SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (March 10, 2022) -- South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division will have three brothers chasing checkered flags when the 2022 season kicks off with the Danville Toyota 2022 Season Opener on Saturday, March 19.
Brothers, Drew Dawson, Justin Dawson, and Jared Dawson, all of Nathalie, Virginia, are competing in the division this season, with two of them, Justin Dawson, and Jared Dawson, embarking on their rookie seasons in the division.
Drew Dawson returns to compete in the division in 2022 to chase the division title. Justin Dawson is moving up to the division from the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division ranks. Jared Dawson is also making the upward transition after having raced in both the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and the Hornets Division last season.
“I think the world of them wanting to race with me,” Drew Dawson said of his two brothers joining him to compete in the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division.
“It means a lot to me. I’m trying to help them and get them in the ballpark, just like Trey Crews helped me. I think it will be really exciting.”
Justin Dawson is thrilled to have the opportunity to move up and compete with his brothers.
“I’m excited, but I’m nervous at the same time,” Justin Dawson remarked.
“Racing my brothers is one the biggest things I’m nervous about. I know we will race each other clean, cleaner than some of the other competitors. If we get into each other, we already know it was an accident, that it was nothing we intentionally meant to do.”
Jared Dawson, like his brother, Justin, is moving up in the racing ranks this season. He, too, is looking forward to the season and having the opportunity to race with his brothers.
“I’m going to be happy to see how I do this season,” Jared Dawson said.
“It’s going to be difficult racing my brothers because you can’t run up to your brother like you can someone else. You’ve got to pass your brother cleanly, and if you wreck your brother there’s going to be consequences at the end of it.”
Drew Dawson heads into the 2022 season riding the wave of a successful 2021 season in which he finished third in the division point standings, just six points behind division champion Daniel Moss and four points behind division runner-up Jason Myers. He scored two wins and had 10 Top-Five finishes and 11 Top-10 finishes.
“We were really good last year,” Drew Dawson noted.
“We feel pretty good coming off last year. Racing against Jason Myers and Daniel Moss last year helped me a whole lot. I learned more about the car every time I sat in the seat.
“We’re working really hard,” he added.
“I can’t thank my dad and Stephen Trickey enough. They have put a lot of hard work into all three of these cars. We will do some more homework and hopefully we can come home with the championship in 2022.”
Justin Dawson is making the step up to the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division ranks after having finished fourth in the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division points chase last season. While he did not visit Victory Lane, he showed a good measure of consistency with five Top-Five finishes and finishing in the Top-10 in all 12 of his starts. Highlights of his 2021 season included three second-place finishes and being one of five drivers to lead laps in the division.
“I never got a win, but we had some speed,” Justin Dawson pointed out.
“I enjoyed Pure Stock, but I felt like I was ready to get out of that class. For my first year (in Limited Sportsman) I just want to learn as much as possible. I’m not going to come out of the gate looking to qualify on the pole and win races. We’re just going to take baby steps. If we get a podium finish, we’ll be super stoked.”
Jared Dawson tackled the difficult task of competing in both the Hornets Division and Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, often competing in the two divisions on the same night.
He finished second in the Hornets Division title race, winning twice, scoring eight Top-Five finishes, and never finishing outside of the Top-10. In addition, he led the third most laps in the division. In the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division ranks he finished eighth in the points standings, scored four Top-Five finishes, and finished in the Top-10 in all eight of his starts.
“This whole year will be a learning experience for me,” Jared Dawson pointed out.
“You’re jumping into an entirely different car, and you’ve got a lot to learn. We’re going to do the best we can with what we’ve got this year, and next year we’ll come out bigger and better.”
The season-opening five-race Danville Toyota 2022 Season Opener racing program gets the green flag at 2 p.m. and will be highlighted by twin 65-lap races for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Cars and a 65-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division competitors. A 30-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Hornets Division will round out the action.
Grandstand gates will open at 12:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and the first race of the day will get the green flag at 2 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the event are priced at $10 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, March 18. Adult general admission tickets online and at the gate on race day are priced at $15 each. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.