Whelen Modified Tour Returns To Mansfield
Following its debut in the Buckeye State a year ago, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park on Saturday, Aug. 23.
The Whelen 150 will be the second half of a doubleheader of NASCAR racing action at the mid-Ohio track. The NASCAR Camping World Series East is set to go green at 5:30 p.m., followed by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Mansfield, which opened in 1959 as a .375-mile dirt track, has had a number of changes in its history. After a change in ownership in 1999, the surface was paved and became what it is today, a half-mile asphalt oval with banking between 12 and 16 degrees in the turns and six degrees on the straightaways.
Ronnie Silk, winner of last week’s race at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, will look to continue his recent ascent in the season standings with another solid finish at Mansfield.
“I love the track, it’s a nice place, a very nice facility,” Silk said. “I think we can go there and be a contender to win the race.”
Driver of the No. 79 this year, Silk placed sixth in 2007 at Mansfield in the No. 19.
“I led a bunch of laps there in the No. 19, and the No. 79 finished third, so obviously they have a good car for there,” Silk said. “I can get around the track pretty good there, so I think we’ll be up front.”
James Civali was the winner of last year’s Mansfield 150. Doug Coby and Woody Pitkat registered second- and third-place finishes, respectively. Recently No. 28 owner Don King announced that he replaced Civali in the car with the tandem of Coby and Pitkat for the remainder of the season. Pitkat is scheduled to be in the car at Mansfield.
Donny Lia won the pole for last year’s race. He has since moved on to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and registered his first series win in the Ohio 250 at Mansfield in May.
With nine races in the books, Chuck Hossfeld leads Ted Christopher by 41 points in the season standings. Following a runner-up finish to Silk last week, Matt Hirschman is just 97 points behind Hossfeld in third place, his highest standing this year.
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| The Race | Whelen 150 |
|---|---|
| The Place | Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park |
| The Date | Saturday, Aug. 23 |
| The Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Track Layout | 0.5-mile oval |
| Race Purse | $88,665 |
| 2007 Winner | James Civali |
| 2007 Pole | Donny Lia |
| Schedule | Saturday, Aug. 23; Practice: 9-10:30 a.m., Qualifying: 12:30 p.m. |
| Track Contact | Charles Krall, (419) 262-0558 or credentials@mansfield-speedway.com |
Six-Time Champ Cook To Be Honored At Mansfield
As part of the season-long celebration of 60 years of Modified champions, six-time titlist Jerry Cook will be honored at the Whelen 150.
In one of the more dominant runs in the history of NASCAR’s Modified division, Cook captured six national championships during a seven-year span from 1971-77. His six titles are the third-most in the 60 years of the division.
After consecutive national runner-up finishes to Stevens in 1969 and Fred DeSarro in 1970, Cook turned the tables the following year and outdistanced DeSarro by 370 points for his first NASCAR Modified championship. Cook, originally from Rome, N.Y., garnered his second title in 1972 when he defeated Stevens in the national standings. Fellow Rome native Richie Evans took the title in 1973, but Cook grabbed it back in 1974 and kept it for the next three years.
Cook was a consistent contender for the NASCAR Modified title throughout his career. During a remarkable run from 1969-82, Cook finished in the top three in the national standings in each season. That span included six titles and six championship runner-ups.
Following a third-place finish in the championship standings in 1982, Cook hung up the helmet and stepped over to the other side of the fence to work for NASCAR.
Since coming on board with NASCAR in 1982, Cook has overseen the weekly tracks in the northeast and was instrumental in the development of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 1985 and the NASCAR Camping World Series East in 1987. Today he lives in Mooresville, N.C., and serves as a competition administrator in the NASCAR Research and Development Center.
Victory Lane, A.K.A. Redemption Road For Pair Of Drivers
For a pair of drivers, recent victories have saved seasons that once appeared to be coming up short of expectations.
Ronnie Silk, who finished fourth in the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings driving the No. 19 for George Bierce, was a pre-season favorite to contend for the championship in 2008 following a switch to Roger Hill’s No. 79.
As 2008 got underway, Silk and the No. 79 team found themselves 27th in the standings after three races. He had finishes of 21, 23 and 15 in those first three dates, but since June 19, the season has completely turned around for the Hill Enterprises outfit.
Silk reached Victory Lane at Thompson on June 19 to start a string of five top 10s in six starts. Thompson was again the scene for Silk’s most recent triumph, a win on Aug. 14. From his first win at the northeast Connecticut oval to last week’s victory, Silk has improved 21 spots in the season standings and currently ranks sixth heading into this week’s race at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park.
Jimmy Blewett’s 2008 campaign has followed a similar arc. With Silk’s off-season move, Blewett took over in the No. 19 this year after finishing eighth in the 2007 standings driving the No. 12 for Ed Partridge.
Blewett’s third full season on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour began without a top-10 finish in the first five races on the schedule, and he was 22nd in the season standings when went to Spencer Speedway on July 12. Like Silk, however, trips to Victory Lane helped to turn his season around in a hurry.
