Statistical Advance: Firecracker 150
Analyzing The Southern Modifieds At Caraway
Daytona Beach, FL — The seventh season of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour continues at Caraway Speedway with the Firecracker 150 presented by Budweiser 150 on Friday, July 1. The race will be contested on the historic .455-mile track located in the Piedmont Triad region near Asheboro, N.C.
Selected Driver Highlights:
Tim Brown (No. 02 Chevrolet)
• Finished second in the season-ending points standings a record three times from 2006-2008.
• Has 63 career NWSMT starts, ranks second in top-five finishes with 38 and has 52 top-10 finishes.
• Has made 27 starts at Caraway with 22 top-10 and 14 top-five finishes.
• Has six wins, the most recent came on Sept. 4, 2010 at Langley Speedway, his first since 2008.
George Brunnhoelzl III (No. 09 Chevrolet)
• The 2009 NWSMT champion has returned to the tour in 2011 after competing full-time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour last season.
• Competes for veteran car owner Howard Harvey as a teammate to Zach Brewer.
• Owner of seven wins, eight poles and 32 top 10s in 46 career NWSMT starts.
• Has four wins and 15 top-10 finishes in 21 starts at Caraway. The last win was on March 13, 2011.
• Also has four career Coors Light Pole Awards at Caraway.
James Civali (No. 79 Pontiac)
• Finished third in the 2010 NWSMT point standings.
• Has 16 career NWSMT starts. His first win came at South Boston Speedway on April 3, 2010 and his second was at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 18, 2010 as the highest-finishing NWMST competitor.
• Was the 2006 NWMT Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
• Has six top-10 finishes in seven starts at Caraway.
• Has four wins and 32 top 10s in 61 career NWMT starts.
• Drives for Roger and Sandra Hill of Hillbilly Racing.
Frank Fleming (No. 40 Ford)
• Is tied for the most career NWSMT starts with 75 and has only missed one race since 2005.
• Has finished second seven times, the most recent one at Caraway was on July 3, 2009.
• Has more than 50 wins at his home track, Bowman Gray.
• Has 34 starts at Caraway with 23 top-10 finishes and 15 top-five finishes.
• Brother, Chris Fleming, serves as his crew chief.
L.W. Miller (No. 36 Pontiac)
• The 2007 NWSMT Champion. Won by 25 points over Tim Brown (1,930-1,905).
• Finished second in the 2010 final standings, 31 points behind Burt Myers.
• Is tied with Brian Loftin for the most career NWSMT wins with 11, in just 58 starts.
• • Most recent win on the tour was at Bowman Gray Stadium on Aug. 7, 2010.
• Has a win (Martinsville) and 10 top 10s in 75 career NWMT career starts.
• Has also made 13 NASCAR Nationwide Series and six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts during his racing career.
Burt Myers (No. 1 Ford)
• Defending NWSMT champion.
• Holds NWSMT career records for poles (22), top-fives (39) and top-10s (59).
• Has 24 top-10 finishes in 32 career starts at Caraway.
• Has raced with his brother, Jason, in the NWSMT since 2005.
• Picked up his most recent win at Charlotte on Oct. 14, 2010.
Jason Myers (No. 4 Ford)
• Is tied with Frank Fleming for most career NWSMT starts with 75.
• Picked up his lone win at Bowman Gray on Aug. 5, 2006.
• Has made 34 starts at Caraway with 24 top-10 finishes. Has 53 top-10 finishes since 2005.
• Holds the record for consecutive NWSMT starts with 67; started every race since Martinsville (9/5/05).
Andy Seuss (No. 11 Chevrolet)
• Won last season at Caraway on March 14 and Aug. 28, and lead all 150 laps both times.
• Hampstead, N.H., native has eight career wins, including a single-season high of four victories in 2009.
• Led more laps last season than any other driver with 318.
• Has 33 top-10 finishes in 47 career NWSMT starts.
• Has made 21 starts at Caraway with four wins and has finished in the top-10 in the past six races at the track.
• Also has three top-10 finishes in 22 career NWMT starts.
John Smith (No. 25 Chevrolet)
• Has 25 career starts at Caraway and picked up his first NWSMT win on July 3, 2010 at the track.
• Has 38 top-10 finishes in 54 career NWSMT starts.
• Finished in the top 10 in the final points standings three years in a row (2008-2010), with a career-best fifth last year.
• Works full-time at Richard Childress Racing.
Thomas Stinson (No. 7 Chevrolet)
• Finished second to record his best career finish in 14 starts at Caraway on April 23, 2011. Stinson also finished third in the first race of the year at Caraway on March 13.
• Has 10 top-10 and three top-five finishes in 25 career NWSMT starts.
At Caraway Speedway
History:
• This will be the 35th NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at Caraway Speedway, the unofficial home track of the tour, and the third of six visits to the track this season. Caraway will also play host the NWSMT on Aug. 26, Oct. 1 and Sept. 27.
• The track was built in 1966, initially with a dirt surface, and was later paved and configured to its current size of .455-miles in length.
• The track has been owned and operated by Russell & Valastra Hackett and their family since 1977, however this season, Russell’s son Darren and his wife Renee have take over day-to-day operations.
Notebook:
• A total of seven drivers who have visited Victory Lane in the NWSMT races at Caraway will compete this weekend. Leading the group will be Brian Loftin, who has 7 wins at the track.
• Since the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour formed in 2005, there have been 76 races in the history of the tour.
• The NWSMT has crowned five different champions: Junior Miller (2005, 2006), L.W. Miller (2007), Brian Loftin (2008), George Brunnhoelzl III (2009) and Myers (2010) during its previous six years of competition.
Caraway Speedway Data
Race: #5 of 14 overall, #3- of 6 at Caraway
Track Layout: .455-mile paved oval
Banking: variable
Race Length: 150 laps/68.25 miles
Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: John Smith
2010 race winner: Burt Myers
Track qualifying record: George Brunnhoelzl III (102.844 mph, 15.752 seconds, 4/11/09)
Track race record (150 L): Tim Brown (90.977 mph, 44:31 min., 9-9-06)
NWSMT All-Time Win Leaders At Caraway Speedway
1. Brian Loftin …7
1. L.W. Miller …6
3. Junior Miller …5
4. George Brunnhoelzl III …4
4. Ted Christopher …4
4. Andy Seuss …4
7. Tim Brown …2
9. Burt Myers …1
10. John Smith …1
NWSMT Top-10 Points Standings
1. George Brunnhoelzl III …705
1. John Smith …630
3. Thomas Stinson …596
4. Jason Myers …593
5. Tim Brown …587
6. Zach Brewer …580
6. James Civali …580
8. Frank Fleming …553
9. Andy Seuss …534
10. L.W. Miller …530
Up To Speed:
• Brian Loftin captured the pole and George Brunnhoelzl III the checkered flag in the 2011 season opener at Caraway Speedway on March 13.
• George Brunnhoelzl III took the checkered flag at the most recent tour race of the year at Hickory Motor Speedway on April 2, for his second win of the season.
• Ted Christopher returned to the tour at South Boston and went on to win the rain-delayed race over Brunnoelzl.
• Ted Christopher returned and won the Caraway 150 in April at Caraway Speedway for his sixth career southern modified win.
Sources: Tim Southers/NASCAR WSMT PR