Whelen Modified Statistical Advance: Bristol

Analyzing The Bush’s Beans 150 At Bristol Motor Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours will head to Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway for Wednesday’s seventh annual Bush’s Beans 150 combination race. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the tours and selected drivers at the track:

EVENT INFORMATION

Bush’s Beans 150 Setup:
• After 10 of 15 events, the top three in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings are separated by just eight points entering Bristol Motor Speedway. Woody Pitkat leads Ryan Preece by one and defending titlist Doug Coby by eight.
• With six of 11 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour events complete, the top four in the standings are also separated by single digits. Burt Myers leads his brother, Jason, by four while Kyle Ebersole and JR Bertuccio are tied for third, nine points behind.
• The NWMT No. 22 Our Racing Chevrolet has won Bristol the last two years: with Mike Stefanik in 2013 and Tommy Barrett Jr. in 2014. This year Ted Christopher is behind the wheel.
• NWMT drivers have won each of the 13 all-time, points-paying combination races with the NWSMT, including the previous six at Bristol.
• Two-time NWSMT Bristol winner George Brunnhoelzl III is set to make his 100th career start in this event.
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Ryan Newman is the only driver to reach Victory Lane twice at Bristol in a modified. He won the event in back-to-back seasons in 2010-11.

At Bristol Motor Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.
• First NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 30, 1961; Jack Smith won the event (with relief from Johnny Allen).
• In the fall of 1969, the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-miles.
• The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
• The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
• The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
• The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.
• The track was resurfaced between races in 2007, and the turns were ground down in 2013 to eliminate part of the progressive banking.
• There have been a total of 109 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 66 NASCAR XFINITY Series, 17 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and four NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races at the track entering this week.

Notebook
• The format for the Bristol combination races sees the competitors from the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours compete for an overall checkered flag and purse, but earn points respective to their own tours. The highest-finishing driver from the tour that does not take the checkered flag is credited for a win for that tour.
• This will be the 13th all-time, points-paying combination race between the NWMT and NWSMT. There were six such events at Martinsville Speedway from 2005-10, and this will be the seventh at Bristol. The two tours have also competed in six non-points combo races on the short track at Daytona International Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in recent seasons.

Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Race:  NWMT #11 of 15, NWSMT #7 of 11
Track Layout:  .533-mile concrete oval
Race Length:  150 laps (79.95 miles)
Banking/Corners:  24-28 degrees
Banking/Straights:  4-8 degrees
Telecast:  NBCSN, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. ET

Qualifying/Race Data
2014 Winners:  Tommy Barrett Jr. (NWMT and overall) / JR Bertuccio (NWSMT)
2014 Polesitters:  Justin Bonsignore (NWMT and overall) / Burt Myers (NWSMT)
Qualifying Record: Donny Lia (14.806 seconds, 129.596 mph – 8/21/13)

Category Leaders at Bristol
Wins – NWMT & Overall
1. Ryan Newman … 2
2. Tommy Barrett Jr. … 1
    Donny Lia … 1
    Ron Silk … 1
    Mike Stefanik … 1

Wins – NWSMT
1. George Brunnhoelzl III … 2
2. JR Bertuccio … 1
    James Civali … 1
    Frank Fleming … 1
    Burt Myers … 1

Poles – NWMT & Overall
1. Justin Bonsignore … 2
    Donny Lia … 1
    Bobby Santos … 1
    Ron Silk … 1

Poles – NWSMT
1. Tim Brown … 2
    James Civali … 1
    Burt Myers … 1
    Ryan Newman … 2

Laps Led – Overall
1. Ted Christopher … 236
2. Todd Szegedy … 140
2. Donny Lia … 133

Laps Completed – Overall
1. Eric Goodale … 883
2. Jamie Tomaino … 853
3. Andy Seuss … 818

Selected Driver Highlights:
NOTE: The following statistics are specific to the driver’s designated tour, unless otherwise noted.

JR Bertuccio (NWSMT No. 2 Gershow Recycling Chevrolet)
• Has two wins and 23 top 10s in 45 career NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour starts. The wins came at Southern National Motorsports Park and Bristol Motor Speedway (NWSMT) last season.
• Is tied for third in the season standings with top 10s in all six events.
• Finished 12th in 2013 at Bristol in his only other start at the track prior to his top NWSMT finish last year.

