Whelen So. Mod News & Notes: Bowman Gray

By admin July 28, 2015 Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR WSMT

Myers Brothers Come Home In Battle At The Top Of Standings

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – There have been a lot of memorable moments throughout the 11-year history of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and Saturday night at Bowman Gray Stadium will provide another when Burt and Jason Myers take the green flag.

For the first time in the history of the tour the brothers, who have competed in the NWSMT since its inception in 2005, will enter the Sturtmasters.com 199 first and second in the point standings.

Younger brother Jason, who holds the record for most starts and consecutive starts in the history of the tour, leads Burt by two points heading to their home track.

Both drivers have already won on the tour at Bowman Gray (Burt – 2005 & 2007; Jason – 2006) and can add to their impressive resumes with a win this Saturday night. 

While the two brothers are fighting for bragging rights back home in Walnut Cove, North Carolina, they also have to keep an eye on the competition as the top four drivers in the standings are separated by just seven points.

J.R. Bertuccio, who joins Jason Myers and Gary Putnam as the only drivers to finish in the top-10 in every race this season, sits third looking for his first win of the year, while Kyle Ebersole is fourth. 

Former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece and fellow northeastern competitor Eric Goodale also return south in an attempt to score a win at the historic quarter-mile in Winston-Salem, N.C.

RACE:     Strutmasters.com 199
PLACE:     Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.
DATE:     Saturday, Aug. 2
TIME:     8:40 p.m. ET (Approx.)
TRACK LAYOUT:     .25-mile asphalt oval
2014 POLESITTER / WINNER:     Danny Bohn
EVENT SCHEDULE:     Practice 4-4:50 p.m., Two-Lap Qualifying 6 p.m., Driver Autograph Session 7 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT:     Loren Pinilis, (336) 793-6444, (336) 793-6444, LKPinilis@emphasis-studios.com
TRACK TWITTER:     @BGSRacing
EVENT HASHTAGS:     #Strutmasters199
NASCAR CONTACT:     Tim Southers, 386-235-3634, tsouthers@nascar.com, Twitter: @tsouth1968

* All times are local and subject to change


Fast Facts
The Race: The Sturtmasters.com 199 is the sixth race on the 2014 schedule for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, now in its 11th season.

The Procedure: The maximum starting field is 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 23 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race is scheduled for 199 laps (49.99 miles) with an optional pit stop allowed at or near Lap 139. There will be a three minute break for the pit stop. If teams choose to do so, they can also stay out and not pit. Cars that elect to pit will line up how they exit the pits behind the lead lap cars that stayed on the track.

The Track: NASCAR’s very first weekly track, Bowman Gray Stadium’s famed quarter-mile has been in continuous operation since 1949. The Stadium has played host to the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour every year since NASCAR began sanctioning the tour in 2005.

Race Winners: There have been eight different winners across the nine previous Whelen Southern Modified Tour events at Bowman Gray, led by Burt Myers and L.W. Miller with two wins apiece.

Pole Winners: Seven different drivers have earned Coors Light Pole Awards at Bowman Gray since the inaugural event in 2005. Burt Myers leads that contingent with four. Tim Brown holds the track qualifying record at 13.186 seconds, 68.254 mph, set on Aug. 4, 2008.
Bowman Gray Race Notes
Hutchens Plays Role of Road Warrior: NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour and Sunoco Rookie  of Year contender Trey Hutchens and his dad and car owner Bobby will be busy this weekend. First they will fly and compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Iowa Speedway on Friday night, then fly back early Saturday morning in time to participate in the Sturtmasters.com 199 later that night at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Bowman Gray Sets New Mark: Saturday’s Strutmasters.com 199 will be the 11th NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour event at Bowman Gray, which will make Caraway Speedway the only track on the schedule that has hosted more tour races than BGS.

Strong Field Expected Again: With the addition of 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece, there will be a total of four champions in the field. Joining Preece will be Brunnhoelzl, Burt Myers and Andy Seuss.

Bohn Returns to Action: Danny Bohn, who is competing on a limited basis this season on the tour, will return to defend his race win from a year ago. Bohn has also captured wins this season in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series events at the track. 

Home Tracks: Drivers Make Strong Showing in State Standings
Although it’s not the only NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track in North Carolina, Bowman Gray Stadium is flexing its muscle when it comes to its competitors in the state’s top 10. As of last weekend, BGS drivers were first through 10th in the standings, led by nine-time track champion Tim Brown. Sitting second is Burt Myers who also holds six track titles as well. Jason Myers, who tied his grandfather Billy Myers’ mark of 22 wins at BGS last Saturday, sat third with Chris Fleming fourth and John Smith fifth.
 
Sources: Tim Southers/NASCAR PR