HAPPY ENDING:
BRUNNHOELZL EARNS HIS FIRST NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Wins finale & claims Whelen Southern Mod title
George Brunnhoelzl III capped off his first NASCAR
championship a victory in the Fall Classic 150 at Caraway
Speedway, the final race of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified
Tour season.
Brunnhoelzl needed to only start the finale to clinch the
championship. He assured himself of that by claiming his sixth
Coors Light Pole Award of the season. He went on to claim his
fifth win of the season and third at Caraway.
He started fifth after the post-qualifying redraw of the top
six, and took over the lead on Lap 73 when Brian Loftin came
down pit road under caution. He briefly lost the lead to John
Smith at the line on a Lap 142 restart, before retaking the
point.
Smith got under Brunnhoelzl on the final lap and the two
drag-raced out of Turn 4, with Brunnhoelzl taking the win. Jason
Myers followed in third, followed by Frank Fleming and Burt
Myers.
Brunnhoelzl finished 180 points ahead of runner-up Andy Seuss.
Burt Myers ended the season third, followed by 2008 champion
Brian Loftin and Fleming.
Brunnhoelzl's best points finish was seventh last year. The
27-year-old West Babylon, N.Y., native entered 2009 with one win
in 25 career starts over three seasons. In addition to his five
wins this year, he had 13 top fives in 14 races.
As a touring series champion, Brunnhoelzl earned a protected
starting position in the prestigious NASCAR Toyota All-Star
Showdown to be held on Jan. 29-30 at California’s Toyota
Speedway at Irwindale. The seventh running of the event, which
is run in NASCAR Camping World Series cars, brings together the
top racers from across North America for the “Daytona 500 of
short-track racing.”
Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour teams is
the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, N.C. on
Saturday, Nov. 14 at which Brunnhoelzl and the rest of the
touring series champions will be honored.
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Caraway
Unofficial Results
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Race: NWSMT October 24, 2009 Caraway
Fin / Str / Car / Driver / Team / Laps / Points / Total Award /
Status
1 5 28 George Brunnhoelzl III Oval Speed/ Fibrwrap/PT Ford 150
180 $2,350 Running
2 2 25 John Smith Tutterow Surveying/Rick's Home Improvement 150
170 1,500 Running
3 3 4 Jason Myers Capital Bank/Moorefield & Trantham Ent. Ford
150 165 1,125 Running
4 7 40 Frank Fleming Jerry Hunt Auto & Truck Sales Pontiac 150
160 1,300 Running
5 9 1 Burt Myers Capital Bank/JRC Investments Ford 150 155 1,300
Running
6 4 47 Andy Seuss Advance Auto Parts/Q Racing Oil/AutoTech 150
150 850 Running
7 8 18 Zach Brewer DMC Auto Exchange 150 146 750 Running
8 1 23 Brian Loftin L & R Transmissions/QMF Metal Solutions 149
142 690 Running
9 6 44 Jonathan Brown Don&Dee Stone/Kook's Custom Headers 147
138 590 Accident
10 11 97 Bryan Dauzat O.B. Builders Chevrolet 135 134 550 Parked
11 10 81 Lee Jeffreys Comtech Solutions/Wings-N-Things Chevrolet
135 130 525 Running
12 12 51 Thomas McCann Jr. RimzOne Activate Chevrolet 48 127 500
Engine
13 13 12 Jay Hedgecock Combs Wholesale Produce/Gary's Lawn 4 124
485 Suspension
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: George Brunnhoelzl III, Time: 16.004 Seconds,
Speed: 102.349 mph
Time of Race: 51 mins, 0 secs Average Speed: 80.294 mph Margin
of Victory: 0.160 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 71-75 (Debris); 88-94 (# 97 Spins on
backstretch); 97-99 (#97 Spins in Turn 2); 137-142 (#23 & #97
Spin in Turn 2). 4 for 21 laps.
Lap Leaders: Brian Loftin 1-73, George Brunnhoelzl III 74-142,
John Smith 143, George Brunnhoelzl III 144-150.
Total Laps Led: George Brunnhoelzl III 76, Brian Loftin 73, John
Smith 1. 3 changes involving 3 drivers.
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
COCA-COLA MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Burt Myers, 1 Capital Bank/JRC
Investments Ford
COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: George Brunnhoelzl III, 28 Oval Speed/
Fibrwrap/PT Ford
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Frank Fleming, 40 Jerry
Hunt Auto & Truck Sales Pontiac
Source: Tim SOuthers / NASCAR
PR
Posted: October
25, 2009
