GBIII Picks Up Right Where He Left Off in Victory Lane at Caraway

NASCAR PR Report

Asheboro, NC(April 2, 2012) — George Brunnhoelzl III opened the 2012 season just like he finished the 2011 season during his NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship run – with a win at Caraway Speedway on Saturday night.

Although Brunnhoelzl started from the pole and led every lap it wasn’t easy, as he had to hold off Jason Myers on the final lap to win by just .236 seconds for his 12th career win and sixth at Caraway Speedway.

L.W. Miller followed Myers for third with Brandon Ward fourth and John Smith fifth. Daniel Hemric was sixth with Brian Loftin seventh and Burt Myers eighth. Gary Fountain Sr., and Rich Kuiken Jr. completed the top 10.

Although Brunnhoelzl has enjoyed recent success at Caraway Speedway he really didn’t know what to expect in the season opener.

“This is a brand new car and the guys did a great job building this car and Howard gives me great equipment,” Brunnhoelzl said. “We had a little bit of a problem with the steering but all in all it was a good day for us here at Caraway.”

For Jason Myers, he was all smiles after his second-place showing.

“Second place in one of these races is a big deal because you are racing the best of the best in these Whelen Southern Modifieds,” Jason Myers said. “Running second is good but knowing we had the fastest car at the end of the race really puts a lot of hope for the future for this race team especially here at Caraway where you have to run well to have a chance to win the championship.”

Miller finished third but was involved in an incident with Andy Seuss on Lap 93 on a restart when the drivers made contact in Turn 2 sending Seuss into the wall and ending his night.

Although the contact with Seuss didn’t end the night for Miller, he said he had nothing for Brunnhoelzl.

“The pit stop we made at halfway helped us a little, but he (Brunnhoelzl) had the best car all night long,” Miller said. “Jason (Myers) had the fastest car at the end and probably would have won the race if had gotten by me a little sooner.”

Daniel Hemric led the group of seven rookies in the field with his sixth-place finish to earn Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors, while John Smith won the Featherlite Move of the Race and Gary Fountain Sr. used his first career top-10 finish to win the Coca-Cola Move of the Race.

The race was slowed nine times by caution with one red flag for 17:58 after the Seuss-Miller incident on Lap 93.

With his victory, Brunnhoelzl locked up a spot in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway during next February’s Speedweeks.

Brunnhoelzl and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour competitors return to Caraway Speedway for the Farm Bureau Insurance 150 on Saturday, April 7.