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CR7 Motorsports Teammates Larry Berg and Jason Kitzmiller Take SCSCS Wins at Motor Mile

Radford, Virginia (August 21, 2022) – The A.L.L. Construction Twin 50s at Motor Mile Speedway featured a night filled with entertaining on-track battles, career moments for some, and differences in opinion for a few.

In his first attempt at the 0.416-mile oval, Larry Berg set fast time among a field of 14 Super Cup Stock Car Series machines.  The 16.694 second lap equated to the Petersburg, West Virginia’s driver’s fifth career Pole Award and first since Dominion Raceway in October 2019.

Berg’s teammate Jason Kitzmiller drove out to the early lead in the first main event, presented by Trick Shot Sustainable Products, after the redraw put him alongside 2022 first-timer Brian Harrison on the front row.  The race went the first 42 circuits without a yellow, despite instances such as the aforementioned Harrison from Renick, West Virginia’s No. 15 Harrison’s Welding / Swearingen Bat Company / Harrison’s Motorsports Chevrolet suddenly slowing upon losing oil pressure or a couple close calls with leaders navigating lapped traffic.

During that long green flag run, accelerating quickly toward the front was Ben Ebeling, a two-time winner at Motor Mile in 2021.  The Hickory, North Carolina driver moved to second early on and proceeded to steadily reel in on Kitzmiller.  A pass was made on that 42nd circuit in turn two, but it turned out to be short-lived.

The brakes went away and in the next set of corners Ebeling’s No. 44 Startown Carpet & Floor Coverings / Swanny’s Auto Sales / Wrenn's Lawn Service / L & C Truck Repair / Battery Specialist of Hickory / RE Suspension / Good Frames, LLC / Williams-Ebeling Enterprises Ford lost control, resulting in extensive damage to the front end of his car.  It turned out to be his first finish outside the top 10 in nearly 50 starts.

Kitzmiller was one that suffered damage in the process, but only of the minor cosmetic nature to the right side.  Since he was able to maintain his forward speed, the Maysville, West Virginia racer proceeded to lead the field back to green.

It was on the final restart that the outcome of this main event changed.  Berg now saw himself on the outside front row and took advantage of the opportunity, taking the lead and going on for his second career SCSCS victory, his first since Midvale Speedway in 2015.

“I didn’t know it was that long ago, but it felt good and I had fun,” Berg indicated.

Regarding the final restart, both drivers shared their perspective.

“We got tight throughout the race, so I tried to cool (the tires) down and run up in the asphalt that hadn’t been run on and it was cooler,” Kitzmiller, driver of the No. 97 A.L.L. Construction, Inc. / Grant County Mulch / A & J Excavating / CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet commented.  “But I didn’t clean them off really good, so on the restart in combination with me being a little late, I smoked them in third and smoked them in fourth and I was looking at the No. 9 from behind.”

“He was asleep, how about that?” Berg laughed.  “I may have taken off a little before him.  I’m just joking.”

Behind the CR7 Motorsports racers was Hard Charger Award winner and fellow Petersburg resident Brent Nelson, who came from eighth starting position.  Hayden Brothers had the beginning of a career night, passing Freeport, New York’s Ron Langdon for fourth late in the going for his first ever top five finish.

The second feature, presented by STAAR Trucking, took on some even greater excitement.  Harvey Harrison, making his first start of the year in the No. 51 John 3:16 / Southern Coal Corporation / Harrison’s Motorsports Chevrolet, redrew the pole with Nelson starting on the outside.

Nelson made his way to the lead on the opening lap, but behind him trouble occurred right after 10 laps in.  Maneuvering around the slower car of Dusty Silvers, third place at the time Berg decided to dive low on the backstretch.  Going into three, Harvey Harrison was already there on the outside and the two connected.  The result was the No. 9 Grant County Mulch / CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet hard into the outside wall and the Renick, West Virginia past series champion’s ride around and with significant damage as well.

“I went somewhere I shouldn’t have went, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, and it didn’t,” Berg admitted.

Once that dust settled, Nelson’s No. 80 Precision Auto Collision / Airtek Inc. / Atkinson Welding / QH Design / JEBCO Chevrolet continued out front, holding off a couple early bids from Kitzmiller.  The two-time winner at Motor Mile last September kept the pressure on though and after the completion of the halfway lap, the complexion of this race shifted that eventually led to a post-race discussion on the front straightaway.

“We raced Brent hard for several laps and we got up to his door twice and one lapped car, he kind of picked us off with that, and I mean that’s racing,” Kitzmiller described.  “Coming into three, we had our nose down there and obviously he thought he was clear and when he came down on me then he spun out.  We did not hit him.  I talked to him and we obviously have different opinions, but it’s all good.”

Nelson offered his viewpoint on what occurred and disagreement with the resulting call, based on what he felt had happened.

“The longer we ran, my car was starting to get a tick tight,” Nelson, who recovered to finish fourth, explained.  “A couple laps before that, Jason had come up to me and we were able to pull away a couple car lengths and he would come right back up on my back side.  Going into three, he just drilled me in the rear end and spun me.  I know what the rules are and I’ve raced for many years, and the interpretation that I have, which is a fact, if you cause a caution or are involved you go to the rear of the field.  Both drivers involved in the incident should have gone to the rear of the field.  That’s what I’m mad about.”

“Jason and I both could have gone to the rear of the field; we would have battled it out to the end of the race,” Nelson continued.  “Neither one of us may have won because there were some other good cars that were up there that I feel got shafted because he was not forced to go to the rear of the field.  Jason and I are fine.  He and I talked after the race and I expressed my concern and frustration that I had was yes, he hit me, he turned me, therefore he should have gone to the rear of the field.”

Upon review from the tower, Kitzmiller led the field on what would be the final restart for the remainder of the race and extended the advantage for the time being.  Nevertheless, there was a new challenger charging fast.  The No. 27 EHB Logistics, LLC / Manchester Barbershop / Mt. Wolf VFW / Wago Club Chevrolet driven by Hayden Brothers worked his way by Langdon for the second race in a row and set his sights on the leader, making up a tenth of a second or two each lap.

Luckily for Kitzmiller, time was short and he fended off Brothers from a couple car lengths back for his fifth victory of 2022.

“It kept on getting loose off, so it was more of a pedaling match for me, trying to pedal toward the end and go as hard as I could without spinning out,” the current points leader indicated.

For the York, Pennsylvania competitor that recently turned 18 years old, it was his first experience with a potential win within his grasp.

“It feels great,” an elated Brothers remarked.  “When I got second, I didn’t even know where to pull up to.  I was like ‘where do I go, do I go to the frontstretch?’ so I decided ‘I don’t know, I’m just going to park it here.’  From looking back to where we started to now, it means a whole lot.”

When asked if the race distance would have been a tad bit longer, would the outcome have been different?

Yeah,” Brothers answered.  "I was gaining a lot.  A few more laps would have helped.”

Langdon’s No. 17 National Appliance / Oval Speed Unlimited / Langdon’s Automotive Chevrolet carried on for a third place finish.  For the second straight event, Bill Ashton took over the wheel in the No. 57 Seattle Gummy Company / ASAP Energy Drink / Woody’s For Men / Russell’s BBQ / Battle Warrior Coffee / Ashton Racing Chevrolet driven by Warrington, Pennsylvania’s Mike Senica initially and rounded out the top five.

Kitzmiller’s closest championship contender Ebeling and team attempted, with help thanks to borrowed equipment from CR7 Motorsports, to get his car back out for the second green flag.  Unfortunately, the defending series champion sensed additional issues with the car starting it up on pit road and elected to pull it back into the pit stall.

“I hate it too; Ben’s a great competitor and I look forward to racing with him every week, but I’m sure he’ll be back and we have three (events) left so I’m sure Murphy’s Law is going to come around and find us sometime,” Kitzmiller mentioned.  “We have a pretty good streak going on, but we’re just trying to battle through it.”

The next event is another return to Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway Complex on Saturday, September 10th.

More details and continued updates throughout the season will be available at the official web site at supercupstockcarseries.com as well as the Super Cup Stock Car Series Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

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