Things took a turn for the better late in 2004 when Myers gave a young, unknown driver the biggest break of his career.
“Three-quarters through the season we were looking at other opportunities,” Myers recalled. “Someone brought me a résumé of a young man we thought we’d like to try out. We went down to Fort Wayne on a test night and put this young man named Cameron Dodson in the car. I noticed right away the kid was gifted.
“This kid had it like I’ve never seen. He beat the track record in only three laps that day.”
Dodson won his first feature in the car during a Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series race at Bear Field Speedway in Ft. Wayne, Ind., on Sept. 25, 2004. The late-season victory set the team up for the car’s biggest season to date.
By the time the 2005 campaign concluded, Dodson had wreaked havoc on the Auto Value Super Sprints schedule. He won an amazing 11 of 17 events and claimed the AVSS championship. In addition, the team collected two Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series triumphs.
Many believe the car’s success is due to Myers’ set-up and shock knowledge. Longtime friend and crew member Rick Ferguson has played an important part in the car’s success as well. To date, other drivers who have wheeled the car include Charlie Schultz, Kody Swanson, Aaron Pierce and Brian Gerster.
Myers claims Seabiscuit has 48 wins under his ownership, collecting triumphs with four different sanctioning bodies. The car is also credited with nearly a dozen USAC National Sprint Car Series wins under the Hoffman family’s ownership.
The car is pretty much the same as it was built in 1991.
“The brains of the car is its torsion-bar rear suspension is mounted in a different location than its usually mounted on a dirt car, and the front is coil-over” explained Myers. “The engine location is a little bit different than a BEAST and it’s sitting further back.”
But how did Seabiscuit get its name”
“The car just had this nature to it where it doesn’t like to start before noon and doesn’t run worth a crap before 12 o’clock in the morning,” Myers said. “It eats a lot of fuel. When it gets in a race with somebody, it runs harder. The legacy of the race horse is very similar to the car. I was watching the movie when it first came out and I realized the car acted just like the race horse. So I named it Seabiscuit.”
With the car’s extensive history, Myers was asked about its future.
“I’ve had this car for sale before and nobody ever calls,” Myers said. “My wife says we should give it back to Rob Hoffman. I don’t know what we’ll do with it other than race it as long as it keeps winning.”
This story appeared in the June 28, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
