SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — Limited Sportsman Division competitor Jared Dawson has dreamed of competing in South Boston Speedway’s Late Model Stock Car Division one day. He will soon get that opportunity.
The Nathalie, Virginia resident has entered the State Water Heaters Krush 250 Presented by Rogers Heating & Cooling, a 250-lap Late Model Stock Car Division race paying $12,000 to win and carrying a $75,000 purse that will be held at South Boston Speedway on November 8.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to go out there and see what I can do,” Dawson remarked of the opportunity to compete in his first career Late Model Stock Car Division race.
“I’m just trying to get a little seat time in Late Model to see what we can do and see how we perform competing against the bigger drivers and race teams. I’ve got a lot of great sponsors behind me that know I can go out there and compete. I want to go out there, be seen and show my talent.”
Dawson, one of three brothers that have been competing in South Boston Speedway’s Limited Sportsman Division, finished fourth in the track’s point standings this season. He had two Top-5 finishes and nine Top-10 finishes in his 13 starts this season. The fourth-place effort was his best finish in the Limited Sportsman Division point standings since he began racing in the division in 2022.
“We had to get our sponsors on board,” Jared Dawson said. “We had wanted to try to race Late Model this year. We had a decent finish in points in Limited Sportsman, and we felt it would be a good opportunity to race in the Krush 250.”
The goal Dawson and his for the race is simple – complete all 250 laps and finish the race with the car in one piece.
“I hope I can stay out of wrecks, run all 250 laps, and be there at the end. We’d be excited if we can get a Top-10 finish.”
Preparing for the State Water Heaters Krush 250 Presented by Rogers Heating & Cooling has been a huge effort. Jared Dawson, his dad Bobby Dawson, and his brothers, Drew and Justin Dawson, are spending many hours working on the car.
Other members of their DMI Motorsports team have also been working hard on the car to transition it from a Limited Sportsman car to a Late Model Stock Car.
“Everybody is hands-on-deck,” Jared Dawson pointed out. “Everybody at DMI is working long hours to get the car ready for this race.”
The process of transitioning the car from a Limited Sportsman car to a Late Model Stock Car is a time-consuming process.
“It’s the same chassis, but they’re totally different cars,” Bobby Dawson explained. “We don’t run bump stops in Limited Sportsman, but you do in Late Model. The motor, the carburetor and many other things are different. There are a lot of things that have to be changed.
“We’ve been calling different people here and there, looking for help,” he added. “We don’t have some of the things we need and are having to borrow them from different people. We’ve been trying hard to get help and advice.”
While much work has been done and much more work is needed Bobby Dawson says it is good to be with his boys and have them working alongside him at the shop.
“I get a kick out of it,” he said. “If I had the money we’d race all year long. Anytime we can go race or do anything together I enjoy it. The boys spend right much time at the shop. They are always involved in whatever one of them is doing.”
Some people may look at this as a forerunner to Jared Dawson racing in the Late Model Stock Car Division at South Boston Speedway in 2026. Bobby Dawson said the decision will rest upon the speedway’s rules packages for the Limited Sportsman Division and the Late Model Stock Car Division.
“It depends on the tire rules and whatever changes, if any, the track changes in the limited sportsman division for next year,” he noted. “If the rules play out in our favor, I think Jared would run late model next year.”
