Pro Shocks Shock of the Week
This Week's Big Surprise in Short Track Racing
As Decided by the Staff of Speed51.com
Every week, our esteemed panel at Speed51.com will determine the most improbable, fascinating or "shocking" moment from the week and award the Pro Shocks "Shock of the Week." The winner each week will receive a product gift certificate from Pro Shocks, the leader in short track shock technology and performance. At the end of the season, the most "shocking" moment will be awarded the "Shock of the Year" and the winning driver will receive a special gift from Pro Shocks.
For this week's "Shock of the Week..."
Before the start of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday night, guys like Burt Myers, George Brunnhoelzl, Andy Seuss, Tim Brown, Brian Lofton or even LW Miller were mentioned as race favorites. Maybe a long shot could come from deep in the pack at the track known as the "Mad House", but the eventual winner might have been even more than a long shot.
Luke Fleming entered his first ever WSMT event at Bowman Gray and he stayed out of trouble to win it all.
That performance earned Luke Fleming this week's Speed51.com Pro Shocks Shock of the Week award.
Here are a few things that our judges had to say:
"One week after being suspended from Sportsman competition when a win was taken away [at Bowman Gray], his Pop let him drive his car and enter his first ever tour race. He won."
"Who is that guy?" [Editor's Note - Now that is the sign of a true Shock!]
Fleming won in a landslide, but there were a few honorable mentions this time around too.
Also receiving votes this week were:
Randy Turner (PASS North) - It has always been possible for a weekly racer to win on the PASS North Super Late Model circuit, but it is a rare accomplishment indeed. But Randy Turner, who used to call Unity Raceway his weekly home before heading to Wiscasset Speedway for most Saturday night shows, won this week in PASS North at Unity. He beat the Clarks and a Rowe to do it. He also beat a Ramstrom, a Bates, a Shaw, a Moore, a Dearborn and many other top guns of the tour.
But the victory wasn't a complete surprise either.
"It's not a shock to those who cover Late Model in the Pine Tree State, but still the former Track Super Late Model Champion was impressive in his win over the Clarks and a Rowe," wrote one of our panelists.
Ryan Preece (WMT) - Usually it takes a ton of experience to win a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Riverhead Raceway (NY). But Ryan Preece showed that isn't an absolute on Saturday night when he won his second career WMT at the tricky little Long Island bullring.
Jean-François Déry (ACT) - Here is what one of our voters had to say:
"My vote for this week's Pro Shock of the week goes to Jean-François Déry. After crashing in qualifying and not taking one lap to check things out, Déry comes back from dead last in the field to finish seventh, one lap down to the leaders. He visited the pits on every single yellow flag - 12 of them - to adjust the handling on his car.
For his "Shock" of a performance, Fleming will receive a product gift certificate from Pro Shocks, the short-track leader in racing shock technology and performance. Based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Pro Shocks has helped drivers on both dirt and asphalt perform better for more than 25 years.
Pro Shocks is proud to have the largest and most knowledgeable technical staff in the racing shock industry. For more information about Pro Shocks, log onto www.proshocks.com or call 770-995-6300.
Luke Fleming - NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Pro Shocks "Shock of the Week"
NASCAR Photo