Brunnhoelzl Replaces Preece For Whelen Mod Tour Stop At Langley
Story By: KYLE SOUZA / NASCAR – DAYTONA BEACH, FL – After years of trying, Ryan Preece finally captured his first career NAPA Spring Sizzler win at Stafford Motor Speedway. It was an emotional win for Preece, who called it bigger than his first career tour win.Heading to the fourth race of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia, Preece will not make it two straight. Preece will vacate the cockpit of his No. 6 TS Haulers Chevrolet for the Langley 150 to get marry to his longtime girlfriend. Needing a replacement driver, car owner Ed Partridge tabbed two-time Langley winner and four-time NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified champion George Brunnhoelzl III.
Brunnhoelzl won the last time the Whelen Modifieds visited the track in 2015 and also has two career Coors Light Pole Awards at the .4-mile oval. After a seventh- and a 10th-place finish in his first two starts at Langley, Brunnhoelzl has an average finish of 1.8 over his last five races there.
Pennink holds a scant one-point advantage over Timmy Solomito in the championship points standings as the newly unidified Whelen Modified Tour returns south after a pair of Connecticut races. Pennink has finished inside the top three in all of three races, including returning the iconic Ole Blue No. 3 to Victory Lane in Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s Icebreaker last month.
Two-time Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Andy Seuss is also looking to a return to Langley. Seuss has seven top-five finishes in eight starts there, including a win in 2011.
| RACE: | Langley 150 |
|---|---|
| PLACE: | Langley Speedway, Hampton, Va. |
| DATE: | Saturday, May 13 |
| TIME: | 8:30 p.m. (approx.) |
| TRACK: | .4-mile slightly banked asphalt oval |
| 2016 Winner: | N/A |
| 2016 Polesitter: | N/A |
| Event Schedule: | Practice, 3:40-4:55 p.m.; Autograph session, 5:45 p.m.; Group qualifying, 7:15 p.m. |
| Twitter: | @LangleySpeedway |
| Event Hashtag: | #Langley150 |
FAST FACTS:
The Race: This marks the fourth race of the 17-race schedule for the 2017 season. It will be the first and only appearance at Langley for this season.
The Procedure: The maximum starting field per the entry blank is 28 cars. The first 22 positions will be determined through the qualifying process, with six provisionals available. The race is scheduled for 150 laps (60 miles).
The Track: Langley is a .396-mile slightly-banked asphalt oval located in Hampton, Virginia. The facility features NASCAR Whelen All-American Series-sanctioned events on Saturday nights throughout the racing season, headlined by the late model division. Langley has held eight Whelen Southern Modified Tour races in its history, with the lastest coming in 2015. The inaugural event took place in August of 2010, a race won by Tim Brown.
Race Winners: There have been six different winners at Langley. Burt Myers and George Brunnhoelzl III both have two career wins each, while four others have one each.
Pole Winners: There have been six different pole winners at Langley. Ryan Preece and George Brunnhoelzl III both have two career poles, while four others have one each. Ryan Preece holds the NWSMT track qualifying record at 14.675 seconds and 97.145 mph, set on April 12, 2014.
Langley 150 Notes:
Coby Back On Track: Following two finishes outside the top 10 to start the unified NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, Doug Coby got himself back on the right track at Stafford on April 30. Coby finished second after leading 142 of the 200 laps behind the wheel of his No. 2 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet. Although Coby has never competed at Langley, his Phil Moran-led team usually reacts well to new tracks. Last season, they won the first tour event at Oswego Speedway since 1989, a place Coby had never even visited.
Quiet Start For Goodale: Although Eric Goodale had a chance at winning the NAPA Spring Sizzler in the late circuits, his start to the season has been rather quiet thus far. Goodale finished 18th in the season-opener at Myrtle Beach because of an accident. He came away with a sixth-place finish at Thompson, then followed that up with a fourth in the Sizzler. Goodale has never competed at Langley.
Tight Points Battle: Heading into Langley, positions three through eight in the championship race are separated by just eight points. Justin Bonsignore comes into the event running third in the standings, only two points up on Eric Goodale and four up on Ryan Preece and Woody Pitkat. Max Zachem sits five behind Bonsignore, while Matt Swanson sits only three behind Zachem. The tight-quarters of Langley could open, or close-up that gap.
Davis Teams With Watts: Brunnhoelz won’t be the only driver change. Spencer Davis will sit behind the wheel of the Danny Watts-owned No. 82 Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet machine after the team and driver Ron Silk parted ways. Davis has competed in 18 career Whelen Southern Modified Tour events and also competed in nine Whelen Modified Tour events. He finished inside the top 10 seven times in his Whelen Southern Modified Tour career and also finished third at Talladega in the ARCA Racing Series last weekend.
New Name: In a pairing that will enhance NASCAR racing in Hampton Roads for years to come, the Larry King Law Firm has become the official entitlement sponsor of Langley Speedway ion April 20. The legendary track adjacent to NASA and Langley Air Force Base will be Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway. The multi-year agreement was announced today by speedway owner/president Bill Mullis and long-time Peninsula attorney Larry King.
Home Tracks: Langley NWAAS In Action
As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour headlines Saturday night’s racing, the NASCAR Whelen All American Series will also be in action. The Grand Stocks and Super Trucks will be racing on Saturday. Nick Smith won the Taylor Waste Services Late Model 100 on May 6, while Greg Edwards holds a four-point lead over Justin Carroll in the Division I standings.
