BRANDON HERMILLER ENTERS WORLD SERIES OF STOCK CAR RACING
-Young Michigan Racer Heading To Florida Speed Weeks In Quest Of Additional Experience-
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2012) – Young Michigan rising racing star Brandon Hermiller has entered the 46th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway. The 18-year-old charger and his No. 6 H.S. Die/VISI-TST Chevrolet team are making the long haul down to the Sunshine State in quest of additional experience.
“There is nowhere else you can go and race so much in that little amount of time,” said Hermiller, the 2011 Berlin Raceway “Racer of the Year” and Pro Stock Series Champion. “It’ll be a great opportunity to get a ton of seat time in one week. It will be a good chance to have some fun and gain experience before we turn our attention on getting prepared for the full JEGS/CRA schedule this season.”
The World Series is the only asphalt event of its kind and draws the top talent from across the country and Canada to the renowned 0.48-mile oval. There are seven different divisions that will compete during nine straight nights of racing. Hermiller will be competing in the Pro Late Model division and is the lone Michigan racer entered in the prestigious annual event. The H.S. Die/VISI-TST Chevrolet team will be racing eight out of the nine nights that the team will be visiting the area.
“We originally were not going to race until Saturday night because I didn’t want to miss any more classes than we had to,” said Hermiller, a freshman at Grand Rapids Community College where he is studying in the Mechanical Design program. “I have some great support from the teachers and everyone at GRCC. We’ve been able to work out a situation where I can complete my studies online while we’re away and that’s cool.”
When the Midwest speedster enters the pit gate on Friday, it will be the first time he has ever seen the famous track. He is certainly looking forward to the trip down South to hone his racing skills.
“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Hermiller said with a chuckle. “They have New Smyrna Speedway on iRacing (iRacing.com motorsport simulations), so I have gotten pretty familiar with the track that way.
“But man, I can’t wait to get down there and get after it,” Hermiller said. “They repaved the track back in 2007 and it’s lightning-fast with plenty of grip. New Smyrna Speedway has such tremendous history and so many of the legendary short-track drivers have raced there.
“We will be there from Friday through the following Saturday and the only night our division won’t be racing is Monday,” said the enthusiastic young hotshoe. “That’s a lot of racing and it’ll be a huge challenge to keep our car in one piece. Our major goal is to get as much experience as we possibly can and hopefully turn some heads while we’re down there. One thing for sure is that it will be a fun trip. All you have to do is look at the weather forecast for New Smyrna versus Grand Rapids and that’s easy to see.
“Our real season doesn’t get started until April and I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to get in some more racing before then,” said Hermiller. “It’s a long time till we get cranked up and out there competing just about every week.”
Hermiller announced plans earlier to compete in all 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour races, contending for both the Howie Lettow Rookie-of-the-Year Award and the series’ points championship. He will also race in 10 events at Berlin, his home track located in Marne, Mich.
“Competing in the World Series of Asphalt Racing will cross an item off my bucket list,” that’s for sure,” said Hermiller. “It is definitely something that is every short-track driver’s goal – to be able to race at New Smyrna during Speed Weeks. We’re grateful to have that opportunity. Some of the best drivers around will be there competing and it will be a thrill to get out there and see how we stack up against them all.”
* * *
For additional information on New Smyrna Speedway and the 46th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, including schedules and entry lists, please log on here: http://newsmyrnaspeedway.org/
For the latest information on Speed Weeks 2012 short-track action, including race information and results from New Smyrna, Bob Dillner, Matt Kentfiield and the Speed 51 crew are tops. Please visit their site at: http://www.speed51.com/index.html
For additional information on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, please visit the CRA site at http://www.craracing.net/. For information on Berlin Raceway, please visit http://www.berlinraceway.com/
For additional information on Brandon Hermiller, please visit his site at http://www.brandonhermiller.com/.
For the latest news and insights, we invite you to follow Brandon on Twitter: @bhermiller (www.twitter.com/bhermiller) and Facebook: Brandon.hermiller (http://www.facebook.com/Brandon.hermiller)
# # #
|
