SANTOS TAKES FOURTH AT BRISTOL
REGAINS POINTS LEAD
August 18, 2010 - 7:13pm

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Ryan Newman continued his winning ways in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour with a victory in the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver held off a late charge from seven-time tour champion Mike Stefanik over the closing laps to secure his second win of the season. Newman also won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway driving the Modified owned by Kevin Manion, crew chief for Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray.

James Civali was the top NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver in the annual combination race in third place overall. The event is the annual combination race between the two Modified tours and drivers received points for their finish in respective to other drivers in the same Tour.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers Bobby Santos and Todd Szegedy rounded out the top five.

Newman powered by Civali and Ted Christopher in one swoop in traffic on Lap 128, and chased down Stefanik three laps later. Stefanik pulled alongside Newman twice in the final five laps but was unable to complete the pass. 

Rookie Justin Bonsignore, who won his first career Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, finished sixth, followed by Dale Quarterley, Eric Goodale, Ryan Preece and Erick Rudolph.

The race was slowed just three times by yellow flags, including the competition caution at the halfway point.

Christopher led 80 of the first 125 laps before encountering engine trouble and pulling off the track suddenly on Lap 140 while running third. He finished 26th, nine laps down, and lost the points lead to Santos. Santos now leads Christopher by 32 and Stefanik by 61.

L.W. Miller also lost the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour points lead because of mechanical issues. He finished 39 laps down in 29th overall. Civali leads Miller by five and Andy Seuss by 32.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified will return to the track in the Triad Commercial Services 150 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., on Saturday, Aug. 28. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race next in the F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 18.

SANTOS TAKES THIRD AT THOMPSON

August 12, 2010 - 11:01pm

THOMPSON, Conn. – For most of the night Ted Christopher made it look easy. Almost too easy.

Christopher paced the field from the start and only relinquished the lead twice during the Budweiser King of Beers 150 on Thursday at Thompson International Speedway to record his 37th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory.

It was Christopher’s 10th Whelen Modified Tour win at Thompson, and his fourth in the Tour’s last six races at the .625-mile oval. The Plainville, Conn., driver led 141 of the 156 laps.

“Thompson has been really, really good to me the last couple of years,” Christopher said from Victory Lane. “I’ve really got to thank my crew for all they’ve given me and letting me drive this car.”

Christopher was clearly the class of the field, building leads by as much as four seconds before losing his advantage after the fourth and final caution flag of the race flew on Lap 149 after Erick Rudolph’s problems set up the final sprint to the finish.

On the green-white-checker restart, Ron Silk led by half a car length at the line, but Christopher was able to regain the lead on the next lap and come home with the win.

Aside from the last restart, the only other instance Christopher didn’t lead was when he came to pit road under caution on Lap 95 and Bobby Santos moved to the front. It only took Christopher 10 laps to get back to the lead after the restart on Lap 101.

It was the fifth podium finish in a row - and the best finish of the year - for Silk, who is still seeking his first 2010 win.

“It’s nice to be consistent, and it proves that we’ve got a good car,” Silk said. “It’s a little disappointing to not have won yet, and I think we’ll get a win before the year is over, but we’ll keep plugging away.”

Santos crossed the line third, followed by Rowan Pennink and Mike Stefanik. Todd Szegedy, Chuck Hossfeld, Doug Coby, Eric Goodale and Glen Reen rounded out the top 10.

With the win Christopher took the championship lead from Santos, who had led through the first nine races. Christopher’s three wins and six top-fives on the year moved him 14-points ahead of Santos with Mike Stefanik in third, 85 tallies back.

“I don’t think it’s over until the last race, you see that many times,” Santos said.

The Budweiser Kings of Beers 150 from Thompson International Speedway will air on VERSUS on Wednesday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action when it joins the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour in the only combination event of the season next Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m., for the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
PRACTICE: Santos Once Again Leads The Way

Budweiser King Of Beers 150 Qualifying Set For 5:30 p.m.
Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
August 12, 2010 - 4:10pm

THOMPSON, Conn. – Bobby Santos led the way in afternoon NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour practice in advance of tonight’s Budweiser King of Beers 150 at Thompson International Speedway.

Santos, who won practice, qualifying and the race in the Whelen Modified Tour’s first appearance of the year at Thompson, laid down a fast lap of 18.697 seconds (120.340 mph) during the 90-minute session on Thursday.

The current points leader, by a mere six tallies over Ted Christopher, Santos set the track qualifying record in the season-opener at Thompson. He’ll look for his fourth Coors Light Pole Award of the year when qualifying gets underway today at 5:30 p.m.

Ron Silk - a three-time winner at Thompson - was second-fastest in practice with a quick lap of 18.731 seconds (120.122 mph). He was followed on the speed chart by Justin Bonsignore (18.819/119.560), Erick Rudolph (18.828/119.560) and Mike Stefanik (18.866/119.503).

Eric Berndt, Eric Goodale, Ryan Preece, Todd Szegedy and Chuck Hossfeld rounded out the top 10 in practice.

The Budweiser King of Beers 150 is slated to take the green flag tonight at 8:45 p.m.

SANTOS FINISHES 23RD AFTER BLOWN ENGINE
Szegedy Back To Winning Ways
Ends 26-race winless streak with Town Fair Tire 150 checkered Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
August 6, 2010 - 11:50pm

STAFFORD, Conn. -- Todd Szegedy ended the longest Victory Lane drought of his career Friday night when he won the Town Fair Tire 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway.

Szegedy, who had been winless since September 2008 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, took the lead from Mike Stefanik on Lap 100 en route to his 14th career win. It was the third triumph at Stafford for Szegedy, who led a race-high 54 laps.
For Szegedy, the 2003 Whelen Modified Tour champion who has been a consistent front-runner and winner throughout his career, the drought put a lot of weight on his shoulders. His previous longest winless streak was 17 races between his first and second career wins in 2002-03.

“It gives you motivation, when you lose so much,” Szegedy said in Victory Lane. “When you lose, it’s horrible. So winning – this is awesome.”

After disappointing finishes in the previous two races, Szegedy’s No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford team had slipped from second to fifth in the standings.

“It’s going to give us momentum to catch back up in points,” Szegedy said. “It’s going to be really hard, but we know we have to maintain top-five finishes to have a shot in the points.”

Stefanik finished as the race runner-up - the best finish of his season - and his best result at Stafford since he won the 2008 Fall Final. He led 33 laps Friday.

“I haven’t had a car this good here in a long time,” Stefanik said. “We had a car to stay up front and lead laps. I started to get that ‘feel-good feeling’ for a little while there until reality set in. Todd turned it up and got by us on the outside and drove away.”
Ron Silk, who earned his first Stafford Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, crossed the line third for his fourth-straight podium finish and fifth-consecutive top-five overall.

“We’ve finished third the last four races,” Silk said. “I want to win one pretty soon, but if we keep finishing third, we’ll get one.”
Erick Rudolph and Ted Christopher rounded out the top five while Eric Beers, Eric Goodale, Bobby Grigas III, Chuck Hossfeld and George Brunnhoelzl III completed the top 10. Goodale tied his previous career-best finish, set last week at Riverhead Raceway.

Points leader Bobby Santos suffered a blown motor that brought out a red-flag for cleanup on Lap 100 that resulted in a 23rd-place finish. As a result, the 67-point advantage he brought into the race on Christopher was chopped to just six, the tightest at any point this year. Stefanik remained third in the standings, now 56 tallies out of first, while Szegedy moved up to fourth.

The Town Fair Tire 150 will air on VERSUS on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next race in the Budweiser King of Beers 150 at Thompson on Thursday, Aug. 12.

SANTOS TAKES 9TH AT RIVERHEAD
Pennink Earns First Whelen Modified Win
Edges Preece For Riverhead 200 Checkered Flag Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
July 31, 2010 - 9:45pm

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. -- Rowan Pennink held off Ryan Preece in a late-race duel to claim the checkered flag in the Riverhead 200 and his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory Saturday night.

The 24-year-old Huntingdon Valley, Pa., driver was making his 51st career start. He took the lead from Riverhead resident Kevin Goodale with 40 laps to go and weathered restarts on two ensuing cautions to bring home the win.

“I just rode behind him [Goodale] for a couple laps, and saw where he was not handling too good up off of [Turn] 4 there. I set the car in pretty good on the top and just cut across the bottom in the middle of the corner and got a wheel up underneath him and beat him down there into Turn 1,” Pennink said of what proved to be the winning pass.

Pennink entered the race with 21 top 10s in 50 career starts, but had never recorded a podium finish. In three previous starts at Riverhead he had an average finish of 15th.

“It feels amazing, first of all, to get the win,” Pennink said. “And second of all, we’ve been struggling with bad luck this year, and after you go through all of that and keep plugging away - we finally got our win and it feels awesome.”

Preece, the defending winner of the race who was also making his 51st career start, was involved in a skirmish on Lap 2 after starting third. He came back through the field and was in the top 10 by Lap 75. Although he is still looking for his first win of 2010, it was the second runner-up finish for Preece this year.

“I really thought we were going to get him [Pennink], but he did everything he could - as a leader - to keep me behind him,” Preece said. “He ran a great race.”

Preece was followed in the top five by Ron Silk, Mike Stefanik and George Brunnhoelzl III. Silk has finished third in each of the last three races.

“We were just a little too tight all night - through the center - to race,” Silk said. “Then we finally freed up at the end, but didn’t have anything for Rowan or Ryan.”

Eric Beers, Eric Goodale, Jamie Tomaino, points leader Bobby Santos and Erick Rudolph rounded out the top 10. It was the best finish of the season for Beers, Goodale and Tomaino.

Brunnhoelzl, another Long Island native and the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion, earned his first Coors Light Pole Award in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour earlier in the day. He led a race-high 54 laps.

Kevin Goodale also led 54 laps for his first laps led since June 2008. After he lost the lead to Pennink on Lap 136, he suffered a spin while running fourth to bring out the final caution on Lap 166 and finished one lap down in 15th.

The annual stop for the Whelen Modified Tour to Riverhead traditionally attracts a handful of competitors from the track’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modified division. A year after three of those Riverhead drivers finished in the top five, the highest such finisher on Saturday was Dave Brigati in 11th.

With his seventh top-10 in eight races this year, Santos was able to increase his lead to 67 points in the season standings on Ted Christopher, who finished 12th at Riverhead.

The Riverhead 200 will premier on VERSUS on Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. ET.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s next race will be the Town Fair Tire 150 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway on Friday, Aug. 6.
Santos Takes Fifth at Monadnock
July 17, 2010 - 10:24pm

WINCHESTER, N.H. -- Ted Christopher celebrated the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's return to the high banks of Monadnock Speedway with his 36th career victory Saturday.

The Whelen Modified Tour was making its first race at the quarter-mile oval since 1990.

Erick Rudolph, who won his first career 21 Means 21 pole award presented by Coors Light earlier in the day, led the first 95 laps before Christopher moved to the front. The two battled each other for the lead until Christopher moved out front for the final time on Lap 152. He held off Rudolph on a green-white-checkered finish.

The scheduled 175-lap race was extended to 179 laps by a late caution. Christopher led twice for 41 laps, while Rudolph led twice for 138 laps.

Ron Silk followed Rudolph in third, with Eric Berndt fourth and points leader Bobby Santos fifth. George Brunnhoelzl III, James Civali, Glen Reen, Justin Bonsignore and Eric Beers completed the top 10.

Santos maintained his points lead, while Christopher moved past Todd Szegedy into second. Santos is 54 points in front of Christopher and 141 over Szegedy, who suffered his first DNF of the season and finished 24th Saturday.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next race Saturday, July 31 with the Riverhead 200 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Speedway.

Bad Luck Hampers Bobby Santos III at Lime Rock Park

Lakeville, CT (July 8, 2010) - Bobby Santos III and the No. 4 Mystic Missile hit their first major obstacle of the season, finishing 17th at Lime Rock Park on Saturday, July 3. Santos ran well for the majority of the day, but a late race incident and blown motor led to the driver's first finish outside of the top-five in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this season.

Prior to the race, Santos had limited road course experience. He was, however, looking forward to competing at the Lakeville, Conn., track. The 24-year-old spent Friday's practice sessions getting comfortable in his car and at the track. Santos had the 15th fastest time in the first practice, with a time of 56.451 seconds (95.658 mph).

He improved in final practice with a time of 54.565 seconds (98.965 mph), setting the ninth fastest time and gaining almost two full seconds from his fast time in the first practice session. He also improved his time in qualifying and laid down a lap of 54.299 seconds (99.449 mph), which set him to start Saturday's race in 10th position.

By lap five, Santos had moved into the sixth position. He spent the early stages of the race bobbling between sixth and seventh position.

"We were actually running really well in the race," Santos said. "I was pretty happy when we were running sixth and seventh. I was just trying to stay out of trouble."

Santos was able to avoid trouble for most of the race but cut down a tire after being involved in an incident on lap 47. He lost a lap while pitting but received the lucky dog free pass after a lap 56 caution.

He began to work his way to the front until the No. 4 Mystic Missile's motor blew on lap 62. He settled for a 17th place finish, three laps down.

"It was a disappointing end to our weekend," Santos stated. "We lost a lap after our tire went flat, but we got back on the lead lap. We started going toward the front again, and we were going to be happy with a top-10 finish. Then, we ended up breaking the motor with three laps to go, so that ended our day."

Despite his bad luck at Lime Rock Park, Santos continues to the lead the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings. He now sits 74 points ahead of second place Todd Szegedy.

"It definitely could have been a lot worse," commented Santos. "We can't be feeling too bad. The road racing was a lot of fun. It was definitely an adjustment, and I am definitely still learning. But, I thought it was a lot of fun. I had a good time."

Santos has a rare weekend off from racing this weekend but will return to NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action on Saturday, July 17 in the Monadnock 200 at Monadnock Speedway.

