NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour & NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Langley Speedway - Hampton, VA BayPort Credit Union/Newport News Shipbuilding Night Race Report Saturday, August 31, 2013 HAMPTON, Va. (Aug. 31) — Kyle Ebersole of Hummelstown, Pa., moved out front on lap 136 and held on down the stretch to notch the victory in the Fourth Annual BayPort Credit Union/Newport News Shipbuilding 150 for NASCAR’s Whelen Southern Modified Tour, the featured event of Saturday evening’s racing program at Langley Speedway. The win was Ebersole’s first in Southern Mod action and came in his 19th career start with the series. Andy Seuss of Hampstead, N.H., the 2011 winner of the event, paced a record-shattering afternoon qualifying session. Circling the venerable speedplant at 96.270 mph (14.771 seconds), he established a new overall track qualifying mark and easily bested Burt Myers’ previous standard for the event (15.365 seconds in 2011). Series points leader George Brunnhoelzl III was second-fastest, just 23-thousandths of a second off Seuss’ effort. John Smith, Tim Brown and Renee Dupuis rounded out the top five on the 19-car grid. In all, seven drivers cracked the 15-second barrier and 15 were below the previous event record. As the race got under way, Seuss jumped out front, hauling the field off into Turn 1. Brunnhoelzl settled into second, followed by Smith, Brown and Danny Bohn. In the early going, Seuss and Brunnhoelzl stayed in fairly tight, nose-to-tail formation. By lap 13, they had pulled away from third-place Smith by nearly half a straightaway. On lap 23, Seuss and Brunnhoelzl ran up on a slower machine and Seuss took advantage of the obstacle, stretching his lead. Within a few circuits, though, Brunnhoelzl had also cleared the lapped car and began to chase down the leader. The first caution flag waved on lap 27 for a two-car tangle in Turn 3. On the double-file restart, to begin lap 33, Seuss and Brunnhoelzl again bolted from the pack, leaving Smith and Brown in a side-by-side battle for third. Behind them, Bohn and Ebersole, who started seventh, contested the fifth spot. The green-flag run came to an abrupt end on lap 39 when Bryan Dauzat looped his machine in Turn 2. Back under green, at lap 44, Seuss and Brunnhoelzl resumed their duel, while Brown slipped past Smith for third. Deeper in the field, Bohn and Ebersole jousted for fifth. Pulling ahead of Ebersole, Bohn immediately went after Smith for the fourth position. His bid came up empty, though. A few laps later, Ebersole powered past Bohn on the high side to grab fifth. Continuing his charge, he picked off Smith for fourth and closed on Brown, the 2010 race winner. Back at the head of the field, Brunnhoelzl made a tactical change and began to peek to the outside of Seuss. After dusting off the outer groove for several circuits, he drove to Seuss’ high side on lap 56. Seuss held him off, though, forcing Brunnhoelzl back in line at the end of lap 57. The third caution flag appeared on lap 69 when David Calabrese spun in Turn 1. The incident bunched the field and set up one of the key turning points of the race. As the race resumed, to start lap 75, Seuss failed to come up to speed and Brunnhoelzl shot into the lead. Limping along the backstretch, Seuss finally rolled to a stop in Turn 3 to bring out the fourth yellow flag. The ensuing caution period blended right in with a planned halfway break, so, with 77 laps completed, the field was directed to the pit lane. Coming to a halt in the pits, Brunnhoelzl was the leader, followed by Ebersole, Bohn, Brown and last year’s race winner, Jason Myers, who had jumped up to fifth place. Smith, Burt Myers, Patrick Emerling, Thomas Stinson and Dupuis rounded out the top 10. Returning to green, Brunnhoelzl quickly dispensed with Ebersole and Brown tagged along, taking over the runner-up position. Just a lap into the second portion of the event, trouble broke out in a big way from mid-pack on back as six cars tangled in Turn 1. The melee spelled an early end to the evening for five of the drivers — Luke Fleming, Dupuis, Mike Norman, Jeremy Gerstner and Calabrese. When the race resumed, to start lap 87, Brunnhoelzl eked out a half-length lead over Brown. A lap later, though, Brown drifted wide in Turns 1 and 2 and gave up the second spot to Ebersole. Smith tried to follow Ebersole’s cue, but couldn’t pull off the pass as Brown held onto third. By lap 112, Brunnhoelzl had extended his lead to four lengths over Ebersole and Brown and appeared to be well on the way to his fourth win of the season. His margin grew even larger on lap 123 when Brown