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10/21/2010 |
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MYERS VAULTS
TO THE TOP OF FINAL HUNTER INDEX
Bowman Gray Champ Earns First
Whelen Southern Modified Title |
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 Burt
Myers knew going in to the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
season finale, he would have to put forth a dominant effort and get
some breaks if he was going to come away with his first
championship.
All Myers did was lead 149 of the 150 laps of the quarter-mile track
on the frontstretch of Charlotte Motor Speedway. And when the dust
settled from the various skirmishes that enveloped the other
championship contenders, it was the Walnut Cove, N.C., driver
standing in Victory Lane with the big trophy.
None of it would have been possible if not for Myers’ effort in the
previous two races – a third-place at Langley Speedway in Hampton,
Va., and a win at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C.
His incredible final run to the finish earned him one final honor.
Myers was voted as the top driver for the final 2010 edition of the
Hunter Index, the monthly power poll designed to highlight the
standout performances in the NASCAR Developmental Series.
The Hunter Index is a new feature in 2010 on NASCARHomeTracks.com.
Drivers are ranked on their performance over the previous month. The
rankings are compiled by a panel of auto racing writers and NASCAR
representatives.
“This guy blew me away in the final few NASCAR Whelen Southern
Modified Tour races,” said Adam Fenwick of National Speed Sport
News. “Heck, he came from fourth in the standings to win the title
in the last race. You never see that these days.”
Earlier in the season, Myers won the Bill Plemmons RV World Modified
Series championship at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. It
was the fourth Modified division championship at the historic track
for the 34-year-old Myers, and it also helped him win his first
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series North Carolina championship.
It was the final run to the tour championship, however, that netted
him three of the six first-place votes.
Myers’ narrowly edged out Ryan Truex, DJ Kennington and Eric Holmes
for the top honors.
Truex finished out his second straight NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
title with a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and a third-place
finish at Dover International Speedway. Like Myers, Kennington had a
pair of wins and a third-place finish in his last three races. The
difference for Kennington, who received two first-place votes, is he
wrapped up the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1
championship with a third in the finale.
“You had several drivers close out title runs with unbelievable
performances, which made it a tough call for the voters,” said Jason
Christley, the NASCAR public relations representative on the panel.
“In the end, being able to claim the championship while standing in
Victory Lane is what separated Burt. The fact that every series is
represented in the top 10 is a clear indication that the voters
recognize the immense challenge of winning a championship at any
level in NASCAR.
Holmes received the other first-place vote and finished fourth in
the voting. Holmes was sixth on the road course at Miller
Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, and earned the win at All American
Speedway in Roseville, Calif. He only needs to start the final race
next month at Phoenix to clinch his third NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
championship in five years.
Panelists rank their top 15, with first place receiving 15 points,
second 14, third 13 and so on.
Bobby Santos III, who won his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
championship with a win and a sixth in the final two races, was
fifth.
Brett Moffitt, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East winner at Dover, was
sixth, followed by German Quiroga (NASCAR Mexico Series), Pete
Shepherd (NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), Tim Brown (NASCAR Whelen
Southern Modified Tour) and Philip Morris (NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series).
Four drivers earned honorable mention, including Ted Christopher,
who won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour final race at Thompson
(Conn.) International Speedway and Dustin Ash, who won the final
three races at The Bullring in Las Vegas to take home the track’s
Super Late Model title and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Nevada championship.
The Hunter Index is named for Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president of
corporate communications and a longtime supporter of the weekly and
touring series that make up the NASCAR Developmental Series.
The Index was designed in the off season as an opportunity to
compare the top drivers from the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
all the way up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. It also encompasses
drivers from the NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series,
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified
Tour.
In addition to Myers, Morris (March), Paulie Harraka of the NASCAR
K&N Pro Series West (April), Christopher (May and September), Santos
(June), NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion Keith
Rocco (July) and Holmes (August) have also earned the No. 1 position
in the Index.
The panel also included media members Shawn Courchesne of the
Hartford (Conn.) Courant representing the Northeast, Fenwick from
the Southeast, Tim Haddock of haddockinthepaddock.blogspot.com from
the West Coast, and Spencer Lewis, representing the Canadian
publication Inside Track Motorsports News. They are joined by Brett
Bodine, who is the chairman of the NASCAR Resumé Committee and
represents the NASCAR competition side on the panel, and Christley.
OCTOBER HUNTER INDEX
1. BURT MYERS
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Why he’s here: The Walnut Cove, N.C., driver capped an improbable
comeback in the season finale, winning his second straight race to
vault from fourth to first in the points standings and earn his
first NASCAR touring series championship.
2. RYAN TRUEX
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Why He’s Here: Matched his brother’s NASCAR championship trophy haul
with second straight East title thanks to a win at New Hampshire and
third in finale at Dover.
3. DJ KENNINGTON
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1
Why He’s Here: Emerged from year-long battle with JR Fitzpatrick
with his first NASCAR championship thanks to two wins and a third in
final three races.
4. ERIC HOLMES
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
Why He’s Here: Win at All American puts Escalon, Calif. on verge of
third title; just needs to start at Phoenix – where he won earlier
this year – to clinch.
5. BOBBY SANTOS III
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Why He’s Here: First full year on the tour yielded four wins, four
poles, and the record as youngest driver to win a tour championship.
6. BRETT MOFFITT
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Why He’s Here: Added another “Monster” to his collection with a
second straight win at Dover and finished his sophomore season
second in the series points.
7. GERMAN QUIROGA
NASCAR Mexico Series
Why He’s Here: Moved closer to successfully defending his
championship with a third at Mexico City, a second at Queretaro, and
a win at Puebla.
8. PETE SHEPHERD III
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Why He’s Here: Made the most of a limited schedule with a third at
Barrie before ending the season in Victory Lane at Kawartha.
9. TIM BROWN
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Why He’s Here: Talked of returning to tour full-time in 2011
following a win at Langley and second-place finish in Charlotte
finale.
10. PHILIP MORRIS
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Why He’s Here: Points season may be over, but three-time national
champion picked up a pair of big Late Model wins in extra-distance
affairs at Martinsville and South Boston.
HONORABLE MENTION: Dustin Ash (NASCAR Whelen All-American
Series), Ted Christopher (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), Mike
Stefanik (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and Don Thomson Jr. (NASCAR
Canadian Tire Series). |
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Source: Jason Christley / NASCAR
Posted: October
21, 2010 |
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