QUALIFYING: Silk on Point at Riverhead

Eighth Career Whelen Tour Pole, First At Long Island Bullring

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Ron Silk has found the fast way around Riverhead Raceway.

Fastest in afternoon practice, Silk followed that effort up with the Coors Light Pole Award for tonight’s Hoosier Tire 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event.

Silk, from Norwalk, Conn., was the last of 28 cars to go out in qualifying. On his second and final lap he topped Ryan Preece with a fast time of 11.890 seconds (75.694 mph) for his eighth career pole. It was his first in eight Whelen Modified Tour starts at Riverhead.

Silk will vie for his first Riverhead tour win later tonight, but the winner of the two previous events on the 2013 schedule – Preece – will start alongside him when the Hoosier Tire 200 goes green. Preece posted a fast lap of 11.919 (75.510).

The second row for the Hoosier Tire 200 will include Donny Lia and Eric Goodale. John Beatty Jr., Matt Hirschman, Doug Coby, Shawn Solomito, Timmy Solomito and Justin Bonsignore rounded out the top 10 qualifiers.

Coby, the reigning Whelen Modified Tour champ, had his throttle stick following his second qualifying lap and wrecked hard into the Turn 1 wall that resulted in heavy damage to his car. His status for tonight has yet to be determined.

The Hoosier Tire 200 set for a green flag at approximately 8:30 p.m.

NWMT Riverhead 6/29/13 Qualifying
Pos No. Name Sponsor Time Speed In Lap Laps Diff

1 6 Ron Silk TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm 11.890 75.694 2 2
2 16 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Sophie’s Rest 11.919 75.510 2 2 0.029
3 4 Donny Lia Circle Track Magazine 11.936 75.402 2 2 0.046
4 58 Eric Goodale Riverhead Building Supply 11.956 75.276 2 2 0.066
5 14 John Beatty Jr. Freeport Collision/N. Shore Recyclg 11.964 75.226 2 2 0.074
6 44 Matt Hirschmann Tinio Corporation/Brendan Kelley Music 11.976 75.150 2 2 0.086
7 52 Doug Coby Red Roof Inn/Seekonk Grand Prix 11.976 75.150 2 2 0.086
8 89 Shawn Solomito* Cystic Fibrosis Foundation/Acme Sanitary 12.018 74.888 2 2 0.128
9 15 Timmy Solomito* Eastport Feeds/LLL Industries 12.027 74.832 1 2 0.137
10 51 Justin Bonsignore M3 Technology 12.033 74.794 2 2 0.143
11 3 Ted Christopher Silver Dollar Const/Cape Cod Copper 12.038 74.763 2 2 0.148
12 13 David Roys* Angela’s House 12.050 74.689 2 2 0.160
13 93 Rowan Pennink Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner 12.062 74.614 1 2 0.172
14 2 Todd Szegedy Delicacies Gourmet/Dunleavy Repair 12.086 74.466 2 2 0.196
15 46 Eric Berndt Cape Cod Aggts/North End Auto Parts 12.094 74.417 2 2 0.204
16 5 Frank Vigliarolo Jr. Frankie Towing 12.122 74.245 2 2 0.232
17 98 David Brigati JDL Environmental/Oval Speed 12.125 74.227 2 2 0.235
18 88 Bryon Chew Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East 12.138 74.147 2 2 0.248
19 79 Woody Pitkat Hill Enterprises/Coors Light 12.177 73.910 2 2 0.287
20 07 Patrick Emerling Emerling Chevrolet Dealership 12.187 73.849 2 2 0.297
21 22 Mike Stefanik Robert B Our Co/Canto & Sons Paving 12.196 73.795 2 2 0.306
22 28 Ed Flemke, Jr. Ron Bouchards Auto Stores 12.228 73.602 1 2 0.338
23 64 Ron Yuhas Jr. Fast Track Electric/Hughes Motors 12.234 73.565 2 2 0.344
24 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood/Mehner Racing 12.271 73.344 2 2 0.381
25 99 Jamie Tomaino Supreme Manufacturing 12.307 73.129 2 2 0.417
26 73 Cole Powell* Copps BuildAll/Dr. Jackie Smiles 12.313 73.093 2 2 0.423
27 33 Wade Cole Perf Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan’s 12.318 73.064 2 2 0.428
28 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape Supply/TRC Elec 12.620 71.315 2 2 0.730

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR