Miller Looking Forward To Getting Back Behind The Wheel
Altamahaw, NC — After two weekends of rainy weather that has postponed the last two NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour events, the drivers will attempt to return to action this weekend in a rare night of back-to-back races. Defending Tour champion L.W. Miller (No. 36 John Baker Plumbing & Utilities Pontiac) is eager to get back to the action this Friday night in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150 presented by DMC Auto Exchange at Ace Speedway.
Just as quick as Friday night’s race at the 4/10th-mile Altamahaw, N.C. short track is over, the drivers and crews will pack up only to return to action less than 24 hours later in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.
The last two events at Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, N.C. and last Saturday night at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C. were postponed due to inclement weather.
“We need the rain here in the Southeast because of the drought we’ve been in the last couple of years so nobody is going complain about that,” Miller said. “As a racer, it’s tough to get rained out two weeks in a row because we are mentally ready to go racing. It’s tough to get excited about going racing and then you look at the weather forecast and it’s flat-out calling for rain.
“It’s mentally hard on a driver more than anything else because we’re prepared to race and there’s nothing you can do about the weather. It’s just a little frustrating but we are still going to have the chance to make those two races up at a later date.”
The race at Southern National has been rescheduled for Sept. 13, while the makeup date for Greenville-Pickens is still to be determined.
Miller was one of a number of competitors who thanked Greenville-Pickens’ legendary promoter Tom Blackwell and his decision to postpone the race last Friday instead of on Saturday as the weather forecast looked bleak.
“I have to give both Tom and NASCAR credit for making that call because they saved everybody a lot of money in travel expenses,” Miller said. “They really saved everybody a lot of time and money, with fuel as expensive as it is right now.
“There wasn’t any reason for making us to travel to Greenville-Pickens and stand around all day in the rain and not getting anything accomplished. We just spent the day working on the race cars and getting them ready for this weekend.”
For now, the focus is on Ace Speedway on Friday night and the following night at Caraway with 300 laps of racing action on tap.
“I’m real excited about this weekend,” Miller said. “Last week we tested at Ace and ran real well there. I know we’re going to have a good car at Caraway based on our past track record there. I’m excited about both races this weekend and feel like we’re heading into those events on the top of our game.
“We actually have two different cars that we’re going to use this weekend. The car we’re going to run at Ace is 100-percent ready to go and our Caraway car is going to be just as good.”
Miller concedes that he’s in somewhat better shape heading into the doubleheader weekend because of the simple fact that he has two cars while some of his other competitors have only one and the fear of tearing up a race car on Friday night could spell for trouble on Saturday at Caraway.
“If you only have one car it kind of changes the way you race,” Miller said. “With that being said, once they drop the green flag everybody is going to race to win.”
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The Race |
The Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150 presented by DMC Auto Exchange |
| The Place | Ace (N.C.) Speedway |
| The Date | Sept. 11 |
| The Time | 8 p.m. (ET) |
| Track Layout | 4/10th-mile paved |
| Race Purse | $25, 920 |
| 2007 Winner | Tim Brown |
| 2007 Pole | Tim Brown |
| Schedule | Saturday: Practice 2:30-4:00 p.m., Time Trials 7:15 p.m. |
| Track Contact | Wendy Way (336) 585-1200 or wendy@acespeedway |
News & Notes: Ace
The race: This event is the second of 12 races on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule. It is the only race in 2008 at Ace Speedway.
The procedure: The starting field is 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 24 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining two spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (60 miles).
The history: Ace hosted three NWSMT events in 2005, with Junior Miller, Burt Myers and Jay Hedgecock each picking up victories. Brian King won the only Ace race in 2006, while Tim Brown was victorious in last year’s event.
The variety: In just five events, 17 different drivers have scored top five finishes at Ace. Burt Myers and Brian Loftin are the only two drivers with four top fives: Myers has a win, second, third, and fourth, while Loftin has a second, third, and two fourths.
The pole: Tim Brown has won two pole awards at Ace, including setting the track record at 14.710 seconds (97.893 mph) last year. Michael Clifton and Burt Myers have also won pole awards.
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The Race |
The Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150 |
| The Place | Caraway (N.C.) Speedway |
| The Date | Saturday, April 12 |
| The Time | 8 p.m. (ET) |
| Track Layout | .455-mile paved oval |
| The Purse | $25,920 |
| 2007 Pole Winner | Burt Myers |
| 2007 Race Winner | L.W. Miller |
| Schedule | Practice: 4-4:45 p.m.; Time Trials: 6:30 p.m. |
| Track Contact | Renee Hackett (336) 629-5803 or carawayspeedway@embarqmail.com |
News & Notes: Caraway
The race: This event is the third of 12 races on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule. It is the second of six races in 2008 at Caraway Speedway.
The procedure: The starting field is 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 24 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining two spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (68.25 miles).
The history: Caraway has hosted 18 NWSMT events. L.W. Miller won the season-opener in March. It was his sixth win, one more than Junior Miller and two more than Brian Loftin. Ted Christopher (two wins) and Burt Myers (one win) have also won at the .455-mile oval.
Twenty-five drivers have recorded top-five finishes. Junior Miller and Tim Brown lead the way with 10 apiece. In addition to his five wins, Junior Miller has a second, a third, and three fourths. Tim Brown has done everything but win. He has four seconds, three thirds, a fourth and two fifths. L.W. Miller and Brian Loftin have nine top fives apiece, while Frank Fleming, Burt Myers have eight each. Like Myers, Fleming has four runner-up finishes without a victory.
The pole: Burt Myers has won six pole awards and Jay Hedgecock four. Brian Loftin and Junior Miller have won three apiece, while Tim Brown has won two. Brown won the Coors Light Pole Award in the March race.
Loftin looks forward to weekend doubleheader of racing
After a few rain filled weekends off from racing, Brian Loftin (No. 23 L&R Transmission/QMF Solutions Chevrolet) is preparing for the second and third NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races of the season with an upcoming doubleheader of racing action at Ace (N.C.) Speedway on Friday night as well as the Saturday night race at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway.
“We spent a lot of time during the offseason and these last few weeks working on our cars,” said Loftin. “We are confident that they are where they need to be and will be able to perform well this weekend at Ace and Caraway. We are shooting hard for a win in both those races.”
Loftin started the 2008 season strong with the third fastest qualifying time followed by a third-place finish at Caraway in March.
This year Loftin will run the full NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule with select NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Bowman Gray races in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The 2007 season ended up being a good showing for Loftin who made nine of 12 Tour starts and finished 12th in the overall standings with three poles and two wins.
Sources: Jason Mitchell, NASCAR WSMT PR