NASCAR WHELEN SOUTHERN MODIFIED TOUR DRIVER L.W. MILLER EXCITED HEADING TO MUSIC CITY MOTORPLEX RACE THIS SUNDAY

    L.W. Miller headed into the 2007 season as a man on a mission in his pursuit of this year’s championship. The 33 year-old Mooresville , N.C. driver got things off to a strong start last Saturday night in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour season-opener with a victory at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway .
    Miller won despite racing with a flat left front tire in the final 20 laps and had to hold off a strong challenge from second-place finisher Burt Myers. Miller is now hoping that his run of good luck will carry over into this Sunday’s Whelen 150 at the Music City Motorplex in Nashville , Tenn.
    “I’ve won two Modified championships before and each year I won them I got off to a terrible start,” Miller said. “The best season-opening finish I had was ninth. I told (crew chief) Jimmy Baker before the race the other night that if I could come out with a top-five finish then we would be on the road to the championship. To be able to walk away with a win was just incredible.”
    The rich racing history at the Music City Motorplex is something that means a lot to all the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour drivers.
    “The Music City Motorplex is definitely one of the tracks in the southeastern part of the country that has a lot of history and tradition behind it,” Miller said. “To be able to go there with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour is going to be a lot of fun. It’s a new track for us and I like to go to different places. It’s going to be a fast track. I think it’s important for this Tour to go to as many different states as possible, and this year we’re going to four different states.
    “I know we’re going to put on a good show for the fans. I’m excited about it.”
    Miller is fully aware of the number of drivers that cut their racing teeth at the Music City Motorplex early in their careers as well as when the track hosted NASCAR’s top two divisions. They include two-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin, brothers Darrell and Michael Waltrip, brothers Jeff and David Green, and the late Bobby Hamilton Sr. along with his son and current NASCAR Busch Series competitor Bobby Hamilton Jr.
    The famed Music City Motorplex hosted Winston Cup events until 1984 as well as NASCAR Busch Series races until 2000.
    In fact, Miller raced at the Tennessee short track in a Busch Series Opryland 320 in March 1995 and posted a 27th place finish. Among those drivers entered in that race were both the Waltrip and Green brothers as well as Marlin. Former Busch Series champion David Green won the race.
    “I don’t remember anything about that race to be honest with you other than the fact I didn’t do all that well,” Miller said. “I know the track has changed a lot since then when it comes to things like the racing surface. With that being the case I don’t think I’ll have an advantage over any of the other drivers because it has been so long since I’ve been there.
    “I know it’s going to be a pretty fast track for us but I like that. I’ve got a lot of friends that have raced Late Models at Music City Motorplex. Robert Hamke, the guy builds our chassis, goes out there and he really knows the characteristics of the track. I feel like that’s going to help me because I know we’ll have the car headed in the right direction just as soon as we unload it.”

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