Story by: Chris Owens/Contributor to RACE22.com

Florence, SC(January 22, 2010) -- The Myrtle Beach Speedway had another excellent season of Late Model Stock Car racing with the names of Brinson, Weatherford, Hall and Milliken all battling for the 2009 LMSC Championship.

Late Model Stock Car regular Brent Brinson would come out on top after the grueling 17 race schedule that started way back in early April. Brinson who has been racing at the
 

legendary Myrtle Beach Speedway since 1993 has only raced at two other race tracks, I-95 Speedway or what is now known as Florence Motor Speedway in Timmonsville, SC and the only other NASCAR sanctioned track in SC, the legendary Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Brinson got his first chance at racing in 1993 driving in the Street Stock division at Myrtle Beach.

In 1996, Brent moved on from the Street Stock division and up to the more powerful Limited Late Model division where he claimed many wins. Brinson claimed the track championship at the beach in what was then called the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series back in 2005. Brinson wouldn't claim another championship till 2009. With Myrtle Beach going to two fifty lap races on race nights, drivers now had the opportunity to work on the car after the first 50 laps of racing. In the season opener on April 11th, Brent finished 2nd in the first 50 Lap feature to Rick Smith one of the two guys Brinson would battle the championship out with.

The first win of the season came in the second feature of the night. Brinson battled Justin Milliken for the victory. "Some of my toughest competition was Justin in the #02 and Rick Smith in the #28 car," said Brinson by phone. "We battled all season long for the top spot and we just happened to come out with it." But it wasn't a fluke that Brinson took the championship. Although his team is a small operation, they have some of the best sponsors in the business. "I personally would like to thank Western Auto for all the help they have given me this year. Without them I know we couldn't have run up front like we did." Another sponsor that helped Brinson over the course of the season was Bell & Bell Pontiac in Little River, SC.

All in all, the 2009 season was one of Brinson's best yet. In 17 races, Brent racked up 10 wins and 17 top 5 finishes. That's 17 races without an engine failure, crash or some kind of failure with the race car. When Brinson wasn't finishing first he was finishing second six times and fourth once. In NASCAR Whelen All-American National Points, Brent finished 318 with 314 points. "I could have got higher in the national points but running only 17 races really hurt us as well as low car counts" Brinson added.

He was the only Myrtle Beach Late Model Stock Car driver to make the top 500 national points list which is a pretty big accomplishment considering the number of Late Model Stock Car drivers around the country. Brent will be ready to go for the 2010 season at Myrtle Beach just like all the regulars from 2009. You better bet that there is a bulls-eye on the back of that #1 car as all the Myrtle Beach regulars will be gunning to take the track championship away.

Late Model Stock Points:
1. Brent Brinson 832
2. Rick Smith 762
3. Justin Milliken 758
4. Terry Evans 708
5. Robbie Mew 564
6. Ryan Hall 512
7. Gregg Hardee 368
8. Bo Foust 348
9. Robert Elliot 312
10. Jeremy McDowell 212