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Drivers and racing teams place a lot of value on track time. Among them is Drew Dawson of Nathalie.

Dawson, who finished fourth in the Limited Sportsman Division point standings at South Boston Speedway last season, is one of many drivers that have taken the opportunity to test their car at South Boston Speedway this season.

“That’s all we can do until they (South Boston Speedway officials) can schedule a race,” Dawson said of testing. “We really need to find more speed in the car, and I definitely need more seat time.”

Dawson shares the opinion of virtually every other driver when it comes to describing the importance of seat time.

“Any time you can sit in the seat and get behind the wheel of a racecar it definitely helps,” Dawson said. “You learn more every day, you’re learning more about the car, you’re learning more about the track. There is whole lot to learn in the Limited Sportsman Division.”

Last season Dawson climbed another rung on the long ladder of improvement and was able to mix it up with the division’s top drivers. When the 2019 season ended Dawson had scored 11 top five finishes and finished in the top 10 in all 16 of his starts.

“It feels good to be able to run right there with Danny Willis Jr. and all of those boys,” Dawson said. “We want to get a little bit faster so we can be more competitive with them.”

Dawson noted it is important to continue learning as a driver and continuing to improve the race car because the level of the competition and the car count increase each season.

“Two or three years ago there really weren’t that many people out here,” he explained. ‘The number of competitive cars was up last season and track officials were expecting more cars to be out here this season. More cars make for better racing, and it’s definitely more competitive.”