MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Mark McFarland still won’t say he likes Myrtle Beach Speedway. But after his win at Myrtle Beach Speedway Saturday night, the temperamental track along the Grand Strand could be moving up on his favorite’s list.
McFarland led early and often in the Greased Lightning 250 presented by Black’s Tire & Auto Service, inching away from Woody Howard in the final laps to conquer a track that’s given McFarland — and most everyone else in the Hooters Pro Cup Series — fits.
“This still isn’t my favorite track, but it’s getting better,” said McFarland, driver of the No. 81s Sears Auto Center Chevrolet. “We worked on a lot of things down here. In practice, I jumped to the high side and it felt like it had a lot of grip, so I kept practicing up there. I knew when the race started we were going to be good.”
McFarland, who started fourth, used the high line on lap 29 to take the lead from Dange Hanniford. As the race neared the halfway mark, Hanniford made his way back around McFarland. But after a cycle of pit stops, McFarland took back the lead on lap 170 from rookie Scotty Crockett.
“I got too loose on that long first run,” said McFarland, who also took the points lead with his win. “We tightened it up on the pit stop, and I was good to go.”
McFarland wasn’t exactly on cruise control in the final laps, however. Matt Hawkins, driver of the No. 2s Jani-King Ford, poked his nose out front for three circuits (188-190) before McFarland came back on the high side for the winning pass on lap 191.
Howard, driver of the No. 55s Dean Motorsports Chevrolet, made his way past Hawkins and tried to chase McFarland down, but McFarland held on for a .625-second victory.
Hawkins finished third behind Howard, while Clay Rogers and Trevor Bayne completed the top five.
The finish:
Showing driver, car, laps completed, money won: 1. Mark McFarland, Chevrolet, 250, $10,600; 2. Woody Howard, Chevrolet, 250, $6,400; 3. Matt Hawkins, Ford, 250, $5,400; 4. Clay Rogers, Chevrolet, 250, $4,000; 5. Trevor Bayne, Chevrolet, Chevrolet, 250, $4,200; 6. Dange Hanniford, Ford, 250, $4,800; 7. Wade Day, Ford, 250, $3,000; 8. Gary Helton, Chevrolet, 250, $2,400; 9. Kirk Leone, Ford, 249, $2,300; 10. Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 249, $3,700; 11. Drew Herring, Ford, 249, $3,050; 12. Tom Hessert, Chevrolet, 248, $2,250; 13. Billy Bigley, Jr., Ford, 248, $1,400; 14. Joey Coulter, Ford, 247, $1,800; 15. Hunter Robbins, Ford, 247, $1,700; 16. John Gibson, Ford, 247, $1,600; 17. Bobby Gill, Ford, 245, $2,600; 18. Don Satterfield, Chevrolet, 244, $1,600; 19. Randy Hawkins, Ford, 243, $1,600; 20. Bryan Silas, Ford, 242, $2,400; 21. Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, 242, $1,800; 22. Dana White, Chevrolet, 241, $1,400; 23. J.P. Morgan, Chevrolet, 240, $1,400; 24. Carl Long, Ford, 230, $1,400; 25. Reece Milton, Ford, 209, $1,400; 26. Mark Whitaker, Chevrolet, 207, $1,200; 27. Scotty Crockett, Ford, 197, $1,200; 28. Dusty Williams, Ford, 186, $1,200; 29. Michael Ritch, Ford, 161, $2,700; 30. Larry Barrett, Chevrolet, 17, $1,200.