MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY LOOMS LARGE FOR NASCAR MODIFIEDS

Historic Event Features ‘Northern' and ‘ Southern' Modified Drivers in Nighttime Race

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 19, 2005) – On Labor Day weekend, the NASCAR Modified division will add a memorable page to its history book , when it becomes the first division to race under the lights at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Saturday night, Sept. 3.

The event is t he Made in America Whelen 300 , which will also have the added significance of being the first combination race with the Northeastern-based NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the all-new NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

This highly-anticipated race will take place at a speedway which has hosted Modified racing since it opened in 1947. NASCAR's open- wheeled cars will be making their first appearance at the .526-mile track since 2002 .

The Made in America Whelen 300 will get the green flag on Saturday , Sept. 3 at approximately 8:30 p.m . Bud Pole qualifying time trials will take place on Friday, Sept. 2. The fastest 20 cars from Friday's time trials will earn coveted starting spots in Saturday's race.

For the rest of the qualifiers who don't make the cut for the first 20 spots, their nerves will be on edge as they hope for a provisional starting spot or attempt to qualify the hard way: through a 50-lap “last chance” qualifying race.

Eight provisional starting positions will fill the 21 st – 28 th spots on the starting grid. Once these are filled, the remaining drivers will compete in a 50-lap qualifying race on Saturday, which will set the final 29 t h – 43 rd starting positions. The top 15 finishers from the qualifying race, which is sponsored by Chatlee Boats and Sporting Goods , will transfer to the feature race.

The format will offer 300 laps of nighttime Modified racing at one of NASCAR's most historic and exciting short tracks – a “can't miss” event for NASCAR fans. For the drivers, the 250-lap m ain event is also one of the highest-paying races for either series, with $7,000 going to the winner.

“It will be something to remember,” said Pennsylvania's Tony Hirschman , the defending Whelen Modified Tour champion who scored a victory at Martinsville in 1990. “I think it will make for a great race. Fans will see sparks they've never seen at Martinsville and they won't be able to miss the glowing brake rotors. It should be quite a spectacle for the fans.”

Another f ormer Whelen Modified Tour champion , Rick Fuller of Auburn, Mass., believes the M odified division's heritage at Martinsville is a significant reason for the track's popularity.

“I'm very excited about returning to Martinsville, ” said Fuller. “I t's a southern track with deep M odified roots. The fans there enjoy watching our series.”

Fuller has been very competitive at Martinsville, finishing second in the Whelen Modified Tour's last two appearances. He has five t op-five finishes in the last six races there.

The last NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Martinsville was won by L.W. Miller , in a car fielded by Fuller's current owner, Guy Ronzoni .  Fuller hopes he will give Ronzoni another victory.

“I'm glad I'll be in the car that beat me the last time I was there,” said Fuller.

The most well-known Southern Modified driver may be North Carolina's Junior Miller , who is currently ranked second in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour point standings . Miller trails point leader Burt Myers by just three points.

In the combination race format, drivers will earn points for their “home” series, based on their finishing position relative to other drivers from their series. For example, t he highest-finishing Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver will be credited with a win and earn first-place points towards the Whelen Southern Modified Tour, regardless of their overall finish in the event – and likewise for the Whelen Modified Tour drivers.

Drivers will be credited with championship points for their respective series, based on whichever series they have previously obtained a NASCAR license for. Drivers will not be credited with championship points outside their “home” series for which they are licensed .

For Miller, who has recorded more than 130 Modified wins along with multiple track and touring series championships in his career, the chance to compete against the Northeastern-based “Mod squad” is a welcome addition to his regular schedule.

“I always like to run Martinsville,” said Miller. “It's a good race track and a good track for these Modifieds – the best one I've ever seen for Modifieds. I just enjoy running against the northern cars. They put on a good show and we can jump in there in the middle, and try to put on a good show with ‘em. ”

Miller drives for the No. 69 Riggs Racing team, which is based in Martinsville. He'd like nothing more than to win for the hometown team.

“I hope we can go up there, si t on the pole, and win the race,” said Miller. “ That's what we're trying to do. We went and tested there , and we were about 3/10ths [of a second] quicker than the 79 car of [Mike] Christopher. So, that really pumped us up a lot, knowing that we're going to be competitive. Being 3/10ths quicker than a good car already – that puts us in the ball game, anyway, the way we look at it.”

Fast Facts

What: Made in America Whelen 300 (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour combination event).

Where: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

When: Sat., Sept. 3 at 8:30 p.m. (approx.)

Track layout:   .526 -mile oval.

Race length:  250 laps / 131.5 miles.

Posted awards: $ 124,155 .

Whelen Modified Tour Top 10 in points: 1. Tony Hirschman 1 , 876, 2. Ted Christopher 1 , 813, 3. Chuck Hossfeld 1 , 792, 4. Jerry Marquis 1 , 710, 5. Donny Lia 1 , 674, 6. Eric Beers 1 , 658, 7. Rick Fuller 1 , 576, 8. Zach Sylvester 1 , 572, 9. Mike Christopher 1 , 524, 10. Doug Coby 1,509.

Whelen Southern Modified Tour Top 10 in points: 1. Burt Myers 781, 2. Junior Miller 779, 3. Michael Clifton 751, 4. Tim Brown 719, 5. Jay Foley 707, 6. Jay Hedgecock 698, 7. Brian Crammer 690, 8. Alex Hoag 686, 9. Frank Fleming 679, 10. Bobby Hutchens 678.

Pre-race schedule: Fri., Sept. 2 – Practice 5:00-6:30 p.m., Bud Pole qualifying 8:30 p.m. (2 laps; fastest 20 cars will earn starting positions 1 thru 20); Sat., Sept. 3 – Practice 3:30-4:30 p.m., Driver's meeting 5:00 p.m., 50-Lap Qualifying Race sponsored by Chatlee Boats and Sporting Goods (Top fifteen finishers advance to starting positions 29 thru 43) 7:00 p.m.

T rack contact: Mike Smith, (276) 956-1543 or msmith@martinsvillespeedway.com .