Bobbie Santos Takes 4th at New Hampshire-
Points Lead Increases to 129
Sprint Cup Series Driver Earns First Whelen Modified Tour Win Jason Cunningham, NASCAR

June 26, 2010 - 2:44pm

LOUDON, N.H. – Ryan Newman passed Ted Christopher in Turn 3 of the final lap and held off New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s winningest driver to earn his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory Saturday afternoon.

Newman, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular, made his fifth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driving for 2010 Daytona 500 winning crew chief Kevin Manion. Newman and Christopher put on a memorable show in the closing laps of the New England 100. They came to the white flag side by side, and after Christopher nosed into the lead on the backstretch, Newman used the outside to make the winning pass.

Newman's margin of victory was .125 seconds. Newman won the Coors Light Pole Award in Thursday's qualifying. He led three times Saturday for 28 laps.

Christopher, who led six times for a race-high 40 laps, has 10 career wins at New Hampshire - five in the Modifieds and five in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Newman's best finish in a Modified prior to this weeked was eighth in Sept. of 2009.

Ryan Preece followed across the line in third, while points leader Bobby Santos came home fourth. Ron Silk rounded out the top five. Ed Flemke Jr. was sixth, followed by James Civali, Doug Coby, Woody Pitkat and Eric Beers.

There were 15 official lead changes between six drivers, although as typical for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at New Hampshire, there were often multiple swaps for the lead in single laps.

Santos maintained his points lead with 900, while Christopher moved into second with 771. Todd Szegedy is third with 758, while Mike Stefanik fell from second to fourth with 728. Both Szegedy and Stefanik were involved in seperate incidents; Szegedy finished 15th, while Stefanik was 27th and 38 laps down.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to the track Saturday, July 3 with its inaugural event at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn.

Near Perfect Santos Leads June Hunter Index
Whelen Modified Points Leader Off To Historic Start Official Release

June 10, 2010 - 6:22pm

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It’s fitting that Bobby Santos’ near perfect start resulted in him being a near unanimous choice for the top spot in June’s edition of the Hunter Index.

Santos became the first driver in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history to win three of the first four races of the season. In addition, the 24-year-old standout from Franklin, Mass., has collected three Coors Light Pole Awards and has built an impressive 89-point lead over nine-time NASCAR champion Mike Stefanik.

The Hunter Index is a new feature in 2010 on NASCARHomeTracks.com that will spotlight the top 10 drivers in the NASCAR Developmental Series in a monthly power poll. Drivers are ranked on their performance over the previous month. The rankings are compiled by a panel of auto racing writers and NASCAR representatives.

While Santos picked up five of the six first-place votes, he wasn’t without his competition for top honors in the power poll. Keith Rocco and Craig Preble, who continue to match each other win for win and hold down the top spots in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings, ranked second and third, respectively.

In the last month, Rocco has five wins, eight top fives and 11 top 10s in 11 starts while running his asphalt Modified at three Connecticut short tracks: Thompson International Speedway, Stafford Motor Speedway and Waterford Speedbowl. Preble competes on a weekly basis in his crate dirt Late Model at I-80 Speedway in Omaha and Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. Over the same period, Preble recorded six wins and nine top fives in nine races.

“I had a tough time choosing between Santos or Rocco at the top,” said Shawn Courchesne of the Hartford (Conn.) Courant. “Rocco was involved in some tough wars during the judging period and had a stellar record. I think one thing that gets forgotten with Rocco is that at two of the three tracks he's running at, he competes weekly against some of the top talent from the Whelen Modified Tour and he's obviously showing he's on par with those guys.

“Though for me, it came down to putting Santos No. 1 on the basis of Modified Tour vs. weekly short tracks coupled with the fact that Santos was perfect for the judging period.”

Eric Holmes, who has won two of the last three NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events, came in fourth in the voting, followed by NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie Max Gresham. Gresham has won the last two East races – including a high-profile victory in the annual East-West combination race at Iowa – and received the other first-place vote.

“When put to the test against the top drivers from NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, Max Gresham rose to the top,” said Tim Haddock of HaddockInThePaddock.blogspot.com, who covers racing on the West Coast and voted for Gresham. “He didn't have the most dominant car at Iowa Speedway, but Gresham put his car in position to win the race at the end.

“On the heels of a dominant performance at South Boston Speedway in April, when he won the pole and led all but four laps, Gresham showed he could win under more adverse conditions at Iowa Speedway. He won the race in Iowa on a green-white-checkered flag finish and had to regain the lead on the last lap of the race. On a day when the top drivers from the East and West raced on the same track, Gresham was the best.”

Brett Moffitt (NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) was sixth, followed by Burt Myers (NASCAR Whelen All-American Series), Darrell Wallace Jr. (NASCAR K&N Pro Series East), David Mayhew (NASCAR K&N Pro Series West) and Todd Szegedy (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour).

D.J. Kennington, who won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 opener at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway this past weekend, was one of four drivers to earn honorable mention.

The Hunter Index is named for Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president of corporate communications and a longtime supporter of the weekly and touring series that make up the NASCAR Developmental Series.

The Index was designed in the off season as an opportunity to compare the top drivers from the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series all the way up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. It will also encompass drivers from the NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour did not hold events since the previous Index was released.

The panel also included media members Courchesne representing the Northeast, Adam Fenwick of National Speed Sport News from the Southeast, Haddock from the West Coast, and Spencer Lewis, representing the Canadian publication Inside Track Motorsports News. They are joined by Brett Bodine, who is the chairman of the NASCAR Resumé Committee and represents the NASCAR competition side on the panel, and NASCAR public relations representative Jason Christley.

Santos Edges Blewett For Stafford Victory
Late-race cautions set up thrilling dash to the finish
May 28, 2010 - 11:28pm

STAFFORD, Conn. - Bobby Santos edged Jimmy Blewett in a dramatic two-lap dash to the finish to win the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday.

Santos and Blewett battled back-and-forth throughout the late stages of the event, which was extended with two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish due to late-race cautions.

After Santos jumped the final restart on lap 135, he was ordered to let Blewett pull even at the line. Blewett nipped Santos as they took the white flag, but Santos was able to battle back to capture his second win of the season and the third of his career.

They were followed by Todd Szegedy, Ryan Preece and Rob Summers in third through fifth. Completing the top 10 were Eric Berndt, Mike Stefanik, Erick Rudolph, George Brunnhoelzl III and Andy Seuss.

Santos won his third pole in three attempts during qualifying earlier in the day and following the redraw started the race on the outside of the front row. Eric Berndt was successful in battling Santos for the early lead and paced the field for the majority of the race.

Berndt had extended his lead to 2.5 seconds by lap 90, but he lost the top spot when he faltered on a lap 108 restart - giving the lead to Chuck Hossfeld. When Hossfeld spun a few laps later, however, Santos took advantage to gain the lead.
Santos then had to contend with Blewett through the final stages of the race.

BOBBY SANTOS TAKES 2ND PLACE AT STAFFORD
May 1, 2010

STAFFORD, Conn. - Ted Christopher continued to add to his legend at Stafford Motor Speedway as he took the checkered flag in the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST for the third year in a row, and a record fifth time in his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career.

