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07/05/2014 |
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BREWER BREAKS
THROUGH AT HICKORY
“American Freedom
124”
presented by KOMA Unwind Relaxation Drink |
 Zach
Brewer followed the leaders into the pits on lap 55,
but they followed him across the finish line
Saturday night at Hickory Motor Speedway. The
Winston-Salem, N.C., driver overcame several
late-race restarts and a personal loss to win the
KOMA Unwind Modified Madness Series American Freedom
125 at Hickory Saturday night.
“That’s the easiest race I have driven in a long
time,” Brewer said. “I’ve got a great crew and
surrounded myself with great people. It’s just an
awesome night.”
Tim Brown - who turned a 14.545-second lap to claim
the “Piedmont Racing EXPO & Auction Pole Award” -
led the 20 modifieds to the green and the first
caution on lap two. After the restart, Brown faded
and former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield
took command. The second caution came on lap 55,
when officials reported debris on the track. That
sent Mayfield, along with most of the field, to pit
road. “I was going to do what the leaders did when
they came in,” said Brewer, who started second. “I
thought everybody had passed on coming in but
evidently the pits weren’t open yet. When they dove
in, I was like ‘Hey we’re coming in”. He took a
right-rear tire and restarted in the 10th position.
He was fourth by lap 80.
Brewer inherited the lead on lap 84, when Renee
Dupuis spun between turns three and four, bringing
out the caution and sending the cars in front of him
to the pits. He pulled away on the restart as
Mayfield, Spencer Davis and Brown battled behind
him. That continued until a flurry of cautions,
including two on lap 106 and the final one on lap
110, slowed the race. Brewer won each restart, his
modified sliding off turn four as he battled to stay
out front.
“You have a lot of wheel in it, and you’re shifting
right there. I was trying to make sure I gave
[second place Brown] plenty of room,” he said. “In a
race a couple years ago here I got into the guy in
front of me [on a restart], and that cost me the
race.”
Meanwhile, series points leader Burt Myers, who
started third, had raced back to fourth on lap 111
after two pit stops during the lap 84 caution. On
lap 112, Myers went to second, passing Brown and
Bobby Sheffield in a three-wide outside move at the
start-finish line.
“I was trying,” Myers said. “After we put the right
rear on for the first pit stop we just missed the
adjustment. The car was way too free and I had to
bide my time. I told them, ‘We are going to have to
come back in and make another adjustment.’” Teams
were allowed one new tire for the race, not counting
flats, so Myers’ crew swapped left-side tires during
his last pit stop. “The left front wears about half
as much as the left rear,” he said. “When you switch
them, you get that fresh tire on the left rear. By
doing that it gave us the extra grip we needed to
drive to the front.” But that move cost Myers too
many positions.
Brewer’s lead was half a straightaway by lap 120,
and he maintained it for the final five laps. He
became the fourth KOMA Unwind Modified Madness Tour
winner in as many races this year, the inaugural
season for the series. In victory lane, Brewer
dedicated the win to his grandmother, who passed
away on Thursday. “She never came to a lot of races,
but she was here tonight,” he said.
The remainder of this story is added by the
Southern Modified Race Tour media.
Jimmy Wallace claimed the trophy and bonus money as
the highest finishing “Modified Light” car.
“Modified Light” cars are tour type cars with a
different engine and weight package competing in a
race-within-a-race.
The race took 1 hour, 10 minutes and 57 seconds to
complete. There were 12 lead changes between five
different drivers including Brown, Brewer, Mayfield,
Nichols and Sheffield with Brewers 45 laps at the
point giving him the most laps led bonus points and
$225.00 in lap leader bonus money awarded by KOMA
Unwind Relaxation Drink.
There were six caution periods but no laps wasted as
caution laps do not count.
Racing Radios awarded a $100.00 certificate to Jason
Myers as the 6th place qualifier. Hank Thomas
Performance 7 / 11 “Get Lucky and Win” winners were
Mayfield (7th) and Mike Norman (11th). Scott Hall
received a $100.00 Certificate from Hank Thomas
Performance as the 5th place finishing “Modified
Light” car. Brewer will also receive a certificate
for a free header coating valued at $350.00 from
Scott Bryant and H. M. Elliott, Inc.
Wayne Lawson and Jerry Tuttle were the winners in
the East Coast Flathead Ford Racing Association
event,
Steven Sanders edged Jason Tutterow for the win in
the Mini Stock Madness feature.
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Finishing Order
ST. FIN. CAR# DRIVER
HOMETOWN LAPS STATUS
2 1 31 Zach Brewer
Winston-Salem, NC 125 Running
3 2 1 Burt Myers
Kernersville, NC 125 Running
8 3 9 Bobby
Sheffield Mooresville, NC 125 Running
10 4 80
Mike Speeney King, NC 125 Running
6 5 4 Jason Myers
Walnut Cove, NC 125 Running
9 6 54 Jeff Fultz
Mooresville, NC 125 Running
5 7 J2 Jeremy Mayfield
Sherrills Ford, NC 125 Running
1 8 02 Tim Brown
Tobaccoville, NC 125 Running
15 9 43
David Calabrese Mooresville, NC 125 Running
20 10 82 Cale Gale
Winston-Salem, NC 125 Running
19 11 12 Mike Norman
Winston-Salem, NC 125 Running
16 12 22L Jimmy Wallace
Lexington, NC 125 Running
7 13 59 Renee Dupuis Hebron, CT
125 Running
16 14 10 Johnny Sutton
Mooresville, NC 122 Running
13 15 2L Austin
Thompson High Point, NC 119 Ignition
4 16 79 Spencer Davis
Dawsonville, GA 110 Suspension
11 17 34L Josh Nichols
Cleveland, NC 106 Engine
18 18 2
J. R. Bertuccio Centereach, NY 87 Suspension
12 19 45L Gary Young Jr.
Burlington, NC 58 Rear End
14 20 4L Scott
Hall Walkertown, NC 24 Mechanical
DNS 3 Danny Propst Wingate, NC
Engine. |
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Source: Robert Everhart / Pete Anderson
Posted: July
5, 2014 |
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