| “Herman Joins the Mod Squad” | 
3/25/08 Kannapolis, NC – The view out the cockpit will look considerably different to Mike Herman, Jr. this racing season. For the past 16 years, full fenders have been the norm, but Saturday night at Southern National Raceway Park, Herman will see massive 15” Hoosier Racing tires through his windshield.
Herman and long-time sponsor Fireside Hearth & Home will make the move to the open-wheeled NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour in 2008. Modifieds are NASCAR’s oldest division and Herman is happy to make the switc
“My first chance to drive a Modified was in 2006 and I absolutely loved it,” said Herman. “It’s a driver’s car; you have to be aggressive behind the wheel. The stock car has gotten to the point where you have to be easy and finesse the car. You really have to back off the gas early, easy in and hard off, but you can get after it in the Modified.”
For everyone that has witnessed a NASCAR Modified Tour show, you know first hand how Modified drivers “get after it.” Fans this Saturday night at Southern National will see 150 laps of wheel to wheel, bumper to bumper action.
Southern National is a very fast and high-banked track which suits the Modified cars, as well as Herman. “I love racing at Southern National,” commented Herman. “My first race there was in 1998 running Late Model Stock and we’ve been back with the ProCup Series a lot. They paved the track last year, which made it really fast. The new surface really suited my driving style and we had a great run on the new asphalt with the ProCup ca
The race Saturday night will mark Herman’s second start in the Southern Modified Tour. The first race came back in August 2006 during the Advance Auto Parts 199 at Bowman-Gray Stadium. It’ll also mark Herman’s first Modified start away from the famed ¼ mile at Bowman-Gray.
“I’m looking forward to racing the Modified away from the Stadium. I really don’t know what to expect but I think I’ll figure it out pretty quick,” grinned Herman.
News and Notes:
· Fans of the Hermanator will notice another major change this Saturday. After 15 straight years of driving the #34, Herman will make the switch to #15. It won’t be the first time racing the #15, which he did so in his karting days. Mike’s Dad also raced the #15 on his flat-track motorcycle in the sixties. More to come on this in the near future.
· Expect Herman to race the Fireside Modified 8 to 12 times in 2008. Next up will be Greenville-Pickens on April 5th and the season-opener at Bowman-Gray Stadium on April 26th.
Fireside Hearth & Home is the retail and distribution division of Hearth & Home Technologies, the world’s largest fireplace manufacturer. Fireside Hearth & Home offers more than 50 years of hearth experience, as well as the strongest brands in the industry with Heat & Glo™, Heatilator® and Quadra-Fire®. It is America’s #1 destination for fireplaces, stoves, fireplace inserts and hearth accessories. For more information on Fireside Hearth & Home and retail locations, visit www.fireside.com.
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