With a lead of nearly two seconds for Christopher, the caution came out for Doug Coby’s spin on Lap 182. Christopher just edged Blewett on the restart, and then with a half-second lead as the race was winding down, another caution on Lap 196 for the stalled car of Joe Hartmann that set up the green-white-checker scenario. Christopher was able to get clear of Blewett on Lap 199 to take the white flag.

Christopher was followed across the line by Santos, the Coors Light Pole Award winner who led the first 54 laps of the race before he was spun by lap traffic. At the time of the incident he blended into the field 22nd, but came out of the round of pit stops 14th. Santos was able to move his way back up for a runner-up finish to preserve the points lead he brought into the race by virtue of a win in the season opener.

Stefanik, Rowan Pennink and Todd Szegedy rounded out the top five finishers while James Civali, Chuck Hossfeld, Eric Berndt, Erick Rudolph and Justin Bonsignore closed out the top 10. Berndt tied his previous career-best finish and it marked the third top-10 in four career starts for Bonsignore, who took home Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors.

The race featured 10 lead changes among nine drivers. Coby led the most laps with 60.

The third race of the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season will also take place at Stafford. The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 is scheduled for Friday, May 28.

QUALIFYING: Santos Sizzling At Stafford
Record run nets second pole of season
Shon Sbarra/NASCAR
April 24, 2010 - 3:10pm

STAFFORD, Conn. – Without skipping a beat, Bobby Santos collected his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Coors Light Pole Award of the season in record fashion at Stafford Motor Speedway in qualifying for the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST.

Santos, coming off a win from the pole in the 2010 season opening event at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, set the tone for the day by posting the fastest lap in Saturday morning’s practice session and followed that up with a lap time of 17.965 seconds for an average speed of 100.195 mph which established a track record.

He bested the previous record of 18.009 set by Matt Hirschman at the 2007 Spring Sizzler.

Rowan Pennink tied Hirschman’s old record at 18.009 (99.950) to post the second-fastest time in qualifying.

Eric Rudolph recorded the third-quickest time at 18.075 (99.585) followed by 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion George Brunnhoelzl III with a time of 18.100 (99.448).

Rounding out the top-five qualifiers was Ron Silk, who logged a time of 18.108 seconds (99.404).

Keeping with the trend, Santos also drew the No. 1 starting position in the post-qualifying redraw just like he did at Thompson.

He will be joined in the front row by Doug Coby, who qualified 10th. The second row for Sunday’s 200-lap feature will consist of Jamie Tomaino and Jimmy Blewett.

The green flag for the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST is slated to wave at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. For ticket information, please visit Stafford Motor Speedway’s official website.

Santos Dominates Icebreaker
Takes Whelen Modified Opener For His New Team
By Jason Christley, NASCAR
April 11, 2010 - 11:29pm

THOMPSON, Conn. -- Bobby Santos completed a dominating weekend in his first race with his new team.
Santos was fastest in practice, won the Coors Light Pole Award with a track record, and then led the most laps in the 150-lap Icebreaker to kick off the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

In the offseason, Santos took over the ride in the No. 4 "Mystic Missile" Dodge after 2009 champion Donny Lia departed for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Santos had run part-time on the Tour since 2004, making 29 previous starts and recording one win - at Thompson in the fall of 2007.

Sunday, the 24-year-old Santos cruised to win No. 2 - leading 91 laps, including the final 31.

Ryan Preece finished second, followed by Mike Stefanik, Ted Christopher and Todd Szegedy.

Rowan Pennink, Chris Pastyerak, Ron Silk, Eric Goodale and Eric Beers rounded out the top 10.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next race in the Spring Sizzler at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 25.

QUALIFYING: Santos Starts Fast At TIS
Debut In The Mystic Missile Modified Nets Thompson Pole Record

Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
April 10, 2010 - 5:22pm

THOMPSON, Conn. – Bobby Santos wasted no time in making his presence known as the new driver of the No. 4 “Mystic Missile” Modified as he set the track qualifying record Saturday at Thompson International Speedway and earned his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Coors Light Pole Award.

Santos, who was fastest in practice earlier in the day, turned a fast lap of 18.418 seconds (122.163 mph) in qualifying for Sunday’s 150-lap season-opener. That lap surpassed the previous Whelen Modified Tour qualifying record at Thompson set by Eric Beers at 18.429 seconds (122.080 mph) prior to the 2008 World Series.

Santos, from Franklin, Mass., has competed in the Whelen Modified Tour part-time since 2004 and landed his first full-time ride this offseason in the No. 4 after the departure of 2009 Tour titlist Donny Lia to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Santos had 29 career starts entering this week and his lone Whelen Modified Tour victory came at Thompson in 2007.

Chris Pasteryak was the second-fastest qualifier on Saturday at 18.470 seconds (121.819 mph) followed by Ron Silk (18.514/121.530), Mike Stefanik (18.596/120.994) and Burt Myers (18.603/120.948).

Ryan Preece, Doug Coby, Ted Christopher, Rowan Pennink and Eric Berndt rounded out the top 10 qualifiers.
Following qualifying, a redraw of the top-10 cars saw Santos also draw the No. 1 spot. He will be joined in the front row on Sunday by Coby, and the second row will consist of Stefanik and Berndt.

The 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will officially begin with Sunday’s Icebreaker. The race is set to go green at approximately 3:15 p.m. For ticket information, please visit Thompson’s official Web site.

Santos Leads First Practice In Mystic Missile
Whelen Modified Tour At Thompson To Open 2010 Jason Christley, NASCAR
April 10, 2010 - 1:43pm

THOMPSON, Conn. -- Bobby Santos made an immediate impression Saturday in his new ride. Santos, who is taking over the No. 4 "Mystic Missile" Dodge that Donny Lia drove to the 2009 championship, was the fastest in practice for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener at Thompson International Speedway.

Santos posted the quick lap of 18.410 seconds (122.216 mph) in the 1 1/2-hour practice session for Sunday's Icebreaker.
Rowan Pennink was second fastest at 18.490 (121.678), followed by Richard Savary at 18.571 (121.157). James Civali and Ron Silk rounded out the top five.

George Brunnhoelzl III, Todd Szegedy, Jamie Tomaino, Eric Goodale, and Kevin Goodale completed the top 10.
Qualifying will be Saturday 3:30 p.m., and the Icebreaker is scheduled to take the green flag Sunday at 3:15 p.m.

MYSTIC MISSILE
WELCOMES NEW DRIVER
BOBBY SANTOS
FOR 2010

 

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad:
Lia Reclaims Whelen Modified Crownfor 2009

Jason Christley & Jason Cunningham,
NASCAR October 25, 2009 - 4:59pm

THOMPSON, Conn. – Donny Lia led the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in victories in 2009, but in the end, it was a fourth-place finish in the season finale Sunday in the World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart that was enough to give the Jericho, N.Y., native his second Tour championship in the last three years.

Defending Whelen Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher won the race by 1.187-seconds over Ryan Preece, but Lia’s finish was enough to give him the title by 16 points over Preece. It was the closest championship margin since 1996 when Tony Hirschman edged Steve Park by 12 points. Christopher took the lead for the final time from Lia on Lap 132 and led the rest of the way.