slipped past Ebersole to take over second. Brunnhoelzl’s run to the checkers was sidetracked on lap 125, though, when he tried to put a lap on Dauzat at the entrance to Turn 1 and ended up sliding perilously close to the outside wall. While Brunnhoelzl gathered his machine, Brown scooted into the lead and brought Ebersole and Smith along with him, kicking Brunnhoelzl back to fourth. The last of the race’s six caution flags waved on lap 127 when A.J. Winstead spun in Turn 3. On what would turn out to be the final restart, to begin lap 132, Brown and Ebersole dueled until they reached Turns 3 and 4. Exiting the fourth corner, Brown pulled ahead, while Smith rushed to fill the void to the inside of Ebersole. Though they were battling side-by-side, Ebersole and Smith didn’t let Brown escape at the head of the pack. In fact, as Ebersole gained the upper hand over Smith, he immediately motored to the outside of Brown on lap 136, nosing ahead at the line to take the lead for the first time. Ebersole and Brown remained door-to-door until the start of lap 138. Passing the flagstand, Ebersole cleared Brown and set sail. Meanwhile, in their wake, Brunnhoelzl was on the comeback trail. He rumbled to the high side of Brown on lap 139 and eased into second place as they completed the circuit. Within a couple laps, Brunnhoelzl had pulled up on Ebersole’s rear deck. Over the closing circuits, he poked and prodded at the leader, hoping to force a miscue. His best chance may have come on lap 147 when he manufactured a huge run off Turn 2 and drove to the outside of Ebersole. The rally fizzled, though, as Ebersole clung to the lead. With the white flag flying, Brunnhoelzl took one final stab, ducking under Ebersole in Turn 2. Carrying momentum up off the corner, however, Ebersole hung on. In Turns 3 and 4 for the last time, Brunnhoelzl drove low, only to have the rear of his machine skitter loose, ensuring the win for Ebersole. At the checkers, Ebersole was the winner by 0.181-second over Brunnhoelzl. Brown was third, while Smith and Bohn completed the top five. Emerling headed the second five, in sixth, followed by Burt Myers, Jason Myers, Stinson and Gary Putnam. Dauzat and Winstead were 11th and 12th, respectively, the final drivers on the lead lap. Rolling into Victory Lane after the race, Ebersole seemed amazed at his late charge to the front: “I thought we were done. The car was getting so loose and I lost that position to Tim. I don’t know what happened at the last caution, but the car really tightened up and it looked like it did for Tim’s, too. I made a run on the outside there and it worked and I held on. It’s crazy.” Runner-up Brunnhoelzl could only reflect on what might have been: “We had a good car, just lapped traffic was terrible. I mean, they just wouldn’t get out of the way, so that makes it real tough. We had a great car. We just gave this one away. The guys prepared the car awesome for me, so I can’t thank them enough.” Asked about the fateful hiccup on lap 125, Brunnhoelzl explained, “Yeah, we were trying to put a car a lap down and, instead of being on the line, he decided to be a groove up. There just ain’t enough room for that. So, terrible that that happened, but congratulations to Kyle. They’ve been running real good all year, so I’m glad to see him in Victory Lane.” Third-place Brown, meanwhile, was generally pleased, but sounded a note of regret about changes that were made at the break: “All in all, it was a good night. Third. At least, the 28 (Brunnhoelzl) didn’t win. He’s got a big ol’ point lead there and we get tired of seeing him win all the races. Congratulations to Ebersole. They’ve been stout all year and he finally got it in Victory Lane. But, man, I sure wanted to win. I think if we’d have left it alone, I think we’d have been all right. But, we didn’t.” The race took one hour, seven minutes and 13 seconds to complete, yielding an average speed of 52.889 mph. There were three lead changes involving four drivers and the six caution periods consumed 30 laps. In the series standings, Ebersole shaved four points from Brunnhoelzl’s advantage and now trails by 16 — 339-323 — with four races remaining in the 2013 season. From Langley, the Southern Mods move on to Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C., for a race next Sunday, Sept. 8. They’ll be at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, N.C., on Sept. 21, then return to Caraway on Sept. 28. The season ends on Oct. 10 with an event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In the evening’s other feature races: In the 50-lap KeesVacations Modified race, Robbie Babb started on the