Brandon Ward Pick up His First Career PASS South Series Win

Charlotte, NC 5/12/12- Wake County Speedway, the less than quarter mile located in Raleigh, North Carolina, played host to the PASS South Series super late models Friday night celebrating fifty consecutive years of racing. After all was said and done regulars to track were left thinking about those last fifty years when the last time 125 laps of racing in any division was ran caution free. One guy that could tell you fifty years from now, will be #62 Brandon Ward as he cruised to victory winning the Capital City Clash/Bull Ring Tough Guy Challenge 125 presented by Bio-Specialists. The win was his first in the series and his first for car owner Jeff Day who has fielded a car in the series dating back to the inaugural season in 2006. www.bio-specialists.com “Wow, what a race that was right there,” cheered an excited Brandon Ward as he exited the car in victory lane. “Man, I never thought in a million years I would get my first PASS South Series win at a track like Wake County. All my guys worked their butts off to give me an unbelievable car tonight and it showed. I’ve been trying so hard to get Jeff Day a win in this series and tonight we were finally able to do it.” Ward was fortunate enough to redraw the pole position after qualifying ninth during the series redraw of the top ten qualifiers and never looked back. #31 Kyle Grissom who set fast time during the day’s qualifying session and started to the outside of Ward challenged the #62 machine early on riding right on the bumper of Ward and making contact several times over the first thirty-two laps. Just as Ward started to put fellow competitors #1 Justin Allison and #29 Landon Cling a lap down, the two made contact resulting in Grissom losing a half a straightaway distance to the leader. A pair of quick movers early on in the form of #4 Jay Fogleman closed in to the third position, as did Gray Gaulding after starting tenth. Still clean and green at the event’s halfway mark, Ward continued to lead over a distant Grissom in second followed by Fogleman and series veteran #26 Preston Peltier. With the race inside forty laps to go and still no slowing the field, business amongst drivers picked up on track. Caruth, in his first season racing on pavement shined on the tight bull ring making a move that saw him go from fifth to second all in a matter of Wake County’s 100 foot back stretch. This was exactly what Ward needed to almost circle the field entirely. Inside twenty laps to go early front runners Fogleman and Grissom battled to stay within the top five and on the lead lap. Brandon Ward once again showed no signs of mercy or letting up in the closing laps as he lapped the field all the way up to the fourth position as the checkered flag flew through the air. Preston Peltier made it back-to-back podium finishes with his second place finish. Third place man Ross Kenseth did the same after scoring his first series win in the series’ last outing at Orange County Speedway just two weeks ago. “I’ve been racing in this series as a car owner since day one and maybe I’ve missed fielding a car in about twelve races during that time, and you couldn’t have wrote a better script than this one tonight,” stated Jeff Day, car owner of Ward’s #62 ride. “I can’t even begin to describe how easy Brandon is to work with out there. He really is an awesome racecar driver and I’m proud that he was the guy that got this #62 Kevin Powell Ford/KPMoto.com race team in victory lane tonight.”

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Ward Wins South Boston 150

First Career Victory In 17th Start

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – Brandon Ward won the South Boston 150 on Saturday night in NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour action at South Boston Speedway.

Ward, racing out of Winston-Salem, N.C., in his No. 44 Konnoak Giant Services/Hire’s Automotive Chevrolet, wrestled the lead from defending tour champion George Brunnhoelzl III, who led a race-high 130 laps, on Lap 131 and never looked back over the 19 laps of the race. It was Ward’s first tour victory in 17 starts.

Andy Seuss rebounded from an early-race incident to finish second followed by Danny Bohn in third. Kyle Ebersole and L.W. Miller finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Miller won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day.

Thomas Stinson, Burt Myers, Brunnhoelzl, Renee Dupuis and John Smith rounded out the top 10.

Ward was the fourth different race winner in as many NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour events at South Boston. Prior race winners are Ted Christopher, James Civali and Seuss.

With his victory in the South Boston 150, Ward locked up a spot in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series race at the UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next February during Speedweeks.

In the point standings, Brunnhoelzl and Miller are tied atop the standings with Brunnhoelzl getting the edge to his season-opening at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C. Bohn is in third – 10 points off the leader’s pace.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour is right back on the track on Saturday, April 21 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C., for the Caraway 150.

Brandon Ward celebrated his win at South Boston (Va.) Speedway with a victory lap. Jason Smith/pixelcrisp