Whelen So. Mod Tour Stat Advance: Caraway

Analyzing The Prestoria Farms 150 At Caraway Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 50th running of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour at Caraway Speedway is set for Saturday, March 29 with the Prestoria Farms 150 in Sophia, N.C. Below is a statistical look at the performance of selected drivers at the track:

Prestoria Farms 150 Setup:
• Andy Seuss has been victorious in the last three Caraway Speedway races, a streak exceeded at the track only by L.W. Miller’s five straight wins in 2006-07.
• After recording his first career win last time out at Southern National Motorsports Park, JR Bertuccio is also the championship points leader for the first time. He finished third in the opener at Caraway.
• The Prestoria Farms 150 entry list features six previous Caraway winners: George Brunnhoelzl III (10), Seuss (9), Brian Loftin (8), Danny Bohn, Burt Myers and Jason Myers (1).

At Caraway Speedway:
History
• Caraway Speedway opened in 1966 as a dirt track and was paved in 1972.
• Caraway held three NASCAR Nationwide Series events from 1982-82, won by Dale Earnhardt, Jack Ingram and Butch Lindley.
• Caraway has featured weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing each year since 1986.
• The first NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at Caraway Speedway was held on March 26, 2005 and was won by Ted Christopher.

Notebook
• Caraway has held the most events in NWSMT history with 49 entering this week. No other track has played host to more than nine.
• There have been 11 different winners across the 49 previous NWSMT events at Caraway, led by George Brunnhoelzl III with 10.
• Seven different drivers have earned Coors Light Pole Awards at Caraway since the first race in 2005. Burt Myers leads that contingent with 13. He was also the inaugural event’s polesitter.
• Jason Myers is the only driver to compete in all 49 previous NWSMT events at Caraway.
• Brian Loftin, Junior Miller and L.W. Miller combined to win 17 of the first 21 NWSMT races at Caraway. Brunnhoelzl and Andy Seuss have accounted for 19 victories in the last 27 trips.
• L.W. Miller holds the record for consecutive victories at Caraway with five, which spanned the 2006-07 seasons.
• Seven Caraway races have been won wire-to-wire, including by Seuss in the tour’s last visit there on March 9.
• Seuss was the youngest Caraway race winner at 21 years, 6 months, 19 days.
• Junior Miller was the oldest Caraway victor at 55 years, 4 months, 14 days.

Caraway Speedway Data
Season Race #:  3 of 15 overall, 2 of 6 at Caraway
Track Layout:  .455-mile asphalt oval
Banking/Turns:  13 degrees
Banking/Straights:  9 degrees
Race Length:  150 laps / 68.25 miles

Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Pole/Race Winner:  New Event
Track Qualifying Record:  George Brunnhoelzl III, Chevrolet, 15.648 seconds, 104.678 mph, April 21, 2012

Active Category Leaders at Caraway:
Wins
1. George Brunnhoelzl III … 10
2. Andy Seuss … 9
3. Brian Loftin … 8

Poles
1. Burt Myers … 13
2. George Brunnhoelzl III … 10
3. Andy Seuss … 7

Top Fives
1. Brian Loftin … 26
2. George Brunnhoelzl III … 24
3. Jason Myers … 19
    Andy Seuss … 19

Top 10s
1. Jason Myers … 37
2. Burt Myers … 35
3. Brian Loftin … 31

Laps Led
1. Andy Seuss … 1,375
2. George Brunnhoelzl III … 1,143
3. Brian Loftin … 891

Laps Completed
1. Jason Myers … 6,867
2. Burt Myers … 6,774
3. Brian Loftin … 6,028

Starts
1. Jason Myers … 49
2. Burt Myers … 47
3. Brian Loftin … 44

Selected Driver Highlights:
JR Bertuccio (No. 2 Gershow Recycling/Hagerman Systems Chevrolet)
• Has a win and 10 top 10s in 28 career NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour starts. The win came last time out at Southern National Motorsports Park on March 16.
• Is the points leader for the first time in his career.
• In 14 career NWSMT starts at Caraway Speedway he has three top fives (last three races), an average finish of 12th and a best result of third (last race).