Justin Bonsignore (NWMT No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has seven wins, five poles and 48 top 10s in 83 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Ranks ninth in points after 10 races with five top-10 finishes, highlighted by a win at Riverhead Raceway.
• Is the only driver with two overall pole wins at Bristol, where he’s recorded a best result of second (2011) in five previous starts. His average finish of fifth is the best in the event’s history.

George Brunnhoelzl III (NWSMT No. 28 Composite Technologies Chevrolet)
• Has a record four NWSMT championships (2009, `11, `12, `13).
• Has 23 wins, 23 poles, 50 podiums, 63 top fives, 77 top 10s and 3,222 laps led in 99 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.
• Sits eighth in points with a win and just one additional top-10 finish in six races.
• Has two wins (2009, `12), a pole and four top fives in five NWSMT starts at Bristol. Holds the record as the highest finishing NWSMT regular in the combination event in 2009 coming home fourth overall.

Ted Christopher (NWMT No. 22 Canto Paving/Ferguson Waterworks Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion has 42 wins, 24 poles and 197 top 10s in 356 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
• Is looking to end a 51-race winless drought. It’s the second-longest such streak in his career. His first win came in his 94th race.
• Sits 10th in points with six top 10s in nine starts. Did not participate in the race at Monadnock Speedway.
• Has a Bristol modified record 236 laps led with an average finish of 13th and a best result of second (2009) in five starts at the track.

Doug Coby (NWMT No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/A&J Romano Construction Chevrolet)
• The 2012 and 2014 NWMT champion has 14 wins, seven poles and 86 top 10s in 167 career starts.
• Ranks third in points with eight top 10s with a NWMT-best four victories, including two of the last three events.
• Has an average finish of 12th with a best result of fourth (2014) in four Bristol appearances.

Kyle Ebersole (NWSMT No. 5 Ebersole Excavating Ford)
• Has two wins, 20 top fives and 32 top 10s in 42 career starts. The first victory was earned at Langley Speedway in 2013 and the second came at South Boston Speedway in 2014.
• Is tied for third in the NWSMT standings with five top 10s in six races.
• Has an average finish of eight with a best run of third (2013) in three NWSMT Bristol starts.

Patrick Emerling (NWMT No. 07 Buffalo Auto Auction Chevrolet)
• Has two poles and 22 top 10s in 64 career starts with a best finish of fourth, recorded in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The poles were earned in the last two outings prior to Bristol.
• Ranks sixth in points this year on the strength of six top 10s in 10 outings.
• Has an average finish of 10th with a best result of fifth (2011) in three Bristol races.

Frank Fleming (NWSMT No. 40 AutosByNelson.com Chevrolet)
• This veteran driver has returned to the seat for the first time since 2012. He has one win (NWSMT Bristol – 2011) one pole, 26 top-five and 63 top-10 finishes in 102 career starts.
• Is seventh in the current season standings with four top 10s in six outings.
• Has one win as highest finishing NWSMT competitor in 2011, two top-five and three top-10 finishes in four career starts at Bristol.

Eric Goodale (NWMT No. 58 GAF Roofing/Supreme Skylights Chevrolet)
• Has a win, a pole and 43 top 10s in 96 career starts.
• Maintains the NWMT’s active lead for consecutive starts, now at 94 races.
• Ranks fifth in points after 10 races with eight top 10s and a best finish of fourth (three times).
• Has an average finish of eighth with a best run of seventh (three times) across the six previous Bristol races.

Donny Lia (NWMT No. 8 Sypher Construction/Bardahl Chevrolet)
• The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion has 17 wins, 21 poles and 82 top 10s in 164 career starts.
• Four top 10s in 10 starts this year has him 11th in the points standings.
• Has a win (2009), a pole (2013) and an average finish of 14th in four Bristol modified starts.
• Also had finishes of 12th (2008) and 30th (2010) in two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Bristol.

Burt Myers (NWSMT No. 1 Remington SCT/Speedway Auto Auction Ford)
• The 2010 NWSMT champion has 16 wins, a tour record 28 poles, 66 top fives and 103 top 10s in 124 career starts.
• Sits atop the NWSMT standings with win and five top 10s in six races.
• Has one win (2013) and four top fives in six NWSMT starts at Bristol.

