With Hurricane Idalia on track to bring plenty of rain to Florence, South Carolina, the inaugural Locked In 150 at Florencen Motor Speedway will now take place on Friday, September 1, instead of the originally scheduled date of Wednesday, August 30. Now that we have to wait just a couple more days, we figured it would be a good idea to give everyone a refresher on what this race actually is, and why it’s so important.

What Is the Locked In 150?

The Locked In 150, taking place on Friday, September 1, is basically a qualifying race for November’s South Carolina 400, which also takes place at Florence. 

It is a 150-lap race that will give one driver, the race winner, a guaranteed starting spot in the 200-lap Late Model Stock Car portion of the South Carolina 400 on November 19. Last year’s SC 400 saw 53 cars attempt to qualify for a 42-car starting field, so having a guaranteed spot even before arriving on property in November is a huge sigh of relief.

But even better than just being guaranteed a starting spot is that the winner of Friday’s 150-lap race will also be guaranteed to start the SC 400 from the pole position. That’s another big sigh of relief, because plenty of mayhem and carnage can and will take place in a 42-car field on a tight and narrow 4/10-mile oval. Starting the race from the pole position means you don’t have to worry about getting caught up in someone else’s mess while you try to drive through the field. 

What Is the Format For the Locked In 150?

The Locked In 150, known officially as the Marty Ward Memorial Locked In 150, will be run in two segments.

The first segment will come to an end after 97 laps, which is in tribute to the late Marty Ward, who passed away in early August following a heart attack. One of the numbers Ward famously ran was the 97. 

After the first 97 laps are complete, the teams will return to their pit boxes and get ready for the second segment of the race. While they are in their pit stalls, the Bandoleros will run their 15-lap feature.

Following the conclusion of the Bandolero feature, the Late Models will return to the race track to run the second segment of the race, which will consist of the final 53 laps. At the end of those 53 laps, the Locked In 150 will be complete and the pole position for the South Carolina 400 will be determined.

Why Is the Locked In 150 Important?

The Locked In 150 is important because it determines who will start the South Carolina 400 from the pole position. 

The South Carolina 400 is one of the most prestigious Late Model Stock Car races of each year in the Southeast. The South Carolina 400 was originally known as the Myrtle Beach 400 and took place at Myrtle Beach Speedway for many years before that track was sold and subsequently demolished. The Myrtle Beach 400 was one of the most prestigious races that a Late Model Stock Car driver could win.

After Myrtle Beach Speedway closed, Steve Zacharias (promoter at Florence and formerly at Myrtle Beach) decided to move the race 77 miles to the Northwest to Florence Motor Speedway and rename it the South Carolina 400. 

What Big Names Are Running the Locked In 150?

Arguably the biggest name on the entry list for the inaugural Locked In 150 is NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe. Friday’s Locked In 150 will be Briscoe’s second ever LMSC start. Briscoe made his LMSC debut in the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in May of this year and scored a top-10 finish.

Another big, but unexpected name on the entry list is Pinellas Park, Florida’s Stephen Nasse. Nasse is one of the biggest names in Super Late Model racing, though he does have a couple LMSC starts under his belt. Friday’s race will be Nasse’s first LMSC race in a couple of years since withdrawing from the 2021 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway due to a mechanical issue.

Also on the entry list is the defending winner of the South Carolina 400, Lee Pulliam Performance’s Brenden “Butterbean” Queen. Last year’s win in the 400 is the win that put Queen on the map. Up until then, Queen had been known as a one-track-wonder, dominating everything at Virginia’s Langley Speedway for the few years prior. The South Carolina 400 was Queen’s first race with LPP, and since then the pairing has been stout. Queen and LPP are currently second in CARS Tour points and winners of the CARS Tour’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway and this year’s Hampton Heat 200 at Langley.

While all eyes will be on who wins this race because of the guaranteed South Carolina 400 pole position, a fun subplot will be the implications to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship battle. The current top-two drivers in NAAPWS national standings are Connor Hall and Doug Barnes Jr., and both drivers are entered in this event. Currently, Hall leads Barnes Jr. by just 46 points as of August 26. This race will certainly pay out max points due to the size of its starting field, meaning it will an extremely important event in terms of the national championship.

For a full breakdown of the Locked In 150 entry list, click here.

Will The Locked In 150 Be Streamed Live Anywhere?

Yes! The Locked In 150 at Florence Motor Speedway will be streamed live on FloRacing. FloRacing is the home for all NASCAR Roots action, which includes the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and the ARCA Menards Series East and West, as well as many weekly tracks, of which Florence Motor Speedway is included.

All NASCAR Roots action on FloRacing is included in a FloRacing subscription. Race fans can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.