I couldn’t have asked or wished for a more professional show than these put on.
With almost 1/2 of the field being Rookies, I expected a bunch of young kid, wreck on lap 1 mentality.
What we DID see, was a field of 30 racers that drove with a combination of balls & respect.
No cautions for the first 39 laps, probably 5 different leaders to that point.
I couldn’t even count the 3 wide moves I’d seen and they all got through.
Winner Daniel Suarez started back in 11th.
Second place Cameron Haley faded early but came on REAL strong at the end and made a photo-finish out of it.
I believe it was Lee Pulliam in the 11 that rounded out that trio at the end.
One of my first thoughts at the end of this race… other than F-1, when’s the last race you went to where Mexico got the Gold, Canada got the Silver, and the USA got the Bronze…?
Was a blast working with Hank, Ben and Joe last night… the only downside was the new wireless mic would not work trackside… One of the best races I’ve seen at NSS in a long time… Crowd was one of the bigger ones I’ve seen at NSS in quite awhile, more than at the last Governor’s Cup race… Nice run to the win for Daniel Suarez… very smooth performance all the way… Was fun working with Jimmy Wilson and the NASCAR folks plus having Jerry Cook up in the tower for the Tour Mod race that was pretty darn competitive too…
I’ll be working tonight to give Hank a rest… 50-lap PLM, 35-lap SLM and 35-lap FL Mods and Jack Ingram will be in the house to sign autographs…
Upside It was great to see so much young talent trying to make it to the big leagues. That keeps the drivers that are already there on their toes (to keep from getting replaced) and gives the next generation a place to hone their skills.
The cars are well matched with each other, they were able to pass, and to race side by side for several laps. It kept things interesting for this fan it the stands.
I liked the fact that there were competitive women drivers like Kenzie Ruston (who was my pick to win), and drivers from other countries. I got a kick out of the race winner Daniel Suarez from Mexico. This young man is a shoe! He was aggressive, he passed a bunch of others to get on top, then never put a wheel wrong as he struggled to hang on to the lead. From the stands, he is an excellent American short tracker, but in his interview, he had a very strong accent from Northern Mexico, the kind you would expect from a guy with a big hat riding a burro. An unexpected surprise to be sure!
Downside I’m not wild about the “Drive for Diversity” program. Although I like competitive women and drivers from other countries, they should get there on their merits and through their own efforts. Its just a different world now… The old way is gone.
I was also dismayed to see that virtually every K&N team showed up in a 53’ Cup style hauler. I get it that they are from all over the country and spend time on the road, but that is certainly a barrier to overcome for what is supposed to be a feeder series.
All the cars looked and sounded exactly the same. Unless you are paying attention, it could lull you to sleep.
Overall, it was a very good race, and I hope it comes back. It certainly drew a very large crowd on a cool Sunday night.
Yes… He is in charge of the Whelan Modified Tours… You can hook up with him on Facebook… His mom and dad (Harry the Hat and Audrey) were there last night too…
Not a bad show for a bunch of guys we never heard of. Had to laugh as we sat by a bunch of guys in NASCAR jackets all the same. Race ended and they and a bunch of others left missing the tour mods who put on the show. Sadly The car counts are down with only 14 mods and looks like this series days are numbered after all these years. I find it hard to believe they run that stupid show at Daytona for tv and very few of them come to NSS? I guess only a few of them have the balls to run there, but thanks to the ones who put on a good show each night!
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