There will be no shortage of star power when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150 on Sunday. The record list is led by two NASCAR Cup legends: 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman and Bobby. 2000 Series Champion Labonte. Newman no. 1 Pilot. No. 77 for Mike Curb and Labonte No. 2 for Sadler-Stanley Racing. 38 has been corrected. Labonte expects a stark contrast from the previous event held Sunday in North Wilkesboro with the newly paved surface. Labonte is confident that the new asphalt track will provide an excellent opportunity to compete with regular drivers on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
“I’m excited about it,” Labonte said. “We’ve been past [North] Wilkesboro a few times, but the layups are going to be different for everybody. With more cars on the road, hopefully more rubber will be rolled out and the notches will grow. No one has a clear advantage, but someone hits the right combination. I wish it was us.”Since his last Cup Series race in 2016, Labonte has raced Modifieds in the Southeast. The learning curve wasn’t as steep as Labonte had originally hoped. He made five trips to Modified Victory Lane in the 2020s, defeating many veterans such as Burt Myers, Brandon Ward and even Newman. Unlike Labonte, Newman’s modification experience dates back to his Cup Series days. Newman’s accomplishments in this field include four wins in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series, three of them in the famous No. 7NY won.
Newman finished sixth in last year’s Brushy Mountain Powersports 150 and won the 2022 exhibition event in North Wilkesboro, but knows repeating that finish will require a different strategy. Tire maintenance is not critical after the upgrade, but according to Newman, drivers should still race on track on Sunday. “It’s a completely different racetrack now with the new asphalt,” Newman said. “Everything we did before is unnecessary. I tested the tires for the Hoosier when the tracks were new. “The track is a little old now so I can’t wait to get out there again.”Labonte shared Newman’s optimism about the slow aging of the new surface, which he hopes will generate plenty of secondary racing. Given the speed expected at North Wilkesboro, Labonte said the team risks not letting the car lose too much or lose corner speed.
The win at Wilkesboro North gave Labonte more wins in the Cup Series. Labonte will have to compete against a talented group of competitors to reach this stage, but feels that the PSR Products-prepared car will provide the perfect opportunity to be competitive throughout the day. “It means a lot to bring this lift to North Wilkesboro,” Labonte said. “I look forward to this opportunity. “I think we can be competitive and if we find the right combination when the race starts, I think it will be very good.”Labonte and Newman will try to take home the checkered flag Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway at 2 p.m. FloRacing will be live streaming all the action from the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150.
