LITTLE RIVER, SC :: Matt Cox is hoping his first win in the Late Model Stock Car division at Myrtle Beach Speedway comes sometime this weekend and he feels it could. Cox will start second in Friday night’s running of the Myrtle Beach 400, a race that was postponed due to weather. Cox will also start his quest for the track championship on Saturday night’s Spring Challenge at the Beach.
Cox has been running in both the Late Model Stock Car and the Limited Late Model divisions at Myrtle Beach Speedway since 2010. He won four races in the Limited Late Model division in 2011. Cox was the fastest qualifier for the Myrtle Beach 400 and secured a second place starting spot by virtue of his runner-up finish in the Dash for Cash race that set the starting lineup for the top qualifiers for the Myrtle Beach 400.
“We’re excited,” Cox said. “We struggled in 2012 in the regular season. One night we finished second. Ever since that, we’ve kind of struggled. We got in a wreck, destroyed the car. We had to rebuild it and never got a handle on it until before the Myrtle Beach 400. We’ve rebuilt everything on the car this winter. We haven’t tested any yet. The first time we’ll be on the track is Thursday. We’ll be back there with the same setup.
“I think we can win this race. The last race of the season, we picked up. We’ve changed a lot of front end stuff. We think we can be a threat to win Friday and Saturday night and every regular season race. At least we can run top five pretty regular. We’d be disappointed if we don’t come out with a top five this weekend.
Cox wants to put his first career win on the board in one of Late Model Stock Car racing’s biggest races.
“We haven’t won in the NASCAR Late Models so it would be big to win this race,” Cox explained. “We work hard. My dad works on the car full time every day of the week. It would mean a lot for me to win the race and a lot for him. He puts hard work in every day of the week. I’ve never won a big race like that in the Late Models. It was an accomplishment for us to sit on the pole in the qualifying. The competition is, if you can win one of those races, you beat some of the best in the southeast. It would be a dream come true for all the guys who help us. They volunteer and work regular jobs. They’re always with us and they put in a lot of hours.”
Cox got his start in racing the same way most drivers have. It’s a family thing. His father, Gene Cox, was the former President of the X1-R Pro Cup Series and much of his family has raced at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
“My dad was the President of the Hooters Pro Cup Series,” Cox stated. “That’s how we got in to racing. My uncle’s won championships at Myrtle Beach, my brother’s won some championships at Myrtle Beach. My whole family’s raced and won championships at Myrtle Beach. We’ve never won the big race down there though so it would be nice to win the MB400 or win a championship under my name.”
When he’s not racing, Cox is working at one of his father’s stores. Having already graduated, he doesn’t have to deal with balancing school and racing. He says working for his father makes it easier for him to balance racing and work.
“I’m out of school,” Cox commented. “My father has three Aaron’s stores now so I work at one of the stores full time. I can get off when I need to and all that. If we want to go racing, I can get off and there are usually no problems with that.”
Cox’s 2013 season efforts are sponsored by Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership and Black’s Tire. He will run the full season at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
“I’d like to thank Billy Banks Racing Engines, PerformanCenter Racing Warehouse, RE Suspension – they help us whenever we need anything with shocks and they’ve helped us get dialed in at the Beach,” Cox remarked. “Also a big thank to Chris Holt and Barry Elvis. Chris has been with us for four years, he’s kind of our right hand man. Barry Elvis is crew-chiefing us for the 400 and Saturday night. I’d like to give him a thank you as well.”
The 2012 Myrtle Beach 400 will be run on Friday, March 22nd and the 2013 Spring Challenge at the Beach will be run on Saturday, March 23rd.
