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 MARTINSVILLE,
VA (October 19) -- Dushore, Pennsylvania's L.W. Miller drove to his first
NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series win of his career Saturday at
Martinsville Speedway. Miller won the Advance Auto Parts 200, and
pocketed $10,800 for the win. The race finish resulted in a further
tightening in the points race with only 104 points separating
first through fifth in the standings as the series heads to its final
race of the year at Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut on
Sunday, October 27th. Mike Stefanik still leads in the standings, but
his 10th place finish did nothing to ease the pressure on the
defending series champion entering the series' final race. Stefanik
currently leads Rick Fuller, who finished in second place, by 52
points entering this weekend's Thompson showdown. Miller, making his
70th series start, led the final 50 laps of the 200-lap race en route
to the win.
A total of 40 cars started Saturday's Advance Auto Parts 200
on the Martinsville .526-mile oval. New Jersey's Ken Wooley, Jr.
started on the pole after capturing the Bud Pole Award with Rick Fuller
joining Wooley in the front row.
When the green flag waved, Fuller used
his outside starting position to take the early race lead over the
pole-sitter Wooley. But Wooley would return the favor on lap 77, when
he took back the race lead from Fuller.
Wooley led until lap 95, that's when Jamie Tomaino
took a turn out front. Tomaino led until lap 151, when L.W. Miller moved into the
lead for good. Miller had pitted on lap 66 and worked his way through
the field to be within striking distance on lap 122, when he took over the
second position. But it wasn't until lap 151, when the young hot-shoe
finally made his move to pass Tomaino for good.
The win was Miller's first NASCAR Featherlite Modified
Series win of his career and earned
the Pontiac driver $10,800. Finishing in second place was outside pole
sitter Rick Fuller. Fuller pocketed $6,555 for his runner-up finish. Rounding out the top
three was ninth starting Tommy Cravenho. Cravenho collected $4,505 for
finishing third.
Jamie Tomaino and John Blewett, III finished fourth
and fifth, respectively. Robbie Summers, Charlie Pasteryak, Ken
Wooley, Jr., Teddy Christopher and Mike Stefanik rounded out the top
ten.
With most of the point leaders having a disappointing
outing, the points chase tightens up even further as the series enters
its final race this weekend. Mike Stefanik's lead (2540) narrows over
Rick Fuller (2488) to 52 points, while Ted Christopher (2463) commands
third place in the standings after his 9th place finish. Jerry Marquis
(2444) slipped to fourth in the standings after finishing 39th due to engine troubles
which caused him to drop out on lap 28. Chuck Hossfeld (2436), finished a disappointing
29th, commands the fifth spot in the driver standings.
The NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series will complete
its 2002 season this Sunday, October 27th, at Thompson
International Speedway.
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. is proud to be the sole tire
provider to the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series during the 2002
racing season.
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