Modifieds Test At Bristol Motor Speedway
Hoosier Test Held In Advance Of Aug. 18 Race
Bristol, TN — Selected drivers from the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Southern Modified Tours participated in a test held by Hoosier Tire on Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
In preparation for the second running of the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 combination race for both Whelen Modified Tours, Whelen Modified Tour veteran Mike Stefanik, along with Southern Tour regulars James Civali and Burt Myers took part in the all-day session.
“I think the tire test went really well,” said Richard Buck, NASCAR director touring series North America. “This test shows Hoosier’s commitment NASCAR short track racing.”
The test also allowed for NASCAR to gather other technical information in advance of the August race.
“We look forward to getting feedback from Hoosier and their recommendations for our August race here at Bristol,” added Buck. “We will meet with them after they present all of their data from today’s test.”
Myers was happy with the data he was able to gather at the test. He ran an unofficial fast lap at 14.900 seconds.
“I think we learned a lot today and I think it will only help us come back better prepared as a team and put on a great show for the fans who come out to our race in August,” Myers said.
Civali had the fastest unofficial time of the day with a lap of 14.700 seconds. He also thinks the tire test was beneficial for the series.
“I like the new tire Hoosier brought here today to test and we learned a lot about what the setup will need to be so I was a good day,” Civali said. “If we can figure out a way to keep the tire under us we should have a very fast car for the race.”
The UNOH Perfect Storm 150 will be the second time both modified tours race at the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile.’
The Whelen Modified Tour will share the card on Aug. 18 with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Stefanik unofficially race 15.000 seconds for his fast lap of the day and added he thought the test was a good thing Hoosier and NASCAR decided to organize.
“I think we still have a little work to do on our end, but I appreciate NASCAR and Hoosier putting this on so we can provide data for them,” Stefanik said.
The next race on the 2010 Whelen Modified Tour schedule will be the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 on Friday, May 28 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. The Whelen Southern Modified Tour will be at Caraway Speedway on July 2.
Sources: Tim Southers/NASCAR PR