News & Notes: Charlotte to Host ’13 Finale
Seuss Looks For Fourth Straight Win; Brunnhoelzl Closes In On Fourth Title
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Four is the magic number heading in to the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour finale this Thursday night Oct. 10 at the UNOH Southern Slam 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
After a rough start to the 2013 campaign, Andy Seuss has undoubtedly been the hottest driver in the tour over the past month. The 26-year-old from Hampstead, N.H., heads into the final event on a three race winning streak, picking up wins at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., on Sept. 8 and Sept. 28, along with a win at Southern National Motorsports Park on Oct. 5. The first victory broke a winless streak that extended almost a year.
“Our goal is to come and sit on the front row and lead every lap ever since we had our bad luck, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Seuss said. “Eddie Harvey (car owner) and the guys give me a car good enough to do it, they don’t care if I burn the tires off it – that’s their job – and we’ve gone the same page..
Given his success over the past month, Seuss says it’s inevitable to think about how their season might have turned out differently, but he heads into the 12th tour event looking to build momentum heading into 2014.
“Of course you think about it,” Seuss said. “But, you know what, we’re a team. We did this together, made all the decisions together, and we’re just excited about the momentum going in to 2014.”
In order to secure his fourth consecutive victory, Seuss will have to deal with points leader George Brunnhoelzl III.
Brunnhoelzl, from West Babylon, N.Y., takes a 32 point lead into the final event as he closes in on his fourth Southern Modified Tour title, having won championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012. The defending race winner has two consecutive pole awards at the track and finished second and first respectively in his previous two races there.
The Race: UNOH Southern Slam 150
Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Date: Thursday, October 10, 2013
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET (Approx.)
Track Layout: .25-mile paved oval
2012 Winner: George Brunnhoelzl III
2012 Polesitter: George Brunnhoelzl III
Event Schedule: Practice 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 1-1:45 p.m., Qualifying 5:05 p.m.; UNOH Southern Slam 150 8:30 p.m. (Approx.)
Track PR Contact: Scott Cooper (704) 455-3209; scooper@charlottemotorspeedway.com
Track Twitter: @CLTMotorspdwy
NASCAR IMC Contact: Shon Sbarra (704) 309-5493; ssbarra@nascar.com, Twitter: @ShonSbarra
ENTRY LIST | RACE DAY SCHEDULE
Race Notes
Impressive Audience: The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will compete on the same day as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will practice and qualify for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte which will be held on Saturday night.
Preece, Powell Return to Action: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points leader Ryan Preece will make his third start in a southern modified Thursday at Charlotte, while Cole Powell will make his second start of the season as well at CMS. Preece has one win and two top fives in the Southern Modified Tour so far this season.
Fast Facts
The Race: The UNOH Southern Slam 150 is the final race of 12 on the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule and the fourth event at the track since NASCAR began running the southern mods on the quarter-mile oval at CMS in 2010.
The Procedure: The starting field is 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 22 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (68.25 miles) and will include a 10-minute competition caution at or near the conclusion of Lap 75.
The Track: Built in June 19, 1960, the 1.5-mile track has hosted NASCAR events ever since. The track was designed and built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner. The track has gone through various upgrades through the years and a state-or-the-art lighting system was installed in 1992, allowing Charlotte Motor Speedway to be the first modern superspeedway to host night auto racing. The Whelen Southern Modifieds compete on the quarter-mile track constructed along the front stretch of the speedway.
The Records:
Qualifying: George Brunnhoelzl III, Oct. 11, 2012, 14.727 Seconds, 61.112 mph;
Race: Tim Brown, Oct. 13, 2011, 44.455 mph, 49 minutes, 30 seconds.
LAST TIME OUT: SNMP
The most recent NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race was held at Southern National Motorsports Park on October 5. Here are some highlights from the G-Oil 150:
• Andy Seuss continued his hot streak, winning his third consecutive tour event. He now has six top five finishes and nine top-10 finishes to go with his three wins in 11 starts.
