Modified Champion Rick Fuller To Be Honored At Thompson
NASCAR To Recognize 1993 Modified Champ On Sept. 7
Daytona Beach, FL — As part of a season-long celebration of 60 Years of Modified Champions, 1993 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour titlist Rick Fuller will be honored at the Sunoco Modified Mania 150 on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.
A consistent championship contender throughout his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career with top 10 points finishes in 17 seasons; Fuller broke through in 1993 and earned a 93-point victory over Reggie Ruggiero for the title.
In eighth place in the season standings after five races in 1993, Fuller put together a run of eight top fives in the next 10 races and took the points lead from Ruggiero for the first time on Sept. 15 after placing fourth in the Sunoco 300 at Thompson. He then held off Ruggiero in the season’s final two races to earn the title.
Still an active competitor in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Fuller has 20 wins and 230 top 10s in 434 career starts. His win total is seventh on the series’ all-time list while his 11 Coors Light Pole Awards rank 13th.
“I think it’s pretty awesome that they’re going to do it there at Thompson,” Fuller said. “That is in my backyard, I only live 15 minutes away.”
A resident of Auburn, Mass., Fuller has excelled at the .625-mile oval throughout his career. Of his 20 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins, eight came at Thompson, including his first on Oct. 16, 1988. Prior to joining the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on a full-time basis, Fuller nabbed Thompson track titles in the Late Model division in 1982 and the Modified division in 1985.
“I’ve had a lot of good times there,” Fuller said. “I started racing there back in the early 1980s and I’ve won in just about every division that they’ve ran there. I love that place.”
Fuller is one of only three drivers who have made starts in each of the 24 years of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, along with Carl Pasteryak and Jamie Tomaino. Always a fan favorite, Fuller was named the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Most Popular Driver in 2000.
Fuller is the younger brother of Jeff Fuller, a former standout driver in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The two brothers have combined to win 51 races in the series. Rick’s 1993 series title came just one year after Jeff’s. The elder Fuller was honored for his 1992 championship at Thompson on June 19.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will hold its 11th race of the season on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Thompson. Practice and time trials for the Sunoco Modified Mania 150 will take place on Saturday, Sept. 6. For ticket information, please visit Thompson’s official Web site (thompsonspeedway.com).
Sources:Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR