Grandview Modified Pit Notes 6/10/23 – Nat Brinker Rebounds to Take Career First Modified Win at Grandview Speedway Holding Off Late Charge by Brett Kressley

Nat Brinker used his 3rd starting position in the one caution 24 green flag lap feature to earn his career first Grandview win holding off a strong late charge by Brett Kressley who closed to within a tenth of a second of Brinker in the final lap.

Nat Brinker took the lead on lap 1 from his 3rd stating position and led the entire one caution feature.  Brinker opened an impressive lead of nearing 2 seconds over 2^nd place Justin Grim after the first 20 laps.  Lapped traffic caused the lead to shrink until Brett Kressley moved past Justin Grim into 2^nd on lap 28. Brinker’s motor began laying down in the final laps and his once 2 second lead was down to .157 seconds at the checkered flag, but Brinker still drove into victory lane to celebrate his career first modified and Grandview victory.

Heat race winners for the 34-car modified field were won by Craig Whitmoyer, Eric Kormann, and Doug Manmiller.

 Jared Umbenhauer won the consolation race.

T.P. TRAILER NASCAR MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (30 laps):

1.) NATE BRINKER, 2. Brett Kressley, 3,Craig Von Dohren, 4. Jeff Strunk, 5. Justin Grim, 6. Ryan Grim, 7. Craig Whitmoyer, 8. Mike Lisowski, 9. Ryan Watt, 10. Mike Gular, 11. Tim Buckwalter, 12. Jimmy Leiby, 13. Eddie Strada, 14. Kevin Hirthler, 15. Bobby Trapper Jr., 16. Jesse Leiby, 17. Eric Kormann, 18. Kevin Graver Jr., 19. Dylan Swinehart, 20. Eric Biehn, 21. Mark Kratz, 22. Bob Trapper Sr., 23. Ryan Beltz, 24. Chris Esposito, 25. John Willman, 26. Chris Gambler, 27. Carroll Hine III, DNS – Doug Manmiller, Jared Umbenhauer

DID NOT QUALIFY: Bobby Gunther-Walsh, Ron Haring Jr., Glenn Owens, Darrin Schuler, Ray Swinehart

MODIFIED PIT NOTES – 6/10/23 NASCAR POINTS RACE # 7

Nate Brinker took his career first Modified and Grandview win from his 3^rd starting position taking the lead on lap 1 and leading every lap of the 30-lap feature to the final checkered flag.  On the only restart of the feature, Justin Grim took briefly took the lead but Brinker powered back into the lead before the lap 6 was in the books and pulled away from the field.  By the end of the 24 green flag run, Brinker’s motor began to heat up and lose power allowing Kressley to close in during the final five laps.  Kressley came up .157 seconds short at the checkered flag with Nate Brinker driving into victory lane for his career first modified & Grandview win.

Nate pulled a wrecker to checkers in one short week after a nasty hit to the backstretch outside wall last week in his heat race which damaged the frame and required a partial front half of the car. The Hoffman racing team # 4 returned this week with a vengeance moving from 3^rd to 2^nd in the heat race and then leading all 30 laps of the feature for Nate’s first modified and Grandview win.

Nate reflected “Last week was a tough one getting into that wreck in the heat, which was a racing incident, and they happen. We pretty much bent every rod on the car, front axle, the shocks, the frame and more.  All the guys at Hoffman Speed Supplies busted their butts this past week to get the car back in perfect condition for today’s race. They have given me a fantastic car every single week.  I cannot thank Dave, Keith, Randy, and everyone at Hoffman’s enough for all their hard work week in and week out.”

“The heat race was good; we were scheduled to start 4th but Ray scratched so we ended up starting 3rd.  We had some luck on our side, grabbing the lead in the heat until one to go. Towards the end of the heat the car started to free up but more so from driver error, so we fell back to second when Doug Manmiller passed me like a rocket to take the lead on the final lap of the heat.”

