News & Notes: Brunnhoelzl Can Finally Celebrate This Weekend
Finally, he will get to celebrate.After winning last week at Ace Speedway, George Brunnhoelzl III (No. 28 Oval Speed/Fibrwrap/PT Ford) will get to pop the champagne this weekend.
The West Babylon, N.Y., native won his fourth race of the season Friday at Ace Speedway to build his lead to 150 points over Andy Seuss (No. 47 Advance Auto Parts/Q Racing Oil/Stuart Auto Dodge). Seuss finished second to prevent Brunnhoelzl from wrapping up the title. But the victory win set up Brunnhoelzl with the opportunity to win the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour title Saturday night at Caraway Speedway by simply taking the green flag to start the race.
“We had such a good car last week, and while we are not pouring the champagne just yet, we can see it getting closer,” Brunnhoelzl said after winning the Lightning Fast 150. “We did what we had to do to make it easier on us at Caraway. I am so thankful for my family and my crew to help me get here.”
Brunnhoelzl made it look easy last week and, in fact, has made it look easy all season long en route to what is shaping up to be his first NASCAR title. While he and his father, car owner and crew chief George Jr., have tried to avoid any mention of the title for fear of jinxing their chances, nothing short of not making the trip to Asheboro will prevent him from earning the championship trophy.
After his runner-up finish, Seuss all but conceded the title last week.
“We have had a good season but we just had some misfortune at a couple of events and George was able to get through this season and did a great job.”
Brunnhoelzl dabbled in fendered stock-car racing for a while after moving South with his family but returned to his roots climbing back into a modified car several years ago, and now he will soon get to celebrate as a champion in a division in which his father and grandfather made a name for themselves throughout the northeast.
“Winning any championship is special, but to win the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour title is something that would mean everything to me,” George said earlier this season. “We had a couple of bad breaks here and there but were able to get through them and that is why we are where we are today.”
Brunnhoelzl has collected an amazing 12 top-five finishes in 13 starts this season on the NWSMT. He is tied with Seuss for the most wins on the year with four and has won five Coors Light Pole Awards, the most on the Tour.
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| Next Race | Fall Classic150 |
|---|---|
| The Place | Caraway Speedway, Asheboro, N.C. |
| The Date | Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 |
| The Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Track Layout | .455-mile paved |
| Race Purse | $24,806 |
| 2008 Winner | Andy Seuss |
| 2008 Pole | Tim Brown |
| Schedule | Saturday: Practice 4:30-5:15 p.m.; Time Trials: 6:30 p.m. |
| Track Contact | Renee Hackett, (336) 629-5803, carawayspeedway @embarqmail.com |
| NASCAR Contact | Tim Southers, (386) 235-3634, tsouthers@nascar.com |
News & Notes
The Race … The Fall Classic 150 will be the final event on the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule and the sixth and final stop for the series to Caraway Speedway.
The Procedure … Starting positions 1-24 will be set from time trials. The remaining two will be filled through the provisional process. Fastest qualifier will draw to determine redraw of top 6, 8 or 10 cars. The race is 150 laps (68.25 miles).
The Track … Caraway Speedway, a 455-mile paved oval, is considered the home track of the southern division of the modifieds. The track has hosted 27 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour events, dating back to March 2005.
The Records … Qualifying: George Brunnhoelzl III, April 11, 2009, 102.844 mph, 15.752 seconds; Race: Junior Miller, Sept. 9, 2006, 90.977 mph, 44 minutes 30 seconds.
Caraway Winners … Brian Loftin leads all winners at Caraway Speedway with seven victories. L.W. Miller is second with six wins.
Other Caraway winners … NASCAR veteran Junior Miller has won five times at Caraway while Tim Brown has won there twice. Defending NASCAR Whelen Modified champion Ted Christopher has won three times at Caraway — in 2005 and 2006, and most recently in April of this year.
Pole Winners … Burt Myers has collected nine of his NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour record 21 Coors Light Pole Awards at Caraway Speedway.
Myers also won the pole last weekend at Ace Speedway. The Coors Light Pole Award was his fourth overall this season.
Final Notes From Ace Speedway
Close Again … Burt Myers (No. 1 Capital Bank Ford) continued his strong run in the second half of the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour season finishing third after starting on the Coors Light Pole — his second in the past three races and fourth of the season. Myers ran up front all race and led twice before falling back to third where he finished following Brunnhoelzl and Seuss.
Former Champion Returns … In his first start of the 2009 season on the NWSMT, Junior Miller (N0. 53 S&R Motor Company Chevrolet) finished a disappointing 14th after handling problems ended his night early on Lap 105. Miller, the 2005 & 2006 Tour champion, has been competing on a regular basis at Bowman Gray Stadium in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Another Tough Week … J.R. Bertuccio (N0. 2 Gershow Recycling Chevrolet) had his second straight rough week. After getting involved in an early race accident at Martinsville two weeks ago that ended his afternoon after just 27 laps, the young driver didn’t have much better luck at Ace Speedway last week. Bertuccio was forced to the pits with overheating problems on Lap 50 and finished 15th.
Still Points Battles … Burt Myers and Brian Loftin (No. 23 L&R Transmissions/QMF Metal Solutions Chevrolet) still have something to race for this weekend. Myers sits just 72 points behind Seuss for second place in the standings and Loftin is just 35 points behind Myers for third. Both drivers can improve one or two positions depending on how they finish Saturday night at Caraway. Seuss just has to finish in front of both to hold onto second place. Frank Fleming (No. 40 Jerry Hunt Auto Sales/Pro Health Centers Pontiac) and Jason Myers (No. 4 Capital Bank Ford) are just 33 points apart for fifth place (1,884-1,851).
Nice Recovery … Mt. Airy, N.C., native Frank Fleming recovered from an accident to finish 8th last week at Ace Speedway and remain in the hunt for a top-five finish in the final points standings for 2009. Fleming, who has a season-best second-place finish at Caraway Speedway in July, returns this week looking for a win.
Sources: Tim Southers/NASCAR WMT PR