MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Chase Purdy may not have been a name Late Model Stock Car fans recognized entering the 2016 season. The latest addition to the Hawk McCall Motorsports team is quickly working to change that.
The Mississippi native opened February with a win in his first start in a Late Model, edging Dylan Hall by 0.050 seconds for the victory in the Southeast Limited Late Model Series opener at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Today, Purdy backed it up with a sixth-place finish against a field consisting of some of the best Late Model drivers in the region in the Icebreaker 200 at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
Purdy qualified tenth for the 125-lap Late Model Stock feature, but displayed a veteran’s savvy on the historic South Carolina half-mile known for eating tires. Purdy saved his equipment until the end of the race, surging to the finish and coming up just shy of a top-five finish.
“It’s really all about saving,” Purdy said after the Icebreaker 200. “I felt like we were doing pretty good to begin, started to pick up a little bit of speed without spinning the rear [tires].”
A lap 76 caution proved to be the only interruption in the race. Purdy remained cautious on the ensuing restart, saying in hindsight he would have been more aggressive if he knew that would be the final green-flag run of the race.
“We went green, I wasn’t as aggressive as I should have been,” Purdy said. “I got down, running about eighth still. I sat there for a little bit, and a couple of drivers burned their tires up and I was able to pick off a few.”
“I thought for sure there’d be another [caution] with 30 to go,” Purdy added. “I kept looking for it, and it never came.”
It’s a strong start for Purdy with a team that has plenty of success in Late Model racing. With Brayton Haws behind the wheel, Hawk McCall Motorsports won the inaugural Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Late Model Stock Car Tour title last year.
“I got with Hawk McCall Motorsports here, and they’ve been really good to me. Just a lot of helpful stuff for me to do. I’ve got to thank the Lord, everybody’s that helped me out, sponsors, Polaris, Bama Buggies, my mom, my dad, grandparents. They’ve done a lot for me.”
Purdy, a graduate of Legends racing who won the 2015 Young Lions National Championship, says he has already learned a lot from this next step in his racing career.
“[The Late Model] is a crucial part in your way up, I think,” Purdy said. “I think it’s a major key. You learn so many things. After just one weekend, I’ve learned so many things that will last a lifetime.”
Moving forward in 2016, Purdy will be getting plenty of seat time.
“We’re gonna run the NASCAR [Whelen All-American] Series and the CARS Tour,” said Purdy. “We’ve got a lot of races ahead of us, a lot of seat time and experience.”
If February is any indication, Purdy will be accumulating some strong finishes while acquiring that seat time.
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