“Moving to the feature we were scheduled to start 4^th but again and ended up starting 3^rd and I was good from the green and grabbed the lead on lap 1. The best thing that could have happened for us was for the race to stay green.  Running out front for 24 straight green flag laps is something I haven’t done many times at Grandview. I knew that I needed to stay gassed up and keep a gap between myself and the heavy hitters who were coming – like Kressley, Von Doren, and Strunk because they are always super-fast. Towards the end of the race the motor was running extremely hot, and the oil pressure was having issues.  Lapped traffic was a bit tricky, as it’s one thing to focus on running your race, but another to know that you have heavy hitters coming while paying attention to what needs to be done to maneuver through lapped traffic. Overall, the car was fantastic, and we had luck on our side for once. I’ve wanted a win at Grandview ever since we started running sportsman six years ago. This one means an awful lot, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the Hoffman crew, and my crew, my grandfather, my dad, Lauren, Bryan, Chris, Brian, and everyone that supports us.”

Brett Kressley finished 2^nd from his 13^th starting position and moved into the points lead by 4 points over Jeff Strunk.  Brett now has 6 top five finishes out of 7 points race starts with two wins, three 2nd’s and one 4^th place finishes.  Brett leads both the Grandview and Big Diamond points standings at the same time which is a first for him.

In the final five laps of the feature Kressley went from 4^th to 2^nd and reduced a 2.35 second deficit to only .157 seconds at the checkered flag.

Back at the trailer Brett noted “We were very fortunate in the heat this week with a couple of guys dropping out early.  We missed the heat setup, so our good fortune couldn’t have come at a better time, and we were able to get in handicap despite missing the setup.  Every spot in the heat counts when it comes to setting the feature lineup each week.”

“In the feature we fired good early and got in front of Craig and Jeff and from there we could just maintain.  We set the car up to give up a little early but be better later in the race.  We’ll take these 2^nd place finishes all day long and we had a good night overall.  It is very hard to be consistent here, but we only had one bad night all season with a 15^th, and we’ll be back next week trying to keep the top five finishes rolling.”   

Craig Von Dohren finished 3^rd from his 11^th starting position and is creeping closer to the points lead while quietly lurking in 3^rd in the point standings only 44 points behind points leader Brett Kressley.  Craig posted his fourth 3^rd place finish of the season.

Jeff Strunk finished 4^th from his 12^th starting position and increased his top five finishes to 6 with only one 9^th place finish on the season. 

Jeff was probably the happiest guy on the grounds to see the final 24 laps go green as he had a flat left front tire and was still able to finish 4^th.

Jeff commented “We got the night off to a good start and made the handicap in the heat race.  Track conditions have been very tricky in the past few weeks but tip of the hat to Kenny, Brad, and crew for chasing the track all night and giving us a good racey track for the feature again.”

“In the feature we got a LF flat about around halfway through, so we were very fortunate to not have any late cautions and that the car was still good enough to keep pace and pass cars with a flat front left and got us to a 4^th place finish.  Another good solid run.”

Justin Grim finished 5^th from his 5^th starting position and posted his best finish of the season.  Justin was also running top five last week until a flat tire sent him to the back of the field for the rest of the night.

Justin commented “This is the car we ran well with during the 2020 season and it’s on coils with Ron Seltman of Fast Four Shocks being a huge help in getting our handling turned around. Nicks precision machine did this engine, and it certainly is one of the best we’ve had. We took it to the dyno and Kit and Wayne were a big help in getting it tuned up.”

“In the heat we had a decent car that was good enough to make moves when they opened up and we made the invert that put us in 5^th starting position in the feature.”

“In the feature I got up to second and just couldn’t close the gap on Nate. On the only restart on lap 6, I knew I could stick the bottom on entry of 1 but the top was just too dominant for me to drive by him off of 2.  So, I got a decent start and was alongside him getting into one and committed to sliding up in front of him to try to break his momentum. It worked but the kid did a good job and returned the favor in 3 and 4 and from there I couldn’t get close enough to mount a challenge.  Nate really ran an excellent race.”

“I over ran the car a little bit early in the race and felt the effects in the later stages of the race. We’ll make some adjustments for TOTH on Tuesday and try to get the last 10 laps of the feature a little better.  I’m thankful for Taylor’s help along with the crew Austin Mitch and Tim for all the hard work they’ve been putting in and of course or sponsors for the funding to have the equipment to run up front.”

Ryan Grim finished 6^th from his 8^th starting position and posted his 4^th top ten finish in a row.

Ryan reflected “The car was OK in the heat, but the track has been very tricky and never the same lately. The heat races are a struggle to get to the front with the handicap cars in front of you and the big guys right on your bumper, you are just one mistake from going to last place.   We made the handicap which set us up with an 8^th starting position in the feature.”

“In the feature we drove up to 3^rd but then got too free and lost three spots to finish in 6^th.  I stuck with the top but the top in 1 & 2 went away late in the race and I should have tried the bottom.  I prefer a black and slick track and that’s what I got tonight but it was still a very tricky track to negotiate.”

Craig Whitmoyer posted his best finish of the season a 7^th from his 4^th starting position.

Craig noted “We found some stuff during the week that we fixed and had a very good car in the heat which we won from the 5^th starting position.”

“We made some changes for the feature and were able to finish 7^th.  We need some additional adjustments for when the track slicks off in the feature.  We are not used to being up front in the feature, so we need to keep getting up there and get more experience and chances to get better running up front late in a feature.  We have plenty more to do to get this car and driver better in the feature.”

Mike Lisowski finished 8^th from his 16^th starting position making a strong back to front run for the first time this season and posted his 4^th top ten finish of the season.

Mike reflected “We missed the handicap in the heat race but still qualified. We were able to pass some cars in the feature and end up 8th.  Overall, a solid night after getting in a tangle and spinning in a tough heat race.”

Ryan Watt finished 9^th from his 9^th starting position and continues to post high top ten finishes every week but he is looking to improve to top five finishes.

Ryan noted “We continue to try to get the car better in the heat.  Right now, the car is just not good enough to get through the field like Kressley, Strunk, CVD, and those guys do.  We got lucky in the heat race when a few guys got tangled up and gave us a few spots. We made the handicap and was able to avoid the consolation for the first time in a while.”

“In the feature we made some major changes but continue to struggle with finding enough drive off the corner.  We finished 9^th tonight and continue to be stuck with a bunch of high top ten finishes this year and need to improve to top five finishes.”

Mike Gular finished 10^th from his 17^th starting position.  Mike had a open date and made a visit to his closest track to home.  He handicapped to 17^th in the feature and couldn’t get through traffic to the front with only one caution and 24 green flag laps.

Timmy Buckwalter finished 11^th from is 11^th starting position while experiencing fuel pressure issues during the 30 lap feature.

Timmy stated “In the feature we lost a fuel pump and had only 3 pounds of pressure and maybe vapor lock.  We pulled the motor this week and put in our backup.  We improved in the heat, as this was the first time in a while we didn’t have to qualify from the consolation.  We got to get better and are going back to the drawing board this week.  My guys never give up on me and we will just keep digging.”

Eddie Strada finished 13^th from his 23^rd starting position.

Eddie noted “Last week we had an DNF in the feature when the bolt that attaches the drive shaft to the rear pulled out and spun the driveshaft.  In the heat race this week the car was good but there was just two wide racing in front of you with nowhere to go and I managed to pick the wrong lanes at the wrong time.”

“In the feature the car was just too tight, but we learned where our threshold is now because we have never gotten the car tight enough this season.  23rd to 13th isn’t bad; but we’re better than that and we’ve proven it many times this year.  Car was better in feature but just got too tight towards the middle to the end.  We couldn’t make up any more ground than 13^th that was about the best we had tonight.”

The breakage blues hit several teams early in the night with Ray Swinehart parking the 942 after hot laps with oil all over the motor for unknown reasons.

Darren Schuler did not return after a plume of smoke during his heat race and then being towed to the pits.

Doug Manmiller couldn’t make the call for the feature due to a distributor that was bad and then started up right after it was placed.

Jared Umbenhauer also couldn’t make the call for the feature due to electrical issues.

Next up on Saturday, June 17 will be a two-division program under the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series banner for the T.P. Trailer 358 Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman. The program will consist of qualifying races leading up to the 30-lap Modified and 25-lap Sportsman main events with racing starting at 7:30 P.M.