Jason Myers (NWSMT No. 4 Adams Towing/Corks, Caps & Taps Ford)
• Has recorded three wins, 39 top fives and 94 top 10s in a NWSMT-record 128 career starts. Has competed in all but one race (2005-Martinsville Speedway) in the tour’s previous 10 seasons.
• Is second in the standings, four points behind his brother, with top-10 finishes in all six events.
• Has four top 10s in six NWSMT starts at Bristol with a best result of third in 2011.

Ryan Newman (NWMT No. 7 Menards/Wix Filters Chevrolet)
• Has four wins, five poles and 10 top fives in 18 career NWMT starts.
• In NWMT action at Bristol he has two wins (2010, `11), four top fives and an average finish of seventh.
• Competed in the 2012 race as an NWSMT entry, where he earned the pole and finished seventh for that tour.
• Has three poles, an average finish of 16th and a best result of second in 27 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol. Also has a win (2005) and a pole (2006) at Bristol in NASCAR XFINITY Series action, and yet another pole (2009) in his only NCWTS start there.

Woody Pitkat (NWMT No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet)
• Has three wins, three poles and 51 top 10s in 101 career starts.
• Leads in points with top 10s in all 10 events, highlighted by a win in the Stafford Spring Sizzler. Also won the non-points All-Star Shootout at NHMS.
• Has an average finish of ninth and a best result of fourth (2009) in five Bristol starts.

Ryan Preece (NWMT No. 6 TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet)
• The 2013 NWMT champion has 14 wins, 14 poles, 32 podiums, 53 top fives and 74 top 10s in 118 career starts.
• Trails Pitkat by one point atop the standings and has top 10s in all 10 events, highlighted by three victories.
• Has an average finish of sixth with a best run of third (2009, `12) in five previous trips to Bristol.

Gary Putnam (NWSMT No. 77 Curb Records Chevrolet)
• Has 24 top 10s in 51 career starts with a career best finish of fifth at Caraway Speedway in 2013.
• Ranks sixth in points with five top 10s across the six events.
• Has finishes of eighth and 11th in two NWSMT starts at Bristol.

Bobby Santos (NWMT No. 44 Tinio Corp./Dan Kelley/Curb Records Chevrolet)
• The 2010 NWMT champion has 13 wins, 16 poles and 56 top 10s in 103 career events.
• Sits eighth in points after 10 races with six top 10s and a best result of third in the season-opener.
• Has a pole (2011), an average finish of 11th and a best result of second (2014) in four Bristol starts.

Andy Seuss (NWSMT No. 11 NorthEast Race Cars/Ideal Finance Chevrolet)
• Has 19 wins, 11 poles, 59 top fives and 78 top 10s in 100 career NWSMT starts. His 19 wins rank second all-time.
• Finished first in the championship standings last season with a pair of wins at Caraway and one at South Boston.
• Ranks fifth in the current season standings with a win and four top 10s in six events.
• Is the only driver to finish in the top-10 in all six NWSMT starts at Bristol. Best finish was second in 2011.

Ron Silk (NWMT No. 05 15-40 Connection Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, eight poles and 85 top 10s in 143 career starts.
• Has recorded a pair of top 10s in five events this year in a part-time role.
• Won from the pole in 2012 at Bristol, where he has an average finish of ninth across the six previous races.

Todd Szegedy (NWMT No. 41 Mystic Missile Racing Dodge)
• The 2003 NWMT champion has 19 wins, 10 poles and 123 top 10s in 197 career starts.
• Sits fourth in points with eight top 10s in 10 outings in his first season with Mystic Missile Racing, highlighted by a victory at NHMS.
• Finished top-five in the first five Bristol races, including three-consecutive podium finishes, before a 20th place result a year ago. Was the runner-up in 2012 and 2013.

Other Driver Notes
• James Civali earned the NWSMT pole and the win at Bristol in 2010. Normally a NWMT driver, his finish of third overall in that race is the best result ever for an NWSMT entry in the 13 all-time combo races.
• Cale Gale made his NWSMT debut in this event last year. His only national series poles were earned at Bristol in 2008 in NXS and in 2012 in NCWTS.
• Trey Hutches has competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races at Bristol the last two years.

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR  PR