Myrtle Beach Speedway promoters purchase nearby Florence Motor Speedway

The promotional group from Myrtle Beach Speedway has taken over ownership of the nearby Florence Motor Speedway under the newly formed Speedway Plus Production LLC banner.

Speedway Plus Production LLC was formed by Steve Zacharias, Brian Vause and Savannah Brotherton following the decision from Myrtle Beach Speedway owner Bob Lutz to sell the property to re-developers later this summer.

The promotional group has agreed to terms to purchase Florence Motor Speedway from Charlie Powell. Speedway Plus intends to refurbish the 4/10-mile track’s facility in the hopes of making it a premier destination for the short track community. It is located 75 miles west of Myrtle Beach in Timmonsville, South Carolina.

“We want to do exactly what we have done at Myrtle Beach Speedway at Florence Motor Speedway and keep all drivers from both tracks doing what they love with the people they love,” Steve Zacharias said in a statement.

Speedway Plus will begin operation of Florence Motor Speedway with an event scheduled for Friday, September 4 in advance of NASCAR’s Southern 500 weekend at Darlington Raceway.

“We all thought it would be a great way to start the future of the speedway, having our first race during one of the greatest weekends of racing in NASCAR,” Brotherton said.

Speedway Plus intends to promote Saturday night racing but hopes to entice NASCAR fans with a Friday night show scheduled shortly after Friday afternoon Cup Series practice.

“We are hopeful that there will be fans in the stands at Darlington, and that those loyal race fans will drive the minor 15 minutes to see racing at its best,” Zacharias said.

The group is also planning for an event to replace the prestigious Myrtle Beach 400 — tentatively christened the Fall Classic.

The Myrtle Beach 400 is one of the Late Model Stock Car crown jewels which has been won by the likes of Jody Ridley, Gary St. Amant, Scott Riggs, Josh Berry, Timothy Peters and Lee Pulliam.

The promotional group intends implement capitol improvement into the bathrooms, concessions and office space during the winter. In the meantime, fans in the fall will be greeted by air conditioned granite bathroom trailers and food trucks.

The track will also have a new logo and website — FMSPEEDWAY.com.

“We wanted to bring a little bit of 2020 and re-imaging to the track while keeping its roots with the name,” Vause said.

Additionally, Speedway Plus Production plans to clear up any past information from the track’s Facebook page and modernize it with current information. Veteran motorsports personality Mike Neff has been retained as the track’s sales and marketing officer.

With the closure of Myrtle Beach Speedway still months away, the final race not scheduled until August 15, Zacharias and Vause will continue to fulfill their obligations at the legendary Grand Strand short track until its final days.

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