Sam Yarbrough has been a dominant force at Myrtle Beach Speedway, especially over the past three seasons. The 31-year-old Yarbrough holds 13 wins in 18 races at the 0.538 mile circuit in 2015, along with the track’s Late Model Stock Championship in 2008, 2013, and 2014.

Yarbrough hopes to add another victory to that tally Saturday, as he’ll make his Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Late Model Stock Tour debut when the series visits his home track.

“A lot of other tracks, home field’s not really an advantage,” Yarbrough said about the upcoming 100-lap event, the ninth on the CARS Tour’s ten-race schedule. “But as much experience as we have at Myrtle Beach over the past four years, I think it really plays into our hands.”

Initially, Yarbrough had no intentions of running this weekend’s race. With the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville in two weeks, Yarbrough planned on spending this weekend preparing for the crown jewel event at the famed Virginia short track. However, a little nudging from friends convinced to join this weekend’s CARS Tour field due to his success at Myrtle Beach in 2015.

“With the Martinsville test [next Wednesday] right around the corner, we didn’t have this race on my radar,” Yarbrough said. “A couple of people wanted me to run it, like Robert Elliott, so we’re going to put a race on our Martinsville motor. If we didn’t think we had a good chance to win it, we wouldn’t do it.”

“Robert Elliott does so much for us, he builds our engines,” Yarbrough added. “Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are. Chad McCumbee gives us great cars. Chad McCumbee Racing is just top-notch right now.”

Success at Myrtle Beach Speedway is dependent on tire management, as the track’s surface is notorious throughout the region for being abusive on tires. Yarbrough compared the track to Darlington, noting how the racing surface could be the deciding factor in the race.

“Everybody knows you have to take care of your stuff there,” Yarbrough said. “The first 60 or 65 laps are going to be a chess match to set up for the last 30 or 35 laps. It’s kind of like how it used to be at Darlington, where you raced the race track, setting yourself up until the end of the race.”

Yarbrough acknowledged that this will likely be a one-off ordeal for his team. He does not have any plans at the moment to enter the CARS Tour finale at Hickory Motor Speedway on November 1st. Instead, Yarbrough will prepare for the UNOH Battle at the Beach, where he will be searching a second win in the prestigious event following his 2007 triumph.

“We have no plans of going to Hickory,” Yarbrough said. “It’s a week or two before the 400 at Myrtle Beach, so we’re going to be getting ready for that.”

McCumbee participated in the CARS Tour’s stop at Tri-County Motor Speedway in June, finishing 14th after an impressive run. With qualifying rained out, McCumbee started last in the 27-car field, but charged his way into podium contention before a mechanical issue sidelined him just shy of the finish.

While it was a strong showing for the team, Yarbrough says there won’t be much to glean from that race for Saturday due to the series’ switch from American Racer to Hoosier tires later in the season.

“We didn’t really learn much from Tri-County, because it’s a different tire now,” Yarbrough said. “It’s a shame, too, because we had a fast car. We had a good chance at qualifying, but it got rained out. He used up his stuff getting through the field.”

Nonetheless, Yarbrough’s success at Myrtle Beach and his familiarity with the track’s abrasive surface immediately make him a driver to watch in his CARS Tour maiden voyage this weekend.