However, Christopher was mathematically eliminated from championship contention when the field took the green flag Sunday afternoon. He finished third in the standings, 89 points behind Lia.

In the 25th season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Lia joined Mike Stefanik (seven), Tony Hirschman Jr. (five) and Jimmy Spencer (two) as the only drivers to win the championship more than once. In addition, he gave car owner Bob Garbarino his second championship in three seasons.

Garbarino had fielded the No. 4 “Mystic Missile” in Modified competition since 1961 for some of the biggest names in the division’s history without winning one until Lia broke through in 2007. “It feels completely different than the first time we won the championship,” Lia said. “One isn’t really better than the other, it’s just different, I can’t really explain it.”

Lia left in 2008 to run the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series before returning to the seat this season. He won four times in 2009, with victories at Tour staples Thompson, Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, as well as the inaugural visit to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Lia took the points lead for the first time in 2009 with the win at Stafford in the next-to-last race of the season on Oct. 4, but it was a slim 26-point advantage over Preece. After a scheduled week off, the World Series was supposed to run on Oct. 18, but weather postponed the event a week and prolonged the wait for the championship contenders. “It really feels good to do it [win the title],” Lia said. “I feel like I’ve been walking around with a 100-pound dumbbell on by shoulders for two weeks now, so it really feels good to get it over with.”

Although Preece finished just 16 points back of the championship in just his third Whelen Modified Tour campaign, the runner-up effort on Sunday – his 19th birthday – was his Tour-high eighth podium finish of the season. “I’m just happy to have a great season,” Preece said. “When we first got in the [number] 3 car, a lot of people had doubts, but we’ve grown as a team and I’ve grown as a driver. I’ve learned a lot, learned to be patient. I really just want to win races, I wanted to win this one bad today.”

Doug Coby finished third in Sunday’s race, followed in the top 10 by Lia, Rowan Pennink, Chris Pasteryak, Erick Rudolph, Kevin Goodale, Ron Silk and Woody Pitkat. Christopher led twice for 93 laps, while Lia led twice for 57 laps. Lia started on the pole after rain washed out Coors Light Pole Award qualifying Saturday. The win was the third of the season for Christopher, his ninth triumph at Thompson and his third in the season-ending World Series. Now with the 34 career wins, he is now one victory shy of tying Hirschman for fourth on the Whelen Modified Tour career list. “It was a great way to end the season,” Christopher said. “I’m glad we ended it like that, winning this race. That car was really, really fast and I was pretty happy with it. Our strategy worked perfect.”

As a touring series champion, Lia earned a protected starting position in the prestigious NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown to be held on Jan. 29-30 at California’s Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. The seventh running of the event, which is run in NASCAR Camping World Series cars, brings together the top racers from across North America for the “Daytona 500 of short-track racing.”

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams is the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, N.C. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at which Lia and the rest of the touring series champions will be honored.

LIA TAKES STAFFORD WIN, POINTS LEAD
Grabs 26-Point Lead Heading To Season Finale

By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR October 4, 2009 - 6:50pm STAFFORD, Conn. –

Donny Lia took destiny into his own hands Sunday at Stafford Motor Speedway as he captured the CARQUEST Fall Final checkered flag and left with the championship points lead with one race left on the schedule.

Lia, who entered the day just one tally back of leader Ted Christopher, took the race lead for the final time on Lap 115 and held on through a green-white-checker finish for his fourth win of the season. As a result of his win, and an accident that relegated Christopher to a 31st place finish, Lia will take a 26-point lead to the season finale in two weeks at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

It marked the 15th career win for Lia, and his third at Stafford. Lia also earned the 15th Coors Light Pole Award of his career earlier in the day.

Lia’s primary competition in the season finale will be Ryan Preece, who crossed the line third on Sunday to stay within striking distance. Now in his third full season, this will be his first shot at the Whelen Modified Tour crown.

Doug Coby was the race runner-up on Sunday. Following Preece across the line were James Civali, Chris Pasteryak, Rowan Pennink, Eric Beers, Mike Stefanik, Reggie Ruggiero and Erick Rudolph.

Christopher slipped to third in the standings and is now 109 behind Lia.

Todd Szegedy, fourth in points entering Sunday, remained in the same position with a 20th place finish and is now 113 out of first.

The 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season will conclude with the World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart on Sunday, Oct. 18 at Thompson.

DONNY LIA POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO

News & Notes:

Tour Takes Intense Points Battle To Stafford Official Release September 29, 2009 - 3:00pm As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway this week for the CARQUEST Fall Final, a slim 37 points separate the top four drivers in the standings with just two races remaining in the season.

In the 25 years of the Whelen Modified Tour, a tight points race as the season winds down is not a new storyline. Following the Made In America Whelen 300 last week at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, however, the 2009 points race is bordering on historic competitiveness.

Coming into the Fall Final, defending Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ted Christopher leads 2007 titlist Donny Lia by a single point.

But it's far from a two-horse race - like it was in 2008 between Christopher and Matt Hirschman. Ryan Preece is just 12 points behind Christopher while Todd Szegedy is also within reach, 37 points out. And not to be counted out, Rowan Pennink's consistent season has him sitting fifth in points, and mathematically still in the title chase at 119 points back of Christopher.

The smallest championship margin in Whelen Modified Tour history was decided by just three points in 1995 when Tony Hirschman edged Steve Park, but even that title hunt was more spread out entering the final two races. Last year, 55 points separated Christopher and Hirschman entering the Fall Final, and the last time the points spread between the top two contenders was in the single digits with two races to go was in 2000.

That year, eight points separated eventual champion Jerry Marquis from Reggie Ruggiero. With the Whelen Modified Tour's returning to Stafford for the fourth time in 2009, each of the top four championship contenders have a history of success at the track. Christopher - in addition to being the winningest driver in Stafford's history - won the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler and finished second there in May and August.

Lia has six poles and two wins at the half-mile, Preece won the Tour's August event and Szegedy has three career Stafford wins to go along with three top-10 efforts this year. Even fifth-place Pennink also has a pair of top 10s at Stafford this year and led seven laps during the Spring Sizzler.

Action will commence in the 37th Annual CARQUEST Fall Final with practice and qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 3. The 150-lap race is scheduled to go green on Sunday at 2 p.m.

LIA TAKES 8TH AT MARTINSVILLE
1 POINT OUT OF 1ST PLACE IN THE POINTS RACE

September 27, 2009 - 4:54pm MARTINSVILLE, Va.


As the most successful competitor in the 25 years of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, there are few milestones that Mike Stefanik has yet to attain. On Sunday in the Made In America Whelen 300 at Martinsville Speedway, Stefanik crossed two more off the list. Stefanik (No. 16 Diversified Metals/Sanderson-MacLeod Pontiac) wrestled the lead away from Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) on Lap 180 and kept it through two late restarts to earn the 70th victory of his illustrious career in the combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours.

A seven-time Whelen Modified Tour champion, and the winningest driver in Tour history, Stefanik also notched his fifth career win at the 0.526-mile oval on Sunday, a Tour record at the historic facility. With the victory, Stefanik became the eighth driver in NASCAR history to reach the 70-win plateau in a series, and the first driver to do it outside of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

To get to Victory Lane on Sunday, the No. 16 team used a fuel mileage strategy to gain some track position, and Stefanik made the move pay off. In this combination race, teams were not allowed to take tires and fuel in the same pit stop, unlike the Tour’s regular events. “We put tires on when everybody else did, but chose not to come back around and put fuel in,” Stefanik said. “Right from the time I time trialed, I was in conservation mode. I drove in high gear under every caution, I never really cleaned my tires off until the very last minute on restarts, and just conserved fuel constantly all day. I don’t know how much is left, but it was enough.”

The win for Stefanik, combined with his fifth place effort at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 19, has helped to rescue as season that looked to be spiraling out of control. Entering the New Hampshire 100 the No. 16 team had suffered four-straight DNFs, and had slipped from fourth to 10th in the season standings. With consecutive top-five efforts, Stefanik is back up to sixth in points. “We’ve been down pretty low a big part of this season,” Stefanik said. “I’ve got to thank Sly [crew chief Stan Szaban] and everybody on this Flamingo Motorsports team, they worked their tails off."

Following Stefanik and Szegedy in the top 10 was Ryan Preece, pole winner Ron Silk, Burt Myers, Kevin Goodale, George Brunnhoelzl III, Donny Lia, Eric Goodale and Jamie Tomaino. Sunday was the first time that both Goodale brothers had finished in the top 10 in the same race.

By virtue of being the highest-finishing car from the Whelen Southern Modified Tour in the race, Myers earned a victory for that Tour, but disappointment was evident in his post-race comments. “Track position was critical,” Myers said. “I think I was probably better on the first set of tires. Being the winner of the [Whelen Southern Modified Tour] race is good, but I wanted the Grandfather Clock this time.”

Sunday marked the fifth year in a row that the two Tours have run in combination at Martinsville. In each case, it has been a driver from the Whelen Modified Tour that has taken the checkered flag. The two Tours also ran a combination race at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time in August, which was won by Lia.

Ted Christopher, the Whelen Modified Tour points leader coming into the race, suffered mid-race engine troubles and settled for a 30th-place finish, 67 laps down.

His finish, combined with Lia’s eight-place effort, closed Lia to within just one point of the championship lead with two races remaining in the season.

Preece is just 12 back of Christopher, and Szegedy is fourth, 37 points out of first. Brunnhoelzl increased his lead in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour standings to 140 points over Andy Seuss, who finished 21st on Sunday, 20 laps off the pace.

Two races also remain in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour’s 2009 campaign. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour runs its second-to-last race Sunday, Oct. 4 with the CARQUEST Fall Final at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, while the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour holds its penultimate race with the Lighting Fast 150 at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., on Friday, Oct. 2.



Lia Takes 2nd at New Hampshire 100

Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
September 19, 2009 - 1:42pm

LOUDON, N.H. – Ron Silk passed Reggie Ruggiero on the backstretch of the last lap and held on through Turns 3 and 4 to earn the victory in the New Hampshire 100 Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
It was Silk’s fourth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win and his first at the ‘Magic Mile’ – traditionally one of the most prestigious events on the schedule.

Silk, of Norwalk, Conn., swapped the lead with Ruggiero three times and ran bumper-to-bumper in the last 10 laps, with Silk surviving the battle. Ruggiero settled for a fourth-place finish after getting shuffled three spots on the last lap. Donny Lia crossed the line second followed by pole winner Ryan Preece and Mike Stefanik finished fifth.

Lia entered the race third in points but his car caught fire during practice on Thursday and he was not able to qualify. After starting at the rear on Saturday with a provisional, Lia was involved in an early accident and went down three laps. He was the beneficiary during three subsequent cautions, and rocketed toward the front for a runner-up finish.

Lia’s effort moved him up to second, 48 points behind Ted Christopher with three races remaining. Christopher finished seventh.

Rowan Pennink, Christopher, Ryan Newman, Erick Rudolph and Chuck Hossfeld rounded out the top 10. It was the best NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour finish for Newman, who is a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor, in his fourth start.

Todd Szegedy was involved in an accident on Lap 84 and settled for 29th, which ended his streak of top-10 finishes at 13 and dropped him from second to fourth in the championship standings.

The race featured 17 lead changes among eight drivers, and was slowed by 11 cautions.
The 11th race of the 2009 season will take place Sunday, Sept. 27 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Lia Makes It Two In A Row
Captures Budweiser 150 Checkers at Thompson

By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
September 3, 2009 - 10:55pm

THOMPSON, Conn. – For the second race in a row and the third time this year Donny Lia earned a trip to Victory Lane with his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumph Thursday night in the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers at Thompson International Speedway.

Following a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 19, Lia once again had a dominant car at Thompson. The Jericho, N.Y., native led three-different times Thursday night for 49 laps and got past Ted Christopher for the final time on Lap 140 after an intense back-and-fourth battle to earn his 14th career win.

It was a highlight film run for Lia, who continued to try to climb back into the championship picture with his Tour-high third win of the year. Earlier in the evening the Long Island driver nabbed his first Coors Light Pole Award in two years, and the 14th of his career. Lia came up unlucky in the re-draw of the top 10 qualifiers, however, and had to start the 150-lap race ninth.

It took just 17 laps for Lia to get into the top five and by Lap 41 he was apply pressure to season points leader and front-row starter Ted Christopher to mark the beginning of what would be a battle to the finish just like the previous race at Bristol. On Lap 48 Lia got past Christopher entering Turn 3 for the lead, a move that he would find success with later in the race as well.

After a cycle of pit stops, Lia and Christopher found themselves once again battling for the lead on a Lap 98 restart. Lia got the advantage at the line and held it with Christopher applying the pressure and eventually getting by Lia on Lap 104.

The battled remained tight until the pair made contact and Lia went spinning between Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 108. Lia only slightly grazed the wall, however, and was able to drive off. He rejoined the field in 16th, but just more than 40 laps remained and it appeared that the race would come down to Christopher and Todd Szegedy, who was running in third at the time the caution came out.

Lia, the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, promptly started to charge his way back toward the front.

“It was kind of a ‘take no prisoners’ deal,” Lia said. “I was on a mission and I drove pretty hard. I might have used a couple of guys up, but when you’ve got a car to win and you want to put a show on, you drive through the field. You’re here to win the race and if you have a shot – especially if you were leading and got spun out – you’re on a mission.”

In a matter of 14 laps he had moved back into the top five, and after getting a good jump on the Lap 138 restart, he was back in Christopher’s rearview. It took only one more lap for Lia to get his nose under Christopher again entering Turn 3 for the decisive pass.

“It was just a great day for us,” Lia said. “To come out and win the pole, lead a bunch of laps in the race, then get spun out but come back through the field. We had a car that could win the race and we weren’t going to let it slip away.”

The Budweiser 150 checkers were the third of the year for Lia who also won this year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – site of the next race on the schedule – in addition to Bristol. Thursday’s win was the second of his career at Thompson.

With the win, Lia moved up to third in the season standings and is now 72 points behind Christopher.

Christopher, who led a race-high 51 laps, settled for a second-place finish and extended his season points lead to 34 on Szegedy, who crossed the line third Thursday night. In addition to his two wins to start the season, Christopher has now finished as a runner-up four times this year while Szegedy remains the only driver to record a top-10 in each of the season’s first nine races.

Rowan Pennink crossed the line fourth for his seventh-straight top-10 finish and Keith Rocco finished fifth in just his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start.
Eric Beers, Eric Berndt, Bobby Grigas III, Glen Reen and Erick Rudolph brought home the top 10.

Berndt’s seventh-place effort was a career-best finish. He also led 18 laps during the race, the first in his 31 career starts.

Ryan Preece entered the race just 32 points behind Christopher in the standings and led eight laps early on Thursday as he ran up front with Christopher. His recent string of success was halted, however, as he suffered two spins during the middle stages of the event and had to settle for 18th place.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will hold its 10th race of the 2009 campaign at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 19. The New Hampshire 100 is set to go green at 1 p.m.

LIA STORMS TO WIN

Wins Inaugural Modified Visit To Bristol
Official Release
August 21, 2009 - 2:08pm

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Donny Lia overcame a late-race miscue to capture the inaugural UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday night.

Lia led 40 of the final 43 laps en route to his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win of the season. He jumped a restart on lap 138 and briefly lost the lead to Ted Christopher when race officials ordered him to give his advantage back. However, Lia drove back by Christopher three laps later to take the lead for good.

Lia, who won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June, beat Christopher to the line by 3.126 seconds in the first event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours at the "World's Fastest Half Mile."

Ryan Preece finished third while George Brunnhoelzl III was the top finishing NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver in the combination race. Woody Pitkat rounded out the top five.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour proved once again to be strong in the combination race format, which sees both Tours compete for one purse, but receive points based on their finish against other drivers on their tour. Including Lia and Christopher, eight of the top 10 cars across the line were from the Whelen Modified Tour.

Brunnhoelzl will be credited with first-place points and a win for the Whelen Southern Modified Tour standings.

The rest of the top 10 consisted of Todd Szegedy, Rowan Pennink, Ed Flemke Jr., Burt Myers and Erick Rudolph.

It appeared to be Christopher's race to win the majority of the race. Fastest in the first two practice sessions, the defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion led the first 107 circuits.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman finished 28th and 37th, respectively. Newman was caught in an accident on the second lap of the race and Kahne retired on Lap 100 with engine failure.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next race Saturday, Aug, 29 at Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome. The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified will also return to the track Saturday, Aug. 29 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.

LIA TAKES 7TH AT STAFFORD

By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
August 7, 2009 - 11:37pm

STAFFORD, Conn. – Six days after reaching Victory Lane for the first time in 2009, Ryan Preece made it two in a row on Friday as he captured the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Town Fair Tire 150 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

Preece (No. 3 Davidson Co./Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet), who won last week at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway, got past Ted Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) on Lap 104 Friday night and withstood numerous charges from the defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the later stages for his third career win.

Christopher, who led the first 103 laps, elected not to pit on two different occasions when the rest of the leaders came in for tires. He was able to push Preece to the limit, but could not get past, and Preece stretched out his lead in the closing laps.

Chris Pasteryak (No. 59 Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet) finished third, which tied his best career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour effort, previously also set at Stafford. Eric Beers (No. 46 Cape Cod Aggregates/J&R Pre-Cast Chevrolet) and Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet) rounded out the top five.

Erick Rudolph, Donny Lia, Jimmy Blewett, Woody Pitkat and Todd Szegedy rounded out the top 10 finishers. Coors Light Pole Award winner Eric Berndt finished 16 th.

Christopher regained the season points lead with his runner-up effort. He now leads Szegedy by 14 points.

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers on Thursday, August 13 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

LIA TAKES 24TH AT RIVERHEAD

DONNY LIA RIDE-ALONG VIDEO

by Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
August 1, 2009 - 11:08pm

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Ryan Preece dominated the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action Saturday at Riverhead Raceway and earned his second career win in the Riverhead 175.

Preece (No. 3 Mizzy Construction/Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet), who earned the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light during afternoon qualifying, led from start-to-finish in Saturday night’s main for his first win of the season, and his first at Riverhead.

Preece, who had previously won at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in 2008, held off Ted Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installation Chevrolet), Howie Brode (No. 96 Freightliner Chevrolet) and Dave Brigati (No. 98 Integra Shocks Chevrolet) on a number of restarts on the quarter-mile track for the win.

Brigati came home second followed by Brode, Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 Freightliner Chevrolet) and Glen Reen (No. 17 Reen Orthodontics/Pep Boys Chevrolet). It was a new career-best finish for Reen.

Eric Beers, Jamie Tomaino, Todd Szegedy, Chris Pasteryak and Rowan Pennink rounded out the top 10 finishers.

Christopher, who ran neck-and-neck with Preece early on, made contact with the wall on Lap 83 and was forced out of the race. Consequently, he lost the points lead to Szegedy for the first time this year with an unofficial finish of 20th. Szegedy now leads Christopher by 22 points heading into the seventh race of the season.

Next up for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the Town Fair Tire 150 on Friday, August 7 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

LIA TAKES 6TH AT SPENCER

By Jason Christley, NASCAR
July 12, 2009 - 8:11pm

WILLIAMSON, N.Y. – Erick Rudolph was just looking to finish a race. What he wound up with was a history-making victory. Rudolph’s first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win Sunday in the Spencer Speedway 155 made him the youngest winner in tour history.

At 17 years, 6 months, 3 days, the Ransomville, N.Y., driver eclipsed the mark set by Ryan Preece last year. Preece was 17 years, 10 months, 25 days when he won at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

After failing to finish each of the first four races of the season, Rudolph led the final 48 laps Sunday and withstood a furious charge from Todd Szegedy on the final lap to claim the victory. On the last lap, Szegedy got by Chuck Hossfeld for second and had the nose of his car nearly up to Rudolph’s front tire as they crossed the finish line. The scheduled 125-lap event was extended to 131 by a green-white-checkered finish.

Hossfeld followed on Rudolph’s bumper for third. Rowan Pennink and Ryan Preece rounded out the top five.

Donny Lia, Mike Stefanik, Eric Goodale, Ron Silk and points leader Ted Christopher completed the top 10.

Earlier in the day, Szegedy and Christopher won the two 15-lap heat races that set the feature lineup. Rudolph, who was fastest in practice, finished 12th out of 14 cars in his heat.

Szegedy led a race-high 60 laps before being forced to pit for a flat tire on lap 80. He was able to cut Christopher’s point lead to 17.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to the track Aug. 1 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway.