• George Brunnhoelzl III extended his points lead over Kyle Ebersole to 32 points, as he looks to wrap up his fourth Southern Modified Tour crown.
• Luke Fleming’s fifth place finish, eight spots ahead of Jeremy Gerstner helped him move him one stop closer to the Sunoco 2013 Rookie of the Year award,
NEXT TIME OUT: Celebrations and History To Be Made
Before the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour returns to action next spring, there is one major event on the offseason schedule. The Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion will be crowned as part of the NASCAR Night of Champions Awards banquet, which will include ceremonies for the seven NASCAR touring series on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Sources: John Tejeda/NASCAR WSMT PR
NWSMT Charlotte 10/10/13 Schedule
Time Event
7:30 a.m. Haulers Enter
8:30 a.m. Garage Opens
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Practice
1-1:45 p.m. Final Practice
5:05 p.m. Qualifying
6 p.m. Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
6:20 p.m. Autograph Session (Location TBA)
8:30 p.m. (approximately) UNOH Southern Slam 150 (150 laps, 37.5 miles)
All times ET and subject to change.
NWSMT Charlotte 10/10/13 Entry List
CAR DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM OWNER CREW CHIEF
1 Burt Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C. Citrusafe/Adam’s Towing & Recovery Ford Kim Myers Ronnie Holbrook
02 Tim Brown, Rural Hall, N.C. Hayes Jewelers/T&C Motorsports Chevrolet Tommy Lythgoe Mark Ruhmann
2 J.R. Bertuccio, Centerrach, N.Y. Gershow Recycling Chevrolet Joe Bertuccio Joe Bertuccio Sr.
04 David Calabrese, Toms River, N.J. * Diamond Back Towing Chevrolet Michael Calabrese Paul Rice
4 Jason Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C. Westbend Vineyards & Brewery Ford Gary Myers Gary Myers
5 Kyle Ebersole, Hummelstown, Pa. Ebersole Excavating Ford Bob Ebersole Bob Ebersole
7 Thomas Stinson, Chester, Va. Dennis’ Towing/New Image Cleaning Chevrolet Mark Hunter Mark Hunter
8 Dalton Baldwin, Dunedin, Fla. * DaltonBaldwin.com Chevrolet Bobby Baldwin Bobby Baldwin
11 Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H. Tammie Davis/Phoenix Pre-Owned Chevrolet Eddie Harvey Eddie Harvey
12 Mike Norman, Lewisville, N.C. Auto Solutions/Combs Wholesale Chevrolet Donna Norman T.J. Moran
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/Oval Speed Chevrolet George Brunnhoelzl, Jr George Brunnhoelzl Jr.
40 Luke Fleming, Mount Airy, N.C. * Koma Unwind/AutosByNelson.com Chevrolet Gina Fleming Frank Fleming
41 Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn. East West Marine/NAPA Chevrolet Jodie Preece Jeff Preece
65 Danny Bohn, Freehold, N.J. Cedar Peaks/Rustoleum Chevrolet Eddie Bohn Eddie Bohn
70 Jeremy Gerstner, Wesley Chapel, Fla. * GMR Complete Lawn Care/Fountain Mtrsprts Chevrolet Dawn Gerstner Derek Silver
73 Cole Powell, Mount Brydges, Ontario, Canada * Copp’s BuildAll/Tricar Chevrolet Todd Powell Todd Powell
77 Gary Putnam, Concord, N.C. Stock Car Steel Chevrolet Marcy Putnam Michael LaRochelle
80 Cody Ware, Greensboro, N.C. * SupportMilitary.org Chevrolet Michael Speeney Mack Kanupp
82 Danny Watts, Riverhead, N.Y. Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet Danny Watts Tim Higgins
97 Bryan Dauzat, Alexandria, La. O.B. Builders Chevrolet Bryan Dauzat Todd Cooper
99 A.J. Winstead, Richmond, Va. * Health Diagnostic Laboratory Susanne Winstead Reginald Winstead
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
UNOFFICIAL (as of Oct. 8)