Danny Bohn (No. 65 Rustoleum/Cedar Peaks Chevrolet)
• The 2012 Sunoco Rookie of the Year has a win, a pole, 10 top fives and 18 top 10s in 24 career NWSMT starts.
• Ranks eighth in points after two races, including a sixth place finish at Caraway in the opener.
• His one victory came at Caraway in 2012. Has four top fives and eight top 10s in 11 career starts at the track.

George Brunnhoelzl III (No. 28 Composite Technologies Chevrolet)
• Has a record four NWSMT championships (2009, `11, `12, `13).
• Has 20 wins, 22 poles, 42 podiums, 51 top fives, 65 top 10s and 2,558 laps led in 80 career starts.
• Holds NWSMT all-time records for wins and laps led. Ranks second in poles, third in top fives and fourth in top 10s.
• Ranks third in points with finishes of second and third to start the season.
• Has 10 wins, 10 poles, 20 podiums, 24 top fives, 30 top 10s and 1,143 laps led in 36 career starts at Caraway.
• Has finished on the podium in 19 of his last 23 starts at Caraway, including all 10 wins.

Kyle Ebersole (No. 5 Ebersole Excavating Ford)
• Has a win, 12 top fives and 18 top 10s in 25 career starts. The victory was earned at Langley Speedway in 2013.
• Ranks sixth in points after two races with finishes of 14th at Caraway and second at Southern National.
• Has an average finish of ninth and a best result of second (2013) in 11 career Caraway starts.

Luke Fleming (No. 40 AutosByNelson.com/Koma Unwind Ford)
• The 2013 NWSMT Sunoco Rookie of the Year has a win and eight top 10s in 16 career starts. The win came at Bowman Gray Stadium in his 2009 tour debut.
• Ranks fifth in points through two races this year.
• Has an average finish of 10th and a best result of sixth (2013) in six career Caraway starts.

Brian Loftin (No. 23 L&R Transmissions Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWSMT champion has 12 wins, 12 poles, 40 top fives and 51 top 10s in 80 career starts.
• Sits 12th in points after two races with finishes of seventh at Caraway and 14th at Southern National.
• Has eight wins, six poles, 26 top fives and 31 top 10s in 44 career races at Caraway.

Burt Myers (No. 1 Citrusafe/Speedway Auto Auction/Adams Towing Ford)
• The 2010 NWSMT champion has 11 wins, a tour record 26 poles, 55 top fives and 88 top 10s in 106 career starts.
• Ranks fourth in points with top fives in each of the season’s first two events.
• Has one win, a record 13 poles, 18 top fives and 35 top 10s in 47 career Caraway starts.
• Was the NWSMT’s inaugural event polesitter at Caraway, and won the second-ever race there on April 9, 2005.

Jason Myers (No. 4 Adams Towing/Corks, Caps & Taps Ford)
• Has recorded three wins, 36 top fives and 81 top 10s in a NWSMT-record 110 career starts. Has competed in all but one race in the tour’s 10 seasons.
• Sits seventh in points after two races with finishes of fifth at Caraway and 11th at Southern National.
• Is the only driver to participate in all 49 previous NWSMT races at Caraway, where he has a win (2013), 19 top fives and a record 37 top 10s.

Andy Seuss (No. 11 Ideal Finance/Phoenix Motors Chevrolet)
• Has 16 wins, 10 poles, 47 top fives and 62 top 10s in 82 career NWSMT starts. His 16 wins rank second all-time.
• Trails JR Bertuccio by a single tally in the season standings after two races thanks to a win in the Caraway opener and a fourth at Southern National.
• His nine Caraway wins trail only George Brunnhoelzl III (10) on the track wins list. Also has seven poles, 19 top fives, 26 top 10s and a record 1,375 laps led in 36 total starts there.
• Three of his four career wire-to-wire wins have come at Caraway, including the 2014 opener.

Up To Speed:
• The 2014 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule consists of 15 events at seven different tracks across three states.
• The competition season opened with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18. Ryan Preece was the polesitter and Doug Coby took the checkered flag. Jason Myers was the highest-finishing NWSMT driver in the event when he crossed the line second.
• Andy Seuss won from the pole in the points season opener on March 9 at Caraway Speedway.
• JR Bertuccio captured his first career victory on March 15 at Southern National Motorsports Park. George Brunnhoelzl III was the event’s pole winner.
• Following the Prestoria Farms 150, the NWSMT will return to action on April 5 at South Boston Speedway.

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WSMT PR