HERMILLER DRAWING ON EXPERIENCE FOR RETURN TO BERLIN RACEWAY

HERMILLER DRAWING ON EXPERIENCE FOR RETURN TO BERLIN RACEWAY

2011 Berlin Pro Stock Champion Says Prior Races Give Knowledge He Can Use In Saturday?s Battle


WALKER, MI (May 9, 2012) - Brandon Hermiller is returning to his home track for this weekend?s Berlin 125 ARCA/CRA Super Series battle confident that he can be competitive.

The driver of the H.S. Die/VISI-TST Chevrolet knows that his many laps of experience on the .438-mile Berlin Raceway oval will be invaluable. He feels that the knowledge he has gained from racing in several series at numerous tracks will be a huge benefit.

"I've been around long enough to know that experience and knowledge add up to being competitive on the race track," said the 2011 Berlin Pro Stock Champion. "We may not have the numbers to show it yet this season, but we have learned a ton.

"Our trip down to New Smyrna back in February gave us so much track time against really good competition," said Hermiller, who finished fourth in points in the annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. During the six nights of competition, he recorded two top-five finishes, four top-10s and completed every possible lap. "We learned so much about how to use patience in racing the 100-lap features.

"We've gained so much knowledge in the CRA races we've raced in so far," said Hermiller. "At Plymouth, it was a situation of not knowing the tires we are racing on this season and we learned the hard way when we really messed up in qualifying.

"When Berlin got rained out two weeks ago, we put the nine-to-one (9:1 compression) engine in and went to Toledo to run the (ARCA/CRA) Super Series race," Hermiller said of the April 29 7-Up 100 on the half-mile Toledo Speedway. The weather there condensed it into just a Sunday show, so we didn't have as much practice as we would have liked.

"The JEGS tour and the Super Series both use the same tires, so we continued to use what we learned there. At Toledo, we qualified 18th and got solidly into the starting field without having to run the last-chance race. The race was pretty much a crash-fest and we got up to 10th before getting into a big wreck with only two laps to go. We still finished 15th, though.

"We started 18th in last Sunday's JEGS race at Winchester, so I think we're learning how to get qualified," said Hermiller. "We knew going in that we didn't have a fast qualifying car. I know we'll continue to show improvement. In the race, we were really patient and steadily moved up through the field. We'd gotten all the way up to ninth with about 30 to go. My car wasn't working too well up on the top. After a restart, I went to get down and another car came barreling in there and got us. We backed her into the wall and bent the rear clip.

"I thought for sure that we couldn't have finished in the top 20, so I was really surprised when we got home and I looked to see that we wound up 15th," said Hermiller.

"So, we're bringing a lot of additional knowledge into the track where I have so much experience on this weekend," said Hermiller. "With three years of racing at Berlin, we have logged thousands of laps there in all the divisions we've competed in.

"The biggest thing about racing at Berlin is learning the right line around it. Berlin is a really tough track and it's difficult to pick up the fast line around the place. It took me about four races back in the 'Young Guns' division to really get the feel of what line to drive.

"We decided to run the 'crate motor' this weekend instead of the nine-to-one," Hermiller offered. "We get a little weight break with the 'crate engine,' but the real reason is that Berlin is a momentum track, not a horsepower track.

"It's a one-day show with a 125-lap feature and we can't wait," said the young Michigan driver. "In a 100-lapper, it's about saving your tires. With the extra 25 laps thrown in, tire management will definitely be a must in having a shot at winning it."

Saturday's schedule at Berlin features practice sessions at 1:00 p.m. and at 2:35 p.m. Qualifying is set for 5:30 p.m. The full card of racing gets under way at 7:00 p.m., highlighted by the Berlin 125 ARCA/CRA Super Series feature race.

For additional information on the ARCA/CRA Super Series Tour, please visit the CRA site at www.craracing.net. For information on Berlin Raceway, please visit www.berlinraceway.com

For additional information on Brandon Hermiller, please visit his site at www.brandonhermiller.com.

For the latest news and insights, we invite you to follow Brandon on Twitter: @bhermiller and Facebook: Brandon.hermiller