LIA WINS A WILD ONE
Captures New England 100 in last-lap free-for-all
By Jason Christley, NASCAR
June 27, 2009 - 2:55pm

LOUDON, N.H. – The New England 100 ended with a wild scramble on the last turn of the last lap that wiped out two of the leaders and provided Donny Lia his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Points leader Ted Christopher led at the white flag, with Lia, Todd Szegedy and Ron Silk jockeying for position. Lia dove inside of Christopher as he headed into Turn 3. Moments after Lia took the lead, Szegedy swept underneath both to the front of the line. As they came out of the final turn heading to the checkered flag, all four bounced off each other, with Christopher collecting Szegedy into the wall as Lia slipped by to grab the win.

Ed Flemke Jr. wound up second, followed by Silk and Rowan Pennink. Christopher managed to gather the car enough to get it across the line and salvage a fifth.

It was the 12th career win for Lia, whose previous victory at New Hampshire came in 2007 en route to his tour championship.

The race had 16 official lead changes among eight drivers, with many more changes for the front position at a track with a reputation for Daytona-style drafting and passing for the NASCAR Whelen Modified cars. Szegedy led a race-high 53 laps.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman led 13 laps and swapped the lead back-and-forth with Szegedy in the early going before he spun on lap 64 and exited the race. The other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver in the race, Kasey Kahne, was involved in a Lap 72 accident. Kahne finished 31st and Newman 34th.

Doug Coby, Richard Savary, Szegedy, Woody Pitkat, and Glenn Tyler rounded out the top 10. Christopher was able to extend his points lead to 53 over Szegedy, while Lia moved to third place, 72 behind Christopher.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next race Saturday, July 11 at Spencer Speedway in Williamson, N.Y.

LIA TAKES 15TH AT STAFFORD
By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
May 22, 2009 - 11:14pm

STAFFORD, Conn. – Jimmy Blewett was able to slow down Ted Christopher’s dominant start to the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season when he took home the checkered flag in the TSI Harley-Davidson Classic Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway.

Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) had won the first two races of the season, and earned his third-consecutive Coors Light Pole Award earlier on Friday, but Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers/Snake Pit Enterprises Chevrolet) started on the front row on the redraw and led flag-to-flag for his fifth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory.

Blewett survived six restarts during the race, including a green-white-checker finish, but would not be denied his second career win at the Connecticut half-mile.

Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) ran up front the majority of the race with Blewett, and tried once to go around on the outside late in the race, but Blewett never relinquished the lead. Szegedy settled for a third place finish when Christopher got past him on the white flag lap.

Mike Stefanik and Reggie Ruggiero rounded out the top five finishers in the 100-lap event. Chris Pasteryak, Rowan Pennink, Woody Pitkat, Doug Coby and Ryan Preece brought home the top 10.

The fourth race on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule will take pace at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The New England 100 is set for Saturday, June 27 in Loudon, N.H.

LIA TAKES SIXTH AT STAFFORD
By Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
April 26, 2009 - 5:29pm

STAFFORD, Conn. – Ted Christopher, the dominant car for the first half of Sunday’s 200-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race, survived a cut tire and an accident in the second 100 to earn his second trip in a row to Victory Lane in the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST at Stafford Motor Speedway.

Christopher, of Plainville, Conn., piloted the No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet from mid-pack with 70 laps to go to earn his 33rd career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory. The Coors Light Pole Award winner on Saturday, Christopher led 82 of the first 100 laps and appeared early to be the dominant car for the second week in a row. While under caution, Christopher had to come to pit road on Lap 121 with a cut tire and surrendered the lead on to Mike Stefanik. After rejoining the field, seven laps later he was skidding through the grass on the backstretch after getting caught up in an accident and a second-consecutive victory seemed unlikely.

All that didn’t deter the defending series champion from returning to Victory Lane, however, as he quickly moved up through the field and finally got by Todd Szegedy on Lap 182. The result was his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Spring Sizzler win and his ninth career tour triumph at the Connecticut half mile.

Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) finished as the runner-up and led three-different times for 33 laps in the race. Ryan Preece (No. 3 Mizzy Construction/Logan Steel Chevrolet) posted a third-place finish while Stefanik (No. 16 Diversified Metals/Sanderson-MacLeod Pontiac) and Chris Pasteryak (No. 52 Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet) rounded out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 finishers on Sunday included Donny Lia, Woody Pitkat, Ron Silk, Jimmy Blewett and Ed Flemke Jr.

The third race on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule will also take place at Stafford Motor Speedway. The TSI Harley-Davidson Classic, the first race under the lights in 2009, is schedule for Friday, May 22.

LIA TAKES THIRD IN ICEBREAKER
Official Release
April 5, 2009 - 3:49pm

THOMPSON, Conn. – Ted Christopher capped his 2008 championship with a win at Thompson International Speedway, and he begun his title defense Sunday in similar fashion. Christopher’s No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet led 106 laps en route to capturing the Icebreaker, the season-opening race to the Silver Anniversary season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Christopher had to hold off a final challenge from runner-up Jimmy Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers Chevrolet) as a green-white-checkered finish extended the race to 154 laps.

Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge) finished third, followed by Ryan Preece and Todd Szegedy.

Jamie Tomaino, who became the first driver in tour history to make his 500th career start, led twice for 27 laps. Pit strategy, however, left him with a 13th-place finish.

The win was Christopher’s eighth at Thompson and his third in the track’s Icebreaker. He also won the traditional season-opener – which hosted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s first race in 1985 – in 2004 and 2005.

Christopher also moved into sole possession of fourth-place on the tour’s all-time win list with his 32nd victory. He trails only Mike Stefanik (69), Reggie Ruggiero (44) and Tony Hirschman (35).

Blewett briefly passed Christopher for the lead following a lap 147 restart. But Christopher was able to use a cross-over move to slide back under Blewett in Turns 3 and 4 to move back in front.

Christopher received the first commemorative Tissot wrist watch, which will be presented by NASCAR and tour sponsor Whelen Engineering to each of the 14 race winners throughout the 25th anniversary season.

Christopher won the Coors Light Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifying.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action with the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway on April 26.

 

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
When NASCAR began more than 50 years ago, teams were permitted to “modify” their passenger cars for better performance. In fact, NASCAR’s very first event, held on the beach-road course in Daytona Beach, Fla., was a Modified race. During the 1950s and 60s, these cars developed innovative suspension systems, better engines, sophisticated bodies and soon, the cars looked and drove like nothing else in NASCAR. That tradition of innovation continued throughout the 70s and 80s, culminating in today’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, which was officially founded in 1985.

Whelen Engineering, a Connecticut-based manufacturer of emergency lighting and signaling devices, becomes this division’s title sponsor in 2005.

As the only open-wheeled division of NASCAR, the cars in this popular tour are unique in many ways. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour cars weigh 2,610 pounds and have a wheelbase of 107 inches. Whelen Modified Tour cars drive on wide Hoosier bias-play tires, while power is provided by “small block” 350 to 360 cubic-inch engines.

The Whelen Modified Tour has competed throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, on tracks ranging in size from a quarter-mile, to the 1.058-mile oval at New Hampshire International Speedway.


Notable Modified Tour graduates include drivers – Jimmy Spencer, Steve Park, Geoffrey Bodine, Jeff Fuller and Mike McLaughlin, to name a few – and crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr.