Advance Auto Parts Team Is Working Well Together, Now They Need Some Good Luck
At the beginning of the 2008 season, Riggs Racing announced their new driver, Andy Seuss from Hampstead, N.H.
After a successful 10 year run with the "King of the Southern Modifieds" Junior Miller, many folks in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour garage area expected the new combination to struggle. Seuss and his family live 765 miles from the Riggs' Martinsville, Va., shops and the team knew communication would be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.
A quiet Top-10 finish in their debut race together proved that the combination had plenty of potential.
Surprisingly enough, the teams' biggest asset was rain. Two weeks worth. While most teams loaded up and headed back home to work on their cars for the following weeks' race, Seuss and his family capitalized on the time together to share in fellowship, and work on racing terminology they would share for the rest of the season.
Friday night at Ace Speedway, Seuss qualified in the top five and redrew the top spot for the Whelen Southern Modified Tour 150 presented by DMC Auto Exchange 150. Their night would end before the first lap was even completed, though, due to a multi-car crash on the front stretch.
The team rallied around its driver and headed back to Martinsville determined to show the performance at Ace was a sign of things to
The #47 Advance Auto Parts team hard at work. (51 Photo)
come. After working through the night on a backup car that still carried Miller's colors, the team installed a motor, Seuss’ driving seat, a rear end, and several other parts to bring a car to life that had not seen action since September of last year.
Again, Seuss qualified near the front as he did the previous night. He redrew a front row starting spot and would lead a majority of the event before losing the lead on a late race restart to eventual race winner, Brian Loftin.
A second-place finish for the Advance Auto Parts/Q Racing Oil/Stuart's Towing/Rockingham Boat team in only their third start has everyone excited for the rest of the 2008 season.
The "Spring Break" will give the team plenty of time to rebuild their primary car lost at Ace, and work with Seuss as he races his own Rockingham Boat sponsored car in select NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races.
