BRISTOL, Tenn. — Burt Myers may have been the one of the fastest men in Wednesday afternoon’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway, but he won’t be taking part in the Bush’s Beans 150 later on in the evening.

Myers posted the second-fastest time of 14.557 seconds (131.813 mph) in the No. 1 CitrusSafe Cleaners Ford, but crashed hard in Turn 3 just past the 40-minute mark of the hour and 45 minute session after a suspension failure on entry to the corner.

The Walnut Cove, N.C. veteran and two-time champion of the now-defunct NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour tried to hold on to his car, but was “just a passenger” at that point as the flat-black machine shot hard into the outside SAFER Barrier.

The right-front and front end damage to Myers’ machine was enough that he told Race Chaser Online the team would be “done for the day.”

“It’s killed. We’re done,” Myers lamented after climbing from his car. “I went off into (Turn) 3 and felt the suspension break … and (the car) bottomed out and hit the race track, and at that point the tires quit working and you’re holding on.”

Myers was chasing his first overall Tour win at Bristol, saying that he felt like his car was “one of the fastest in town.”

Inevitably, that made the fact that he will be unable to compete come race time even tougher to swallow, not to mention that the hit was equally as vicious at nearly 140 miles an hour entering the corner.

“We were really happy. We were just working on what we had. Tony (Eury) Jr. and the guys from Fury (Race Cars) came with us and we were fast. It was all fine-tuning before (the crash) happened.”

“That was definitely the hardest hit I’ve ever taken. I’m a little sore … but I think my feelings are hurt more than anything.”

Patrick Emerling ended the lone practice session for the Tour at Bristol as the fast man, ahead of Myers, Ryan Preece, Chase Dowling and Ronnie Williams.

About the Writer

Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.

Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.

The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.

Email Jacob at: [email protected]

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