Matt Cox has set a gold standard at Southern National Motorsports Park so far in 2026 and he aims to keep that going in Saturday night’s Dogwood 250.
Cox, who won the Speed Week 2026 championship in the Late Model Stock Car division and is the reigning champion in the I-95 Showdown, already has three wins on the season. This weekend, he believes he can get his fourth win and his first I-95 Showdown win of 2026.
“I think we learned a lot up there at Speed Week and got better as the week went on,” Cox said. “We just tried to take what we learned up there that weekend, you know, work on it a little bit while we had some time to get back to the ship for this week coming up. I’m sure there will be some fast cars that will be tough to outrun but I feel good about our chances. I think we’ll be really good and just looking forward to getting back there.”
In two I-95 Showdown races so far in 2026, it has been the race team owned by Kevin Harvick that has been on top. Keelan Harvick won the Icebreaker at Florence in February, his first Late Model Stock Car victory, while 2025 CARS Tour champion Landen Lewis was victorious in the Jerry Moody Memorial.
“We were just a little off at Florence when we finished second to [Harvick],” Cox explained. “That first night up at Kenly, we were a little off there. You know, if you’re off just a tiny bit, and this thing now, everything is so close between the really good cars that just being off a tiny bit will be the difference between winning, finishing second or third or fourth or wherever it is. What we had the last couple days of Speed Week, I wish we had that the first night but we didn’t, so we’ll go back this weekend and try to outrun whoever comes.”
Winning races is always the goal, but Cox also hopes he will be able to finish strong in the remainder of the I-95 Showdown and clinch a second consecutive championship in the series.
“It would mean a lot to us,” Cox remarked. “That ‘s kind of what our goal was when we started out the year, let’s try to go back and win it again. I certainly think we can do it. We’ve worked really hard the past couple years to get where we are and be a top contender wherever we go. We worked hard on that and focused on it and put a lot of time in. I feel like that’s something we’ve been able to accomplish here lately.”
Cox also praised Southern National Motorsports Park owner Michael Diaz and Florence Motor Speedway owner Steve Zacharias for what they have done with both the I-95 Showdown and the Ultra Racing Association (URA).
“They got a good thing going,” Cox elaborated. “Once people understand it a little bit and what you’re racing for, I think it’s a lot more intriguing to people than maybe it is initially. It’s a good thing for them and it’s kind of convenient for us. You don’t have to travel all over the Southeast. It’s about two hours for us to Florence from the shop and about three hours to Kenly, so it’s not a bad drive to either one of them. I think it’s a good thing they’ve got going and I’m just glad to be able to support it.”
Along with the I-95 Showdown, Saturday’s Dogwood 250 features the KONI Chargers, Legends, Any Cars, East Coast Flathead Ford Racing Association and the Southern National Vintage Series. Tickets are available online and at the gate on race day, and the race is being broadcast live on Ultra Broadcasting. The Dogwood 250 will commence at 7pm on Saturday night.being broadcast live on Ultra Broadcasting. The Dogwood 250 will commence at 7pm on Saturday night.
