NOTEBOOK: Szegedy At Best Down Stretch
2003 Mod Tour Champ Surges Over Toughest Part Of Schedule
Loudon, NH — Turn the calendar back to early August, and the task ahead of Todd Szegedy appeared daunting.
Szegedy had been rolling along at Stafford Motor Speedway, pointed toward a Top-5 finish and embroiled in a bitter dogfight atop the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings. But Szegedy ran into trouble in the form of another race car, and he finished 14th in the Town Fair Tire 150 while both Ron Silk and Rowan Pennink posted solid finishes to build a bit of distance between themselves and Szegedy.
Szegedy dropped to fourth in the overall standings, 116 points behind Silk. Worse yet, the Tour’s teams were embarking on a harrowing stretch of scheduling that had them set to compete five times in a span of five weeks. The stretch included races in Canada, at Bristol Motor Speedway and on a road course.
Undaunted, Szegedy and his No. 2 Wisk Ford team put in their best stretch of work yet.
Heading into New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the New Hampshire 100, Szegedy has posted one win, four top-3s and five top-5s over the stretch. The run prompted the 2003 Whelen Modified Tour champion to call this his best season to date.
He leads Silk by 12 points with three races remaining.
“I think we’re running better (than 2003),” said Szegedy, who qualified eighth Thursday. “We’re more consistent at every track. There were a few tracks that we ran at back then that we struggled at. This time, we’ve run good at all the tracks.
“I think we’re having a stellar year – but so is Silk. It’s nice that we’ve caught up to him and we’re making a run for it – but three races is still a lot to go and a lot can happen.”
Though Modified racing at New Hampshire produces bump-drafting and racing in large packs – very similar to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona or Talladega – Szegedy said the New Hampshire 100 doesn’t take on any special significance in his points chase.
“There is no (wild card). Every single race is important, but at the same time, you can’t worry about the points,” Szegedy said. “You just have to do what you’ve been doing, and hopefully that’s good enough. I look at every lap of every race like it’s the first race. That’s what makes a difference.”
Silk, who finished 15th at Lime Rock, held the lead through six straight races before Szegedy ran the table by winning the pole, the race and taking the points lead on the road course, said he won’t change his approach.
Winning the New Hampshire 100 pole was proof that the pressure hasn’t gotten to him in the least.
“You can’t beat yourself up,” Silk said. “We’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Szegedy doesn’t believe his experience in past championship battles plays a role.
“Maybe a little bit, maybe with give-and-take,” Szegedy said. “Throughout the year, there’s probably things I could have done to gain positions, but it also could have hurt me. I don’t know. I think Ronnie is just as good as we are, and he’s been around long enough to have the experience, also.”
HOME TRACK: Eddie MacDonald is always a story at New Hampshire with three career wins at the facility, but one of his most impressive accomplishments at the track might have been his second-place qualifying effort Thursday for Friday’s New Hampshire 125.
MacDonald didn’t even make a qualifying attempt when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East visited the track in July. He blew an engine early in practice for that race.
“To be able to come and qualify in second, I’m pretty happy with that,” MacDonald said. “I would have liked to be on the pole, but Darrell (Wallace Jr.) had a little bit quicker car. Just glad to be starting out front.”
MacDonald has 10 top-10 finishes in 22 career starts at New Hampshire. He rallied to finish ninth in July after starting 30th.
“This is definitely going to help out, not having to come from the back and use up our tires and everything,” MacDonald, of nearby Rowley, Mass., said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to stay on track and keep pace with everyone on the pit stops and be on the same plan.”
NEW WINNER? Ryan Newman’s performance at New Hampshire has been impressive, to say the least, with three straight on-track wins in Whelen Modified Tour competition. His most recent win, in July, was stripped after illegalities were found in his engine.
To be certain, the Tour regulars would like to beat Newman this weekend.
“I think everyone in the field wants to beat him,” Silk said. “It was nice to beat him in qualifying this time – it’s like a small victory. I was around him in practice a little bit. He’s obviously got a really good car. I felt my car was just as good, maybe a little bit better than his.
“Obviously, we want to beat him. But you can’t focus on one guy like that. You’ll drive yourself crazy. We’ll go out and try and beat everybody, not just him.”
NO-GOS: Neither Bobby Santos II nor Ted Christopher made Whelen Modified Tour qualifying attempts on Thursday. Santos had travel issues and needed Szegedy to take some practice laps in his car, while Christopher was still at his Connecticut home tending to a personal matter and had Mike Stefanik practice his car. Both will use provisionals to make the New Hampshire 100.
Christopher has five wins and five poles in Tour competition.
Local driver DJ Shaw of Center Conway, N.H., did not make a qualifying attempt for the K&N Pro Series East race. Shaw crashed hard in practice after a right front tire blew.
Sources: Travis Barrett, Special To NASCARHomeTracks.com