pole, at 88.598 mph, and wired the field for his ninth win of the year. Jimmy Humblet shared the front row with Babb and offered a stern challenge in the early going. Humblet’s night came to a premature end on lap 13, however, as a puff of white smoke signaled a terminal engine problem. With Humblet on the sidelines, Chris Johnson was the next to step up to test Babb. He was no match for the leader, however, on restarts at laps 26 and 30 as Babb quickly cleared him and pulled away. By the finish, Babb had stretched his winning margin to 0.875-second — nearly half a straightaway. Johnson was second, while Anthony Kincaid, Matt Slye and Lauren Edgerton completed the top five. Continuing his late-season roll, Mark Claar took the lead on lap 15 and stormed to his third straight win in a 40-lapper for the Pepsi Grand Stocks. Brandon Hinson nabbed the pole in Euro-style qualifying, at 78.498 mph, and led the first 14 laps. Meanwhile, Claar, who started fifth, moved up to third on the opening lap, then picked off Bobby Spivey for second on lap 4. The shuffle allowed Hinson to pad his lead to almost half a straightaway. By lap 14, Claar had chased down Hinson and he grabbed the top spot on the following circuit. Surprisingly, though, the new leader was unable to shake Hinson, who remained camped on his rear bumper. The only caution flag appeared on lap 34 for fluid on the track. On the ensuing restart, third-place Ritchie German opted for the outside lane and used it to swipe second from Hinson. Hinson regained the spot on lap 37. By then, however, Claar was long gone. At the checkers, Claar was the winner by 2.193 seconds over Hinson. Ricky Derrick was third and took sole possession of the division points lead. German slipped to fourth in the waning circuits, while Andrew Condrey battled through a last-lap melee in Turn 3 to come home in fifth. Robbie Davis picked up his eighth victory of the season in a caution-free 25-lapper for the Larry King Law Super Trucks, the final event of the evening. Davis claimed the pole in Euro-style qualifying, at 74.862 mph, and led all the way. At the finish, he was 2.723 seconds ahead of runner-up Chase McAdams, who swiped second place from Bill Wallace on lap 13. Wallace was third to the line, followed by Evan VanLeeuwen and Colby Vance. • • • MEDIA CONTACT: Gary Daughtrey NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour & NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Langley Speedway - Hampton, VA BayPort Credit Union/Newport News Shipbuilding Night Race Results Saturday, August 31, 2013 NASCAR WHELEN SOUTHERN MODIFIED TOUR BayPort Credit Union/Newport News Shipbuilding 150: Fin. Pos. (Car #) Driver; Laps Compl. 1. (5) Kyle Ebersole; 150 2. (28) George Brunnhoelzl III; 150 3. (02) Tim Brown; 150 4. (25) John Smith; 150 5. (65) Danny Bohn; 150 6. (07) Patrick Emerling; 150 7. (1) Burt Myers; 150 8. (4) Jason Myers; 150 9. (7) Thomas Stinson; 150 10. (77) Gary Putnam; 150 11. (97) Bryan Dauzat; 150 12. (9) A.J. Winstead; 150 13. (2) J.R. Bertuccio; 146 14. (11) Andy Seuss; 144 15. (40) Luke Fleming; 80 16. (59) Renee Dupuis; 79 17. (12) Mike Norman; 78 18. (70) Jeremy Gerstner; 78 19. (04) David Calabrese; 78 Pole: Seuss - 96.270 mph. (ALL-TIME TRACK QUALIFYING RECORD) KEESVACATIONS.COM MODIFIEDS - 50 laps Fin. Pos. (Car #) Driver; Laps Compl. 1. (44) Robbie Babb; 50 2. (36) Chris Johnson; 50 3. (1) Anthony Kincaid; 50 4. (33) Matt Slye; 50 5. (7) Lauren Edgerton; 50 6. (88) Jack Sharkey; 50 7. (60) Bobby Gery; 50 8. (10) Chris Humblet; 49 9. (7x) Donnie Holston; 48 10. (95) Danny Harrell; 48 11. (38) Michael Johnson; 20 12. (11) Jimmy Humblet; 12 13. (87) Darrell Vance; 11 14. (16) Eric McPherson; 0 15. (83) Scott Lawrence; 0 Pole: Babb - 88.598 mph. PEPSI GRAND STOCKS - 40 laps Fin. Pos. (Car #) Driver; Laps Compl. 1. (7) Mark Claar; 40 2. (17) Brandon Hinson; 40 3. (8) Ricky Derrick; 40 4. (10) Ritchie German; 40 5. (36) Andrew Condrey; 40 6. (28) Jamie Sample; 40 7. (71) Paul Lubno; 40 8. (30) Chris Spangler; 40 9. (19) Robbie Parker; 40 10. (11) Tommy Sweeney; 39 11. (2) Michael Waters; 39 12. (12) Bobby Spivey; 37 13. (6) Shawn Scovel; 35 14. (54) Billy Newman; 33 15. (75) Jeff Driskill; 31 16. (77) Carl Livingston; 17 Pole: Hinson - 78.498 mph. LARRY KING LAW SUPER TRUCKS - 25 laps Fin. Pos. (Trk #) Driver; Laps Compl. 1. (17) Robbie Davis; 25 2. (62) Chase McAdams; 25 3. (19) Bill Wallace; 25 4. (99) Evan VanLeeuwen; 25 5. (44) Colby Vance; 25 6. (22) Fred McAdams; 19 7. (0) Corey Bress; 7 Pole: Davis - 74.862 mph.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 14:30:05 +0000
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