Story by: Mason Dunn ~ [email protected]

Ridgeway, VA(October 3, 2011) — In every mainstream “stick and ball” sport you hear about momentum. Whether it’s who has it, who needs to get it, or who is building it, momentum seems to be in the eyes of many an important factor in the “stick and ball sport” world.

Well momentum definitely has a presence in the racing world and not just the physical definition of the word. Let’s take a minute to look at some drivers who are carrying some momentum from the regular season into the upcoming Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300.

Nate Monteith
The 2011 Kingsport Speedway track champion and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Tennessee State Champion has been quietly building momentum racking up 10 wins and 21 top five finishes in 24 starts as well as besting Sprint Cup regular Joey Logano, who jumped behind the wheel of one of Coleman Pressley’s cars for the final race of the season.

“Lightning” Monteith went into last week’s test with confidence in himself, his team and his equipment and it showed on the track as he was one of the faster cars throughout the day. This momentum that Monteith has built up over the season and especially the past month should translate both on qualifying day and on race day as it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Monteith not only make the race, but at least be a top ten contender.

Garrett Campbell
Garrett Campbell has had one heck of a 2011 season so far and it isn’t showing any signs of stopping just yet. Campbell has decided rather than race for points, to race for wins by spot starting at different events between UARA and NASCAR in three different states. He has earned wins at Caraway(2), Greenville and Newport as well as one at Ace that was tainted by a DQ.

Campbell has raced the big boys this year winning against Brennan Poole, Lee Pulliam, Alex Yontz, Barry Beggarly and other names that people often refer to as contenders at Martinsville. Don’t be surprised if Campbell finds his way into the 42 car field and is able to put together a good run in the 200 lap feature.

CE Falk
Momentum and confidence are on an all-time high right now for the Virginia Beach native after another double digit win season at Langley Speedway which saw him tie the mark set by Elton Sawyer by winning his third consecutive track championship. The season begun for Falk with a brand new team having split with previous crew chief Phil Warren during the off season.

With the change in personnel, Falk took a more controlling role with his team and the results spoke volumes about his level of commitment to continuing the level of success he has had since 2009. Falk has already penciled his name into one record book this season and he seems to have the momentum and the drive to pencil his way into another this weekend.

Lee Pulliam
OK we all knew this one was coming, how can we talk about momentum without mentioning the guy who has claimed 18 wins including the July 200 lap race at South Boston as well as the 200 lap July Super 5 event at Caraway? Ever since he won the pole in last year’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300, Pulliam has jumped out of the shadows and thrown himself into the spotlight next to rival Philip Morris.

Pulliam is itching for this win bad after a dead battery took him out of contention for the win and relegated him to a sixth place finish. Not to mention the fact that being able to deny Morris from another Martinsville victory would probably be a win in itself for the young North Carolina driver.

Philip Morris
Now onto the most obvious choice here, the one everyone knew was coming. After a season that saw 28 starts with 20 of those ending in victory lane(19 at South Boston and one at Motor Mile) and had Morris earn his fourth career NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Championship it could be said that no one has more momentum or confidence going into this weekend.

Morris and car owner Jim Dean have assembled a top notch team after partnering up with H.C. Sellers and Sellers Racing back in late 2010 and since then have seen nothing but success with the only real piece of bad luck coming in the July 200 lap race at South Boston when Morris lost the motor while leading. He has never won at Martinsville after clinching a national title and sure would like to cross that off his list after this Sunday.

These drivers are all riding a wave right now, a wave made up of confidence, determination, perseverance and hard work. There waves are each different but they are all going to break at the same place, a half-mile paper clip shaped track in Martinsville, Virginia.