Now that’s fast! Modifieds hit Bristol

Cars from the The NASCAR Whelen Modified Series hit the Bristol Motor Speedway concrete for the first time Tuesday, as part of a test session and “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” got even faster.  

The cars ran with carburetor restrictor-plates early in the afternoon.  The fastest time with plates was clocked by L.W. Miller of Dushore, Pa.  Miller circled the half-mile track in 14.742 sec., breaking Ryan Newman’s Cup Series track record of 14.908 sec. set in 2003.

Ted Christopher, 2008 Whelen Modified Tour Champion, jumped at the chance to test his car on the .533 mile track with the engine unrestricted.  Christopher turned the fastest lap of the evening, a mind-blowing 14.479 sec. 

Bristol will welcome the NASCAR Whelen Modified and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tours for the first time in a doubleheader with the Camping World Truck Series on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Tuesday provided Hoosier Tire, NASCAR and the test teams their first opportunity to see how the open-wheeled race cars performed on the concrete .533-mile oval.

Junior Johnson racing again? I can’t wait

For me, and for race fans around my age, I grew up knowing Junior Johnson as a car owner. His days of fielding winning cars for the likes of Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip and Bill Elliott helped Johnson forge his status as a true NASCAR legend.

But Johnson’s racing roots go back to the dirt roads of Wilkes County, N.C., and the infancy of stock car racing. The Junior Johnson name echoes NASCAR history. From moonshine runs to the race track, Johnson contributed immensely to the success of modern day NASCAR racing.

In fact, Johnson’s introduction of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to “Big Bill” France ushered in the age of corporate involvement in NASCAR.

But before all of that, there was Junior Johnson… the driver.  With 50 wins in 14 seasons behind the wheel, Johnson was one of the most successful racers on the track.

In 1965, a season before he called it quits, Johnson drove his Ford to victory lane in the Southeastern 500 at Bristol for his first and only win on the famed half-mile oval. He pocketed a modest $4,550 for his efforts in the race that saw him edge out Dick Hutcherson and Ned Jarrett.

Johnson’s car-owner days at Bristol saw much more success, as he guided his drivers to 16 Bristol Cup Series wins, including a streak of seven-in-a-row by Darrell Waltrip.

But even with his monumental success as an owner, the stories still echo of his racing days. Outside of the historical NASCAR footage, I never dreamed of seeing Junior behind the wheel. I could just rely upon historical footage, endless written words and, or course, the movie “The Last American Hero.”

That is until now.  I, along with many other true NASCAR die-hards, will get to see Johnson behind the wheel once more as he takes to the track in Bristol’s Saturday Night Special on Saturday, March 21.  The race will follow the NASCAR Nationwide Series Scotts Turf Builder 300.

And not only will we see Junior in the driver’s seat, we’ll see him race against the likes of David Pearson, Harry Gant and many more in a 50-lap Late Model dash.

I always look forward to our race weekends. But I’ve never anticipated one as much as I am this one.