The first ever “Locked In 150” at Florence Motor Speedway in Florence, South Carolina is right around the corner, and entries have been pouring in ever since the race was first announced. Nearly 30 drivers and teams have already filed entries for the race on Wednesday, August 30 with more still expected.

The Marty Ward Memorial Locked In 150 is a 150-lap Late Model Stock Car race that serves as a prelude and qualifying race for November’s South Carolina 400. The winner of the Locked In 150 will not only be the only car guaranteed to start the South Carolina 400 when they arrive in November, but they’ll be starting on the pole for the feature as well.

Nearly 30 teams have filed entries already, with more still expected to be filed between now and next Wednesday. 

Headlining the entry list for the Locked In 150 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.

Watch: Highlights From the 2022 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway

Even though Queen is the obvious “headliner” based off performance alone, the biggest name on the entry list, and one of the biggest surprises to be entered, is that of NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Briscoe. The Mitchell, Indiana driver for Stewart-Haas Racing made his Late Model Stock Car debut in May at North Wilkesboro Speedway with a strong 10th-place finish. 

Another surprising entry is that of Pinellas Park, Florida’s Stephen Nasse. Nasse is a Super Late Model driver by trade, with just two Late Model Stock Car starts under his belt. Nasse made two CARS Tour starts in 2021, scoring top 10 finishes in both. In a really impressive drive, Nasse powered from a 20th starting spot to finish fifth in his LMSC debut at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina that year. Nasse attempted that year’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway that year as well, but mechanical issues prevented him from starting his heat race. Nasse has not made a LMSC start since then until now.

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 18 points as of August 20. 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.

Speaking of points battles, Little River, South Carolina’s Matt Cox has a chance to put a stranglehold on the Florence track championship battle with a strong run in the Locked In 200. Cox leads Lanie Buice by 80 points coming into this race. 

The first ever Marty Ward Memorial Locked In 150 at Florence Motor Speedway will take place on Wednesday, August 30 and will be streamed live on FloRacing as part of a FloRacing subscription. Fans that cannot make it to Florence Motor Speedway in person can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.

Locked In 150 Entry List (As of 8/22/2023)