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09/16/2011 |
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GEORGE
BRUNNHOELZL III SURVIVES CONTROVERSY FOR THIRD 2011 WIN
Thompson Intl. Speedway Melts
the North South Barriers
by
Denise DuPont |
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 AWith
125 laps of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racing, 125 laps of
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour racing, a 50 lap combo
UNOH Showdown race and over $160,000 on the line to win,
Thompson Intl. Speedway was the place to be on September
11th. It was very impressive to see the great turnout of
cars and fans at the track.
It has been a tough economic year with challenging weather
in New England. We have had record snow, rain, tornadoes and
a hurricane. So it was kind of fitting that the sun was
shining and temperatures perfect as cars united from the
north and south to race on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
The NWSMT portion of the program was certainly an event that
everyone will not forget for a long time. During the 125 lap
feature event Steve Masse passed Donny Lia for the lead on
lap 48 and then dominated the race. A late race caution
forced the cars to regroup and get ready for a short sprint
from the line. The green flag flew on lap 118 and the race
leader was black flagged for jumping the start. Was it a
good call or a bad call? Either way the decision was made
that Masse jumped the last restart and he was black flagged
for the move.
So the call was made and NASCAR stuck to their decision. But
the circumstances made for a very controversial end of the
race. Masse did not pit for the black flag. George
Brunnhoelzl was given the lead since he was running second
when the black flag flew. So what happens - two drivers
pulled into victory lane, one on their car for a joyous
victory and the other on their car for the agony of defeat.
Burt Myers summarized the end of the race best as the crowd
yelled and booed during the victory lane ceremonies -
"Sounds like we are at Bowman Grey here today!"
George Brunnhoelzl was all smiles as he accepted the trophy
and accolades for his win of the first ever 125 lap NWSMT
event at Thompson Speedway. “It was a good race.”
The #09 team of Brunnhoelzl put together a strategy at the
beginning of the race to win. A lot of other teams had a
similar plan but the #09 team was the one that made it to
the top. “We kind of rode around and saved our stuff. We
went green a lot more than we thought so when I was riding
and saving the #13 car got a pretty big lead going and we
just assumed that we would get a caution and we didn’t. But
once we got to second we started to run him down. We were
really good on the long runs. If a caution did not come out
we would have kept on getting better and better. He (Steve
Masse) had a good short run car. I hated that he got black
flagged but that is racing. NASCAR frowns upon it (jumping
the restart). They let you get away with it once but they
are not going to let you get away with it again.”
The #1 team of Burt Myers is no stranger to the Thompson
Speedway’s groove. Myers has competed there with the NWMT
and has grown to love racing on the track. So it was no
surprise to find him in second place when the race ended.
The team qualified third and saved their car for the end of
the race. They not only had a good finish but conserved the
car for the start of the 50 lap Showdown race. “From where
we were yesterday when we got here to where we are now, we
made a pretty gain. “Today I think that we got our car
better which made a big difference. It was a good race for
the fans and I had a great car.
After the race, Myers changed out of his driver uniform and
chilled out at his hauler. The team waited there for what
was to them the best to come. They were regrouping for the
next race. The 125 lap NWSMT event was just qualifying for
the main even that was still to come – the “50 lap UNOH
Showdown” “I am looking forward to the fifty lapper. It is
going to be more action than the two 125 lap tour races. 50
laps for fifteen grand can drive a man to do about anything
I guess. From what I hearing in the southern race the top
groove was where every body was and they say in the northern
race everyone went to the bottom. So I am interested to see
how it is going to turn out for the Showdown.”
Tim Brown came to Thompson Speedway no knowing what to
expect. It was his first time at the 5/8ths oval and he
adapted to the track real fast and the racing groove that it
had to offer. He qualified seventh and had a consistent race
run to capture a podium finish. “We had a good car. This is
the first time that I have ever been here so we missed the
setup a little bit. The car was way to free for a 125 lap
race. The car was spinning real bad off the corners. I like
the track it is challenging and a lot of fun. It is big and
really fast. It is fairly smooth. There are a few bumps here
and there. All and all it has been good for racing. The
weather has been perfect and I had a really good time. It is
all good. I just love to race and it is a great race track.”
After the race Brown also regrouped for the 50 lap dash for
the cash (UNOH 50 lap Showdown). “It is beautiful weather
and everybody is a lot nicer than I thought that they would
be up here in Yankee land. Hopefully we come out of the 50
lapper with a car the same way that we started all in one
piece and not being tore up. And we put a good show on for
he fans and head back home to go to work tomorrow.”
Andy Seuss was at the top of the charts during qualifying
and took the field of cars around to start the race. He was
not as good in the race though. His car was loose and during
an early caution Seuss putted for adjustments. The
adjustments were good but only good enough for a fourth
place finish. “Fourth place is pretty good obviously our
expectations were high after a pole and just how fast that
we have been all weekend. We were a little bit free in the
beginning so we may have faded back to fourth. We needed to
tighten it up for the race and we may have gotten it a
little bit too tight. Fourth overall is not bad. After the
streak and qualifying so well it is just a little bit
disappointing we will see what the fifty lapper brings. But
trying to close that gap all by ourselves and trying to save
it while we closed the gap at the same time was pretty
hard.”
The NWSMT return to the south this weekend to compete at
Caraway Speedway and its smaller .455 mile oval track.
Thompson Speedway Southern
Modified 125 Race Notes:
Your Thoughts on racing back on
the Whelen Southern tour.
George Brunnhoelzl
“It is fun. It is close to home. It is a lot less traveling.
It was a long haul here but it was worth it. It was cool to
see a big turn out. With the Hoenigs, UNOH and Whelen guys
coming together like this it is really cool. I think that we
have almost sixty modifieds here so it is pretty cool.”
If the race is repeated event at
Thompson Speedway in 2012 that includes the NWSMT will you
be there?
George Brunnhoelzl
“It was definitely fun. The track did a heck of a good job
in helping us southern teams come up. They gave us a fuel
packages from Sunoco and they did a good job by us.”
Tim Brown
“Sure, But I would like to be a true southern race and not
to let a lot of the northern cars in. That was it is a
southern race and not a combination southern–northern race.
As it was we outrun those guys that were in our race
anyways, which it is good for our guys to do. I am just glad
that we had a southern regular win our race.”
Steve Masse ran for a win in the
southern tour race at Thompson. He led for quite a few laps
but was black flagged for jumping a restart. Here are
Masse’s thoughts after the race.
Steve Masse
“I went in the same spot I did in all the other restarts.
And I was never warned so I just kind of did what I was
doing before. And I did not even get a big jump so I am not
sure what they thought.”
“I saw a replay. It looks like I went roughly a car length
before the line. But everyone else went with me so it was
not like I was way ahead of them and it did not effect
anything. Everyone went together and it was a clean start.
There is not much more that I can do as a driver.”
On the UNOH Showdown
“We just feel like we just had a win taken away. To go out
there and try to put on a show and to start in last place in
a race where everyone is going to be trying to boogie to the
front. It is not worth it for a team like us. We have only
four guys working on this car. We have already gone out
there and did what we wanted to do today.”.
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Source: Denise DuPont / TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: September
16, 2011 |
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