Brewer Breaks Through at Hickory
“American Freedom 124” presented by KOMA Unwind Relaxation Drink
HICKORY, N.C. — Zach Brewer followed the leaders into the pits on lap 55, but they followed him across the finish line Saturday night at Hickory Motor Speedway. The Winston-Salem, N.C., driver overcame several late-race restarts and a personal loss to win the KOMA Unwind Modified Madness Series American Freedom 125 at Hickory Saturday night.
“That’s the easiest race I have driven in a long time,” Brewer said. “I’ve got a great crew and surrounded myself with great people. It’s just an awesome night.”
Tim Brown — who turned a 14.545-second lap to claim the “Piedmont Racing EXPO & Auction Pole Award” — led the 20 modifieds to the green and the first caution on lap two. After the restart, Brown faded and former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield took command. The second caution came on lap 55, when officials reported debris on the track. That sent Mayfield, along with most of the field, to pit road. “I was going to do what the leaders did when they came in,” said Brewer, who started second. “I thought everybody had passed on coming in but evidently the pits weren’t open yet. When they dove in, I was like ‘Hey we’re coming in”. He took a right-rear tire and restarted in the 10th position. He was fourth by lap 80.
[Photo Gallery] by Brad Newman
Brewer inherited the lead on lap 84, when Renee Dupuis spun between turns three and four, bringing out the caution and sending the cars in front of him to the pits. He pulled away on the restart as Mayfield, Spencer Davis and Brown battled behind him. That continued until a flurry of cautions, including two on lap 106 and the final one on lap 110, slowed the race. Brewer won each restart, his modified sliding off turn four as he battled to stay out front.
“You have a lot of wheel in it, and you’re shifting right there. I was trying to make sure I gave [second place Brown] plenty of room,” he said. “In a race a couple years ago here I got into the guy in front of me [on a restart], and that cost me the race.”
Meanwhile, series points leader Burt Myers, who started third, had raced back to fourth on lap 111 after two pit stops during the lap 84 caution. On lap 112, Myers went to second, passing Brown and Bobby Sheffield in a three-wide outside move at the start-finish line.
“I was trying,” Myers said. “After we put the right rear on for the first pit stop we just missed the adjustment. The car was way too free and I had to bide my time. I told them, ‘We are going to have to come back in and make another adjustment.’” Teams were allowed one new tire for the race, not counting flats, so Myers’ crew swapped left-side tires during his last pit stop. “The left front wears about half as much as the left rear,” he said. “When you switch them, you get that fresh tire on the left rear. By doing that it gave us the extra grip we needed to drive to the front.” But that move cost Myers too many positions.
Brewer’s lead was half a straightaway by lap 120, and he maintained it for the final five laps. He became the fourth KOMA Unwind Modified Madness Tour winner in as many races this year, the inaugural season for the series. In victory lane, Brewer dedicated the win to his grandmother, who passed away on Thursday. “She never came to a lot of races, but she was here tonight,” he said.
The remainder of this story is added by the Southern Modified Race Tour media.
Jimmy Wallace claimed the trophy and bonus money as the highest finishing “Modified Light” car. “Modified Light” cars are tour type cars with a different engine and weight package competing in a race-within-a-race.
The race took 1 hour, 10 minutes and 57 seconds to complete. There were 12 lead changes between five different drivers including Brown, Brewer, Mayfield, Nichols and Sheffield with Brewers 45 laps at the point giving him the most laps led bonus points and $225.00 in lap leader bonus money awarded by KOMA Unwind Relaxation Drink..
There were six caution periods but no laps wasted as caution laps do not count.
Racing Radios awarded a $100.00 certificate to Jason Myers as the 6th place qualifier. Hank Thomas Performance 7 / 11 “Get Lucky and Win” winners were Mayfield (7th) and Mike Norman (11th). Scott Hall received a $100.00 Certificate from Hank Thomas Performance as the 5th place finishing “Modified Light” car. Brewer will also receive a certificate for a free header coating valued at $350.00 from Scott Bryant and H. M. Elliott, Inc.
Wayne Lawson and Jerry Tuttle were the winners in the East Coast Flathead Ford Racing Association event,
Steven Sanders edged Jason Tutterow for the win in the Mini Stock Madness feature.
ST. FIN. CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS Reason Out
2 1 31 Zach Brewer Winston-Salem, NC 125 Running
3 2 1 Burt Myers Kernersville, NC 125 Running
8 3 9 Bobby Sheffield Mooresville, NC 125 Running
10 4 80 Mike Speeney King, NC 125 Running
6 5 4 Jason Myers Walnut Cove, NC 125 Running
9 6 54 Jeff Fultz Mooresville, NC 125 Running
5 7 J2 Jeremy Mayfield Sherrills Ford, NC 125 Running
1 8 02 Tim Brown Tobaccoville, NC 125 Running
15 9 43 David Calabrese Mooresville, NC 125 Running
20 10 82 Cale Gale Winston-Salem, NC 125 Running
19 11 12 Mike Norman Winston-Salem, NC 125 Running
16 12 *22L Jimmy Wallace Lexington, NC 125 Running
7 13 59 Renne Dupius Hebron, CT 125 Running
16 14 10 Johnny Sutton Mooresville, NC 122 Running
13 15 2L Austin Thompson High Point, NC 119 Ignition
4 16 79 Spencer Davis Dawsonville, GA 110 Suspension
11 17 34L Josh Nichols Cleveland, NC 106 Engine
18 18 2 J. R. Bertuccio Centereach, NY 87 Suspension
12 19 45L Gary Young, Jr. Burlington, NC 58 Rear End
14 20 4L Scott Hall Walkertown, NC 24 Mechanical
DNS 3 Danny Propst Wingate, NC Engine
Sources: Pete Anderson/Koma UMMS PR