News & Notes: Mod Tours Head To Bristol

UNOH Perfect Storm 150 Combination Race Set For Wednesday

Following the highly-anticipated inaugural appearance for the NASCAR Modifieds at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway a year ago, the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 is back on the schedule for Wednesday, Aug. 18.

This year’s edition will be the lone combination event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours. The two Tours will compete for separate points, but for one purse and overall finish, in the combination race format.

With last week’s shake-up in the standings, the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 will carry even more significance for the Whelen Modified Tour championship contenders. Bobby Santos had led through the first four months of competition, but Ted Christopher has won two of the last four races and just supplanted Santos last week at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

With 14 points separating new first-place driver Christopher and second-place Santos, there is little margin for error with just three races left on the schedule after Bristol. The closeness of the championship chase is magnified by the fact that Mike Stefanik is only 85 tallies back in third place and fourth-place Ron Silk is one of the hottest drivers on the Tour.

Christopher would seeming have the upper hand heading to Bristol. Not only does he have momentum on his side, but the veteran lead 110 of 150 laps at Bristol a year ago. He appeared to have the car to beat, but adjustments made during the halftime break by Donny Lia’s team proved to be better as he wrestled the lead from Christopher on Lap 111 and never looked back.

Among the top four championship contenders, Santos is the only one with no prior experience on Bristol’s high banks. Christopher and Stefanik, in addition to competing in last year’s race there, have also tested Bristol for Hoosier Tires, and Stefanik has previous experience there in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series action. One thing Santos does have on his side, however, is that he is in the car that Lia drove to Victory Lane there a year ago.

Last year, Lia proved to be a prime-time player en route to the title as he won premier events like New Hampshire and the Stafford Fall Final, in addition to the inaugural Bristol race. Time will tell if the driver that shines in the Bristol spotlight will once again be able to parlay success at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” into another championship.

ENTRY LIST

Raceday Notes
The Race … The second annual UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway will be the 11th of 14 races on the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule and the sixth of 10 races on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour slate. It is the only combination race for the two Tours in 2010, and also their only appearance in the Volunteer State.

The Procedure … Starting positions 1-30 will be set from time trials. The remaining six will be filled through the provisional process. There will be a five-minute break that will occur at or near Lap 75. The race is 150 laps (79.95 miles).

The Track … A .533-mile, high-banked concrete oval, Bristol is known as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” The track opened in 1961 as an even half-mile with 22 degrees of banking in the turns. It now features progressive banking between 24 and 30 degrees through the corners.

Race Winners … Whelen Modified Tour driver Donny Lia earned the first victory at Bristol in 2009. George Brunnhoelzl III was credited with a Whelen Southern Modified Tour win as that Tour’s highest finisher.

Pole Winners … Qualifying was rained out in the inaugural event a year ago.

Tour Tidbits: Christopher, Santos Lead The Way
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has contested 10 of 14 races on the 2010 schedule heading into this week’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway. Here are some season highlights:

Santos Starts the Season on Fire … Having never run for points before, Bobby Santos stepped in with Mystic Missile Racing – the team that had won two of the three previous Whelen Modified Tour titles with driver Donny Lia – for 2010 and came out of the gate blazing. Santos earned the first three poles of the year and set track qualifying records in the first two. He also took the checkered flag in the season opener and in the third race of the season. The sixth race of the year at Lime Rock Park marked his first finish outside of the top five.

Christopher Closes the Gap … Santos had a lead in the standings as large as 129 points following the fifth race of the season, but Ted Christopher’s steady top finishes have made up the ground. With his third win of the year last week, which ties Santos for the Whelen Modified Tour lead, Christopher supplanted Santos in points for the first time in 2010.

Stefanik Stays Steady … The seventh of Mike Stefanik’s Whelen Modified Tour titles came in 2006. That was also the last time he was a championship contender. Through 10 races in 2010, however, the winningest driver in Tour history looks like a contender again. Although he has yet to win this year, Stefanik has eight top 10s and is only 85 points back of first place.

Silk is on the Move … Ron Silk was seventh in the standings – 299 points out of first – after the fifth race of the season with just two top-10 finishes. He’s finished in the top five in the five races since, including the last four on the podium. Silk is now up to fourth in points, 116 tallies back of Christopher. Like Stefanik, he is still looking for his first win in 2010.

Miller Leads Strong Field Of Southern Cars
After a successful event last season in the inaugural UNOH Perfect Storm 150, the track has welcomed back the NASCAR Modifieds for a second time this week.

