Race Weekend Central

Tearing Apart the Trucks: Modified Drivers Make Their Debuts

After a three-week hiatus, the Camping World Truck Series is back in action this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. has been the team to beat all season, and unless disaster strikes, the No. 33 team is on the way to the Truck Series banquet in December. Meanwhile, a few modified drivers hope to make their Truck Series debuts this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

Tim Brown, a seven-time Bowman Gray Stadium track champion, was the first driver announced to make his debut at Martinsville Speedway. Brown will pilot the No. 08 fastwax.com Chevrolet for SS Green Light Racing with technical support from Rick Ware Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. From 2006 until 2008, the 38-year-old driver finished runner up on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. Brown currently works as a suspension specialist for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Brown, a native of Cana, Va. started driving in the modified series in 1991. 14 years after his debut, Brown became only the third driver to win three consecutive championships at Bowman Gray Stadium. The last driver to accomplish that feat was Ralph Brinkley, who was champion from 1980 through 1982.

As a teammate to Brown, Whelen Southern Modified Series driver Burt Myers will be making his series debut this weekend. The 33-year-old driver broke the record for youngest driver ever to win a BGS title since his great uncle Bobby did it 55 years earlier. Burt Myers was just 23 years old in 1999 when he won his first of three titles at the track, breaking the previous record by two years; his other two championships came in 2001 and 2007.

Burt Myers has found success at Martinsville Speedway before. Last September, Myers won the America Whelen 300 at the 0.526-mile paperclip when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour celebrated its 500th race. NASCAR later disqualified Myers after his car was found to be in violation of the rules because his transmission gear was not within the specified limits of the rulebook. Ryan Preece was awarded the win after Myers was dropped to a 43rd-place finish.

Just like anyone else on the track, Burt Myers wants to win, but he knows right now that proving his ability is much more important.

“I’m an old-school racer who wants to win every time I get behind the wheel, but I know I need to prove myself first,” Myers said. “The goal for this week is to finish all the laps with all four fenders on the truck and position myself to move up. The SS Green Light team has some good equipment, and I plan to show that I can compete at this level.”

In addition to the two modified drivers making their debuts, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series driver Derek White will also attempt to qualify for the Kroger 200. He will pilot the No. 12 DGM Racing Chevrolet with sponsorship from O.C.R. Gaz Bar, a full service gas and convenience store in his region.

It’s always nice to see a new name on the entry list and to see three new names in one week is encouraging considering the struggles teams have seen this season in scoring sponsorship dollars. Here’s hoping Brown, Burt Myers and White catch the eyes of a sponsor so they can continue to race in the series.

Did You Know?

  • Mike Skinner will make his 200th career CWTS start Saturday afternoon (Oct. 24) at Martinsville Speedway? Skinner has three wins this season and currently sits third in the points standings, 255 points behind leader Hornaday Jr.
  • Denny Hamlin will pilot the No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports at Martinsville? Kyle Busch, the regular fill-in driver for the No. 51 will be at Memphis Motorsports Park Saturday afternoon and will be unable to run the Truck Series race at Martinsville.
  • Hornaday Jr. is winless at Martinsville Speedway in 14 starts at the 0.526-mile paperclip? The driver of the No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet ran out of fuel in this race last season while leading late in the running and finished runner up to his boss, Kevin Harvick, earlier this season.
  • Nationwide Series driver Peyton Sellers will be running the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway? The Danville, Va. native will pilot the No. 17 Premier Racing Toyota with Jason Overstreet as his crew chief.

About the author

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

Share via