|
|
|
02/16/2013 |
|
|
BOWMAN GRAY
STADIUM'S MYERS BROTHERS TAKE AIM AT DAYTONA
Duo Is Long In
Experience On Short Tracks |
 The
cradle of southern NASCAR Modified racing and one of
NASCAR’s longest running family names will be well
represented at Daytona International Speedway
Tuesday.
Brothers Jason and Burt Myers, both of Walnut Cove,
N.C., are entered in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
portion of the UNOH Battle At The Beach Tuesday.
Jason has a locked-in starting spot for the main
event while Burt will have to race his way into the
show.
The first-year Speedweeks event takes place on a
.4-mile oval on the backstretch at Daytona
International Speedway. Two days of racing begin
Feb. 18 with a 150-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American
Series Late Model feature. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series
and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours take over the track
for 150-lap features on Feb. 19. All divisions will
compete in full slates of preliminary events.
While their teams are independent from one another,
the brothers compete on the same dual schedule. They
race in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series on
Saturdays at the famed Bowman Gray Stadium. The flat
quarter-mile paved oval in Winston-Salem, N.C.
begins its 65th year of NASCAR-sanctioned racing in
2013. The brothers also race full-time in the NASCAR
Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
By virtue of a tour win at Langley Speedway in
Hampton, Va., last September, Jason Myers won his
locked-in starting spot for Tuesday’s UNOH Battle At
The Beach Modified feature. Burt Myers, the tour’s
2010 champion, had an injury shortened 2012 season
and will have to race his way into the big show.
Both are eager to race at Daytona.
Jason will compete in his Southern Modified Tour
car, while Burt brings the car he races weekly at
Bowman Gray.
“The main track to compare the Daytona track to is
Bowman Gray Stadium,” Jason said. “Daytona’s turns
will be a little tighter and the straightaways will
be a little longer. We’re excited about our
potential. We think we have a real good set-up. We
know we can compete on a flat track.”
Burt is ready to earn his starting spot and run up
front.
“Not being locked in won’t change the way I approach
the race,” he said. “We’ll go all out. You never
know what’s going to happen. I’m not going to
Daytona to try to make the show. I’m going to
Daytona to try to win it.”
Jason is changing his stable of race cars, and he
thinks his tour car is his best ride for the Battle.
His 2012 Bowman Gray car is being converted to crate
engine power to race on Fridays at Caraway Speedway
in Sophia, N.C. He’ll have a new Troyer chassis to
race at Bowman Gray this year.
Burt is bringing his stadium car because his expects
to drive the Daytona track like he does at Bowman
Gray.
“The corners are tighter and the straightaways will
be twice as long at Daytona,” he said in comparison
to Bowman Gray. “You’ll need to have enough gear to
come off the corner but not too much at the end of
the straightaway. You’ll see the good cars up front
at the end of the day regardless.”
Jason Myers had a career-best runner-up finish to
Tim Brown in Bowman Gray’s 2012 NASCAR Modified
division point race. He has 10 career wins there,
along with two NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
wins. He placed third in 2012 tour points.
Burt Myers is a five-time Bowman Gray track champion
and 2010 tour champion. He has 50 career feature
wins and placed fifth in 2012 track points at Bowman
Gray. He has eight tour wins and placed 10th in 2012
tour points after missing a race due to a shop
accident.
The brothers are making the most of their time in
central Florida, including quality family time.
Burt, his wife Kim, and their children were touring
the Orlando area theme parks on Thursday. Jason, his
wife Jenny and daughters arrived in central Florida
Thursday evening with plans to visit the Walt Disney
attractions Saturday and Sunday. Following the UNOH
Battle At The Beach, the brothers plan to race at
the newly NASCAR-sanctioned New Smyrna Speedway
Wednesday and Friday night. With their teams, they
plan to enjoy the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser
Duel at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.
The Myers family NASCAR racing heritage dates back
to Daytona-beach racing in the mid-1950s. Jason and
Burt’s grandfathers Billy and Bobby Myers raced on
the old Daytona road course on the beach. In the
1956 event Billy finished second to Tom Flock in a
78-car field while Bobby finished 46th. Billy had a
third-place finish in a NASCAR Convertible Division
beach race in 1957.
Billy’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series record covering 84
starts from 1951-58 included two wins, 18 top fives,
34 top 10s and one pole with a best finish of sixth
in series points. He also won two NASCAR Convertible
Division races driving for Petty Engineering
1957-58. He died of a heart attack while racing at
Bowman Gray on April 12, 1958. Bobby’s NASCAR Sprint
Cup career spanned 1951-57 with a best finish of
seventh in 15 starts. He was fatally injured at
Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Sept. 2, 1957. A son of
Bobby, Danny “Chocolate” Myers, is synonymous as
crewman for the late seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup
series champion Dale Earnhardt. Gary Myers, a son of
Billy, is father to Jason and Burt. Gary had a
46-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career 1974-78,
with a best finish of 11th on three occasions. He
competed in a Daytona 500 qualifying race and posted
a 25th-place finish in 1976. Gary’s brother Randy
made his racing career in promotion and
administration. He made one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
start at Rockingham, N.C. where he finished 20th.
The National Motorsports Press Association’s annual
Myers Brothers Award for significant contributions
to stock-car racing is named for Billy and Bobby
Myers.
Jason as a “locked-in” NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
driver must still compete in the heat races to
determine his starting position for the race.
All three UNOH Battle At The Beach features will be
carried live on SPEED and the Motor Racing Network
and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio while all practice and
qualifying sessions will feature live streaming
video at
www.nascarhometracks.com.
For more information, visit
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
Grandstand and garage admission can be secured via
the website or by calling 1-888-PITSHOP. |
|
Source: Jason Cunningham / NASCAR
Posted: February
16, 2013 |
|
|