This year’s edition will be the lone combination event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours. The two Tours will compete for separate points, but for one purse and overall finish, in the combination race format.

Donny Lia took home the checkered flag in the inaugural running of the Modifieds at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” en route to his second Whelen Modified Tour title. He will not defend that win, however, as he now competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

George Brunnhoelzl III was the highest- finishing southern regular and he used his first-place points to pull away and win his first NASCAR championship.

L.W. Miller enters this season’s race as the points leader after picking up his first win since 2008 last time out at Bowman Gray Stadium. Miller piloted his No. 36 Baker Plumbing & Utilities Pontiac to the win after finishing second in the three previous events.

“We are having a great season this year and we honestly just wanted to get through Bowman Gray without many problems as that place is not one of our best tracks historically,” Miller said. “Obviously we are very happy with our finish and are ready for Bristol.”

The southern tour has seen five different winners in as many races and several drivers who have yet to win are expected to challenge for the win on Wednesday.

Burt Myers has captured two poles so far this season to add to his series record of 23 and will be one of the favorites this week. Zach Brewer has won two poles and is also ready to pick up his first win of the season.

Brewer has also competed previously at Bristol when he drove in the former NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series.

“Bristol is a place you just have to survive and be there at the end,” Brewer said. “We are going up there with the intention of racing for the win.”

This year’s on-track schedule will be compacted to one day, starting with practice sessions at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Qualifying is slated for 2:45 p.m., and the 150-lap will go green at 6 p.m., live on SPEED.

Southern Tour Tidbits: Bowman Gray Stadium
The 2010 season reached its halfway point for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour at Bowman Gray Stadium for the Strutmaster.com 199 on Saturday, Aug. 7.

Miller Finds Victory Lane … After suffering through the 2009 season without a win, 2007 NWSMT champion L.W. Miller returned to Victory Lane at Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time since winning at Ace Speedway in April 2008. Miller had finished second in the three races leading up to the Strutmaster.com 199. The win also propelled Miller to tie Brian Loftin for the record for most tour wins, with 11.

Another Podium Finish for Smith … After picking up his first career NWSMT win at Caraway in July, Mt. Airy, N.C.-native John Smith backed up his win with a solid third-place showing at Bowman Gray.

Jason Myers Continues Turnaround … Jason Myers finished fourth at Bowman Gray for his second consecutive top-five showing after finishing outside the top-10 in the two previous races at Caraway in March and South Boston in April. The strong finishes has vaulted him into  seventh place in the standings, two points behind Andy Seuss who is sixth (709-707). 

Consistent Season Continues … With Miller’s win at Bowman Gray Stadium, the NWSMT has now featured five different winners in as many races. This is the first time in the history of the tour that it has featured this many different winners in a row to start the season.

Tight Rookie Battle Continues … Mike Norman became the first rookie to win multiple Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors when he took the prize at Bowman Gray Stadium. The finish also vaulted Norman into the second place among rookies as he sits in 18th-place, six points behind Greg Butcher who is in 17th-place (551-545).

Hire Moves Back Into The Top 10 … After a frustrating finish at South Boston back in April, Brandon Hire moved back into the Top 10 in the points standings with his eighth-place finish at Bowman Gray.

Civali Ends Streak … After finishing sixth or better in the first four races of the season, former points leader James Civali collected his lowest finish of the season when he suffered damage in an early accident at Bowman Gray and finished 13th. This allowed Miller to jump into the points lead after entering the race 24 points behind Civali.

Fleming Returns … Luke Fleming, who was the surprise winner at Bowman Gray in 2009, returned to the tour and finished 12th last week.

Up Next: Caraway, New Hampshire
After the running of the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 combination race, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified and Whelen Modified Tours  will return to their respective hotbeds to begin the stretch run to complete the 2010 season.

The Whelen Southern Modified Tour will make its third and final visit of the season to Caraway Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 28. The track has featured two different winners in the first two events, with Andy Seuss winning the race in March and John Smith picking up his first career tour win on July at the track. Brian Loftin is the defending winner of the race

The Triad Commercial Property Services 150 will be televised by VERSUS on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.

The Whelen Modified Tour will next race on Sept. 18 in the F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It will be the second of two races for the Whelen Modifieds this year at the 1.058-mile oval in Loudon, N.H. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman won the New England 100 in June. Ron Silk is the defending winner of the September race. The F.W. Webb 100 is scheduled for a 12:45 p.m., green flag and will be televised by SPEED.

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR

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