Perhaps overlooked in preseason talk of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship contenders, Max Gresham has quickly emerged as a title threat in 2010.

Gresham, a 17-year-old from Griffin, GA, enters Sunday’s Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway as the East points leader after three races thanks to wins in the last two outings.

The first win of his young career came on April 3 at South Boston Speedway in just his fourth series start.

“The feeling I got after the South Boston win was unbelievable,” Gresham said. “It felt great to finally have a strike in the ‘W’ column because the Joe Gibbs team deserved it and I felt, as the driver, it was about time to get them another win.”

Gresham stayed hot as he outdueled fellow high school junior Ty Dillon in a last-lap battle to win the prestigious East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway on May 23.

“I’d definitely call that the biggest win of my career,” Gresham said. “It was also probably also the most memorable because I had to earn it there in the last lap. It was one of those times that I will never forget.“

Although short on speedway experience, Gresham has been quite successful at the larger track. He participated in the K&N Pro Series West race at Iowa in 2009 and finished third.

“A lot of the bigger tracks really agree with me because I like to go fast and I like to have the control of all the variables,” Gresham said.

With the UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway up next, Gresham will attempt to sweep the two K&N Pro Series East races in Virginia, but to do so he’ll have to go back to a short-track racing mentality.

“Going to Martinsville is kind of like going back home [to a short track],” Gresham said. “Its going to be a lot of fun because it’s a big-name track and it’s a place I’ve always fantasized about racing at.”

MODIFIED MADHOUSE: While Sunday’s Made In America Whelen 200 is not a NASCAR Southern Modified Tour event, it will have at least a little southern flavor.

Two of the prominent stars of The History Channel’s breakout hit, “Madhouse,” Burt and Jason Myers will be in the house at Martinsville this weekend for the NASCAR Modified Tour event. Both compete on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

It’s going to be a busy weekend for Burt Myers. He’s racing at Ace Speedway near Burlington, NC on Friday, has to be at Martinsville all day Saturday for practice and 3:30 p.m. qualifying and then makes a mad dash for Bowman Gray Stadium for a race. He’s presently the points leader at Bowman Gray.

GOLDEN OLDIE: While most of the field for the UNOH Performance 200 East Series  race is ridiculously young, there will be at least one oldster in the field.

Forty-three-year-old Steve Park will be making his first start of the season in the East Series after competing full time the past two years.

To say Park is a NASCAR veteran would be an understatement. He’s won races in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Camping World Truck Series, Whelen Modified Tour and the East Series.

This weekend will mark the fourth different series he’s competed in at Martinsville.

SCHEDULE AND TICKETS: Qualifying for the Made In America Whelen 200 NASCAR Modified Tour race is set for 3:30 p.m. on June 5 followed by qualifying for the UNOH Performance 200 K&N Pro Series East race.

Race day on Sunday, June 6 will kick off with an on-track autograph session at 11 a.m. with all drivers from each event in attendance. Fans will enter the track through the flag stand at the start-finish line and the drivers will be along the front stretch signing autographs.