Blewett was finally able to crack the top 10 with a fourth-place finish at Spencer and has been on a roll since. He became the first back-to-back winner of 2008 when he followed Spencer with victories at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway and Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. During that three-race stretch, Blewett moved from 22nd to eighth in the season standings. Battery trouble at Thompson last week temporarily slowed Blewett’s momentum as he had to settle for a 25th-place finish, but he still remains a solid top-10 contender with the season more than halfway complete.
News & Notes
The Race … The Whelen 150 will be the 10th of 16 races in 2008, and the only appearance at Mansfield Motorsports Park.
The Procedure … Starting Positions 1-27 will be set from time trials. The remaining five will be filled through the provisional process. The race is 150 laps (75 miles).
The Track … Mansfield is a half-mile banked oval that originally opened as a .375-mile dirt track in 1959. The racing surface was paved in 1999.
Race Winners … James Civali captured the inaugural NWMT race at Mansfield on Aug. 23, 2007.
Pole Winners … In the series’ debut at Mansfield last year, Donny Lia won the pole in a time of 15.274 seconds (117.847 mph).
Benchmarks/Milestones
- Ted Christopher has 28 career victories. The next win would put him in sole possession of fifth place on the all-time list, breaking a tie with Mike Ewanitsko.
- Todd Szegedy’s next win would be the 13th of his career, which would place him in sole possession of 13th on the all-time list.
- Mike Stefanik has 40 career poles. The next would place him in a tie with Tony Hirschman for the all-time lead.
- Jamie Tomaino will extend his own series record by making his 495th career start.
- Ed Flemke Jr. is expected to extend his record consecutive starts streak to 305.
Season To-Date
- Chuck Hossfeld is the current points leader … He has victories at Stafford (5/23) Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (6/28).
- Ronnie Silk won the last time out at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway … He has two wins this year, both at TIS.
- Jimmy Blewett won back-to-back races at Riverhead Raceway (8/2) and SMS (8/8).
- Ed Flemke Jr. captured the season-opener at TIS (4/6), his first victory since 2004.
- Ted Christopher won the second race of the season at SMS (4/27) to move into a tie for fifth place on the all-time wins list.
- Matt Hirschman earned his first career NWMT victory at Spencer Speedway on July 12.
- James Civali, Bobby Grigas III and Ryan Preece have earned their first career poles in 2008.
Five Questions: Ronnie Silk
You switched teams from the No. 19 to the No. 79 in the offseason. How’s the transition worked out?
I think it has gone really well. At the beginning of the year we had a good car and stuff just didn’t go our way, but every week we have been in contention. On the other hand, I think the No. 19 has had things go well for them, too. Jimmy [Blewett] has two wins and he’s doing a great job for those guys.
All three of your NWMT career wins have come at Thompson. What is it about that track?
Our car is just great at Thompson, that’s for sure. We’ve had a good car at other places, but the breaks have gone our way there.
You’ve got two wins and are now up to sixth in the season standings. Are you poised to make a title run?
We’d love to run for a championship, but we just want to go and win races. If we win races, the points will take care of themselves.
What has been the highlight of your NWMT career to-date?
I would say it was probably this last race at Thompson. We had just such a great car. We got spun out just past halfway through the race, but the car was just so strong that we were able to get back to the front. That was the highlight of my career, having such a dominant race car.
Besides racing, did you play any sports in school?
I love all kinds of sports, and I was always involved. I played football, I wrestled and I played lacrosse in high school. With my racing schedule, lacrosse was really the only thing I could play in the spring, and still I had to miss about half the games. It was just a lot of fun and I have a lot of good friends from high school athletics, and I really enjoyed the competition.
Home Tracks: Vallo Makes Run At State Title At Kil-Kare, CMS
John Vallo is in the driver’s seat, literally, toward Ohio’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state title.
Vallo, who drives Late Models, has registered six wins at Kil-Kare Raceway in just 12 starts on the season. He’s had nearly as much success at Columbus Motor Speedway, with four trips to Victory Lane in 12 starts. Vallo’s 10 total wins were tied for second nationally with three other drivers in the last national round-up on Aug. 12.
As of the Aug. 19 rankings, Vallo stood 37th in the NWAAS National Top 500 standings. On the strength of his 10 feature wins, Vallo also had a 150-point lead in the Ohio state standings.
Up Next: Sunoco Modified Mania 150
The 11th race of the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be contested at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 7.
The Sunoco Modified Mania 150 will be part of a big weekend of open wheel racing at the northeastern Connecticut track. The race will also mark the fourth of five appearances for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson this year.
Ed Flemke Jr. (April 6) and Ronnie Silk (April 19 and Aug. 14) have reached Victory Lane in the first three races at Thompson in 2008. With last week’s win, Silk became the first driver since Tony Hirschman in 2003 to earn consecutive wins at the track.
Silk, who can count Thompson as the venue for all three of his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career wins, is the defending champion of this race. The Norwalk, Conn., driver earned the first win of his career in this race on Sept. 23, 2007.
Donny Lia captured the pole for this race a year ago to cap a run of three straight Coors Light Pole Awards. Lia will not defend his pole win as he has run a full-time schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2008.
Rick Fuller, 1993 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, will be honored prior to the race as part of NASCAR’s season-long celebration of 60 years of Modified champions. Fuller has eight career wins at Thompson.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR