Whelen So. Mod Tour News & Notes: SNMP
Burt Myers Hoping To Extend SNMP Hot Streak
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Three appears to be the magic number for Burt Myers this weekend.
The 35-year-old Walnut Cove, N.C., driver heads into this Saturday’s G-Oil 150 at Southern National Motorsports Park gunning for his third consecutive win at the .4-mile high-banked track in Kenly, N.C.
Myers followed up a 2008 victory at SNMP with a win in the tour’s return to the track earlier this year. In four events there, he has four top-five finishes and an average finish of 2.5.
A win this Saturday would also mark his third tour victory of 2013. In nine years with the tour, Myers scored three wins in a year one other time, in the inaugural 2005 season.
The 2010 tour champion heads into the antepenultimate race of the season third in the championship standings. With three races remaining on the calendar, Myers still has a chance to make up ground on George Brunnhoelzl III and Kyle Ebersole. He trails them by 41 and 21 points, respectively. If he does not start gaining on them, he could find himself finishing the season third in points for third time in his nine-year career.
RACE G-Oil 150
PLACE Southern National Motorsports Park
DATE Saturday, September 21
TIME 7:45 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT .4-mile high-banked asphalt oval
2012 WINNER/POLESITTER Event not held
EVENT SCHEDULE Practice 2-2:25 p.m., Final Practice 3:10-3:40 p.m., Qualifying 5:30 p.m., Driver Autograph Session 6:15 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT Louis Sparks, (919) 284-1114 [Call: (919) 284-1114] , media@snmp.com
TRACK TWITTER @ SNM_Park
EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG #GOil150
NASCAR CONTACT John Tejeda, (386) 500-3015 [Call: (386) 500-3015] , jtejeda@nascar.com, Twitter: @onthegoJT
FAST FACTS
The Race: The G-Oil 150 will mark the 10th event of the 12-race 2013 regular season schedule for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour and the second time the tour visits Southern National. Burt Myers took the checkered flag during the tour’s first stop at the track on March 23. It was his second consecutive win at Southern National, spanning five years.
The Procedure: The maximum starting field will be 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 23 starting positions will be based on two-lap time trials and the remaining three will be filled through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (60 miles) with a 10 minute break at or near the conclusion of Lap 75.
The Track: Southern National played host to four events in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour history, from 2006-2008. It was closed from 2009 to 2011, before re-opening last year and becoming a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track. Southern National has banking of 17 degrees in the turns and seven degrees on the straightaways.
Race Winners: Junior Miller won the first race in October of 2006, followed by Tim Brown’s victory in September of 2007, and Burt Myers in September of 2008 and March 2013.
Pole Winners: L.W. Miller won two poles at Southern National, while Frank Fleming earned the top spot in 2007. NASCAR Next driver Ryan Preece won the award during the tour’s first visit to the track earlier this year. Miller holds the track qualifying record at 14.251 seconds (101.046 mph), set in 2008.
SOUTHERN NATIONAL RACE NOTES
Brown Aims For Another Top Five: Brown, one of only four active drivers to have started the previous four races at Southern National, will aim to turn in another solid performance at the .4-mile banked oval. His worst career finish at the track is third which he recorded earlier this year. Overall, Brown has one win, two second place finishes and one third-place finish in four races at Southern National.
Ebersole Hoping To Gain Ground: Kyle Ebersole enters the weekend trailing George Brunnhoelzl III by 20 points in the championship standings. In his only previous trip to Southern National, Ebersole finished seventh, three spots behind Brunnhoelzl. With only three races remaining on the calendar, Ebersole will need to keep Brunnhoelzl behind him if he hopes to win his first title in only his second year on the tour. Brunnhoelzl, on the other hand, will be making his fifth start at a track where he has two top fives and three top 10 finishes.
Looking Back: In 2006, Southern National hosted the final event of the season and Junior Miller won the race to take the championship. He entered the race trailing Tim Brown by four points. Miller used lapped traffic with 17 laps to go to take the lead – and eventually the title, by six tallies under the old points system – away from Brown.
HOMETRACKS: Pulliam and McCaskill Battling For Dirty Dozen Title
Lee Pulliam and Deac McCaskill are locked in a tight battle for the innaugural “Dirty Dozen” title, a 12 race program that spotlights six events at Southern National and Motor Mile (Dublin, Va.) Speedway. All races are structured exclusively under the “Twin” format, for a total of 12 feature races at each track. While the Whelen All-American Series championship may be all but decided, the Dirty Dozen championship is still up for grabs, with the final event of the competition scheduled for September 21 at Motor Mile.
LAST TIME OUT: Caraway
Seuss picked up his sixth NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour win at the .455-mile oval – but his first since Oct. 2011 – in dominating fashion in the Caraway 150. Seuss led a race-high 125 laps and out-distanced runner-up Brunnhoelzl by .833 seconds to claim his 13th win in 77 career tour starts.
NEXT TIME OUT: Caraway
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will run its 11th race of the season Saturday, Sept. 28 at Caraway Speedway near Asheboro, N.C. Brunnhoelzl will look to continue his dominance at the .455-mile semi-banked asphalt oval. The North Babylon, N.Y., native has 10 wins, 22 top fives and a total of 1,143 laps led in 34 career starts. In his last 10 Caraway races, Brunnhoelzl has six wins, eight top fives and and 10 top 10 finishes.
Sources: John Tejada/NASCAR WSMT PR
NWSMT Southern National 9/21/13 Schedule
Time Event
10 a.m. Haulers Enter
11 a.m. Garage Opens
2:00-2:25 p.m. Practice
3:10-3:40 p.m. Final Practice
4 p.m. Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
5:30 p.m. Qualifying (2 Laps) Impound
6:15 p.m. Driver Autograph Session
7:45 p.m. Race (150 Laps, 60 Miles)
All times ET and subject to change
NWSMT Southern National 9/21/13 Entry List
PRINT VERSION (PDF)
CAR DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM OWNER CREW CHIEF
1 Burt Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C. Citrusafe /Adams Towing & Recovery Kim Myers Ronnie Holbrook Jr
02 Tim Brown, Rural Hall, N.C. Hayes Jewelers/T&C Motorsports Tommy Lythgoe Mark Ruhmann
2 JR Bertuccio, Centerrach, N.Y. Gershow Recycling Chevrolet Joe Bertuccio Joseph Bertuccio
4 Jason Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C. Myers Racing Ford Gary Myers Gary Myers
5 Kyle Ebersole, Hummelstown, Pa. Ebersole Excavating Inc Ford Bob Ebersole Bob Ebersole
7 Thomas Stinson, Chester, Va. M&M Custom Painting Chevrolet Mark Hunter Mark Hunter
11 Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H. Twisted Fabrication Chevrolet Eddie Harvey Eddie Harvey
12 Mike Norman, Lewisville, N.C. DMC Auto Exchange/Auto Donna Norman T J Moran
24 Donnie Lacks, Forest, Va. * Lacks Auto Service Chevrolet William Lacks Donnie Lacks
25 John Smith, Mount Airy, N.C. G-Oil/Shady Grady Racing Chevrolet Grady Jeffreys Grady Jeffreys Sr
28 George Brunnhoelzl, III, West Babylon, N.Y. Epox-Z Cool Roof Coating/Oval George Brunnhoelzl, Jr George Brunnhoelzl Jr
40 Luke Fleming, Mount Airy, N.C. * Koma Unwind/Autos By Nelson.com Gina Fleming Frank Fleming
65 Danny Bohn, Freehold, N.J. Cedar Peaks /Rustoleum/Ray Eddie Bohn Eddie Bohn
70 Jeremy Gerstner, Wesley Chapel, Fla. * GMR Complete Lawn/Fountain Dawn Gerstner Derek Silver
77 Gary Putnam, Concord, N.C. Stock Car Steel Chevrolet Marcy Putnam Gary Putnam
97 Bryan Dauzat, Alexandria, La. O B Builders Inc Chevrolet Bryan Dauzat Todd Cooper
* Denotes Rookie of the Year Contender
Sources: John Tejada/NASCAR WSMT PR