in this event just a couple years ago. After working his way towards the front, Wyatt was penalized for a pit road infraction and forced to start in the rear where he had worked his way back to the front to finish fifth in that race. Factor in that performance with a car that was very responsive in its shakedown just last week and Casey Wyatt is excited as ever in his return to Myrtle Beach Speedway. Race22.com caught up with the Newport News, Virginia native to talk about how big this race is to him and how you have to win.
”I think this race ranks right up there with Martinsville, I mean, Martinsville may pay more but Myrtle Beach is kind of like the last race for everyone in the Late Model world and it sets the tone for the winter, go out with a bang,” Wyatt said. “Looking at the entry list, it’s going to be one of the bigger Myrtle Beach races as far as the racing you see. With the competition that’s there, it’s a stacked field and were going to see a lot of hard racing. Now what we got to do to win? Got to come off the truck fast, if you can start there and improve the rest of the weekend I think you have a good shot. It’s more of a strategy race with the pavement and the wear of the tires in the way they fall off. You got to put yourself in position to win this race so if we can go down there and do that, getting a decent starting spot, we can do it.”
We then asked Casey what it would mean for him to come and win the Myrtle Beach 400.
“It would mean everything, all this hard work is starting to pay off. Were just a single car team, we don’t have a lot of the connections and resources as some. We do so much of the work ourselves, we do our own fabricating and for us to run as well as we do say a lot but we know we need to run better. We’ve been heading in the right direction, if we can steal us a win down there it would solidify our direction and put us back on the map”. Casey Wyatt and his team have no doubt been putting in the extra hours this week, going through the notes and playing out the race scenarios.”
We then got Casey Wyatt to open up and share with us the people that matter most at Casey Wyatt Racing and who all make this program go to work.
”I’ve got to thank the wives, first off, they take care of the home front while were swinging away at the shop. My dad (Wayne Wyatt), Dave Plevel, Bob Doyal who is always behind the scenes, he never comes with me to the race track; he just enjoys working on the car and putting in the extra hours. Must thank Tyler Smith, Gene Grubel, Doug Sample, Randy Nester, Jimmy Gaulding, Skipper Madonia and T.H. Payner for all they do. I can’t forget my sister (Chrissy Ward) and for all that she does for us. My sponsors, Forever Green Lawn Care, Coastal Baggers Cornhole Group, While Your Out Commercial Cleaning and season long sponsor 92.3 The Wave.”
Lots of times in Late Model racing, you get a small race team who enjoys the time in the shop as much as the time on the track. With aspirations of coming up with a big win in every start. Casey Wyatt and his team make Myrtle Beach Speedway no exception and looks forward to this weekend’s racing.
