News & Notes: Modifieds Return To The Road
First Road Course Race For Whelen Modified Tour Since 2000
The sixth race of the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season on July 3 will be a historic date on the storied division’s timeline.
For the first time in the now 26-year history of the Whelen Modified Tour, Lime Rock Park will serve as host to a race. The 1.53-mile circuit in Lakeville, Conn., will become just the second road course to play host to a Whelen Modified Tour race.
Unlike all of NASCAR’s other national and touring series, the Modifieds have little history of competition at anything other than oval tracks. In the first 25 years of the Whelen Modified Tour, only Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International has appeared on the schedule, and that was just for a span from 1996-2000.
After a decade’s absence, that is all about to change as Lime Rock is set to play host to the inaugural Whelen Modified Tour Lime Rock 100 this weekend.
With deep roots throughout New England, the Whelen Modified Tour has visited many race facilities in its 25-plus years. A number of times the Tour has even gone back to a track after some years away, like in mid-July when Monadnock Speedway returns to the schedule after 20 years. But recent history has also shown that NASCAR has looked to grow the Tour to different areas. The Lime Rock 100 will mark the third time in the last four seasons that the Whelen Modified Tour has visited a facility that it has never gone to before, following inaugural events at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park in 2007 and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in 2009.
While some technical and mechanical aspects of an asphalt Modified lend it more toward an oval-specific race car, there has been significant investments of time, effort, research and funding to set up the Lime Rock 100 for success.
The cars are only half of the equation of inexperience and unknowns as the Whelen Modified Tour goes to Lime Rock. Among the 2010 driver roster, just Ted Christopher, Wade Cole, Ed Flemke Jr., Jake Marosz, Mike Stefanik, Rob Summers, Todd Szegedy and Jamie Tomaino competed in some or all of the six races at Watkins Glen.
That leaves a host of 2010 championship contenders with little-to-no road racing experience, including current points leader Bobby Santos. Drivers 5-10 in points after the first five races will all be road course rookies.
Christopher, Rowan Pennink, Santos and Szegedy tested their cars at Lime Rock on May 11 for Hoosier Tires, and an open test date this Tuesday will allow all teams to get a feel for the track, but the fact remains that for many of the Whelen Modified Tour’s drivers, the Lime Rock 100 will be their first road course racing venture.
Christopher, Stefanik and Szegedy figure to have a leg up on the competition as they have experience at Lime Rock in other divisions. Stefanik has a win (1998) and seven top 10s in nine NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts and Christopher has a win (1997) and four top 10s in five East starts at Lime Rock. Szegedy had success in SCCA events at the track.
While road racing experience projects to be an advantage, it’s not entirely unprecedented for a first-timer to have success. Tim Connolly had no previous NASCAR road racing starts prior to his win at Watkins Glen in 1997, and just last year true rookies won both K&N Pro Series poles and races at Lime Rock and The Glen.
The only road course “ringer” expected to participate is Dale Quarterley, who has just two career Whelen Modified Tour starts. The first came in the 1996 race at The Glen, and the last was at New Hampshire in 2008. Quarterley is the owner of K&N Pro Series East wins at Lime Rock in 2001 and 2003.
The Whelen Modified Tour will share the racing card at Lime Rock with the K&N Pro Series East, which has raced there since 1993. Both the Whelen Modified Tour and K&N Pro Series East will utilize the new “Optional Uphill” coming out of “No Name Straight” and entering the “Back Straight.”
Both races are 66 laps. The Whelen Modified Tour green flag is at 12:15 p.m., followed by the K&N Pro Series East at 2:15 p.m.
The Race Lime Rock 100
The Place Lime Rock Park
The Date Saturday, July 3
The Tim 12:15 p.m. ET
TV Schedule SPEED, July 22, 6 p.m. ET
Track Layout 1.53-mile road course
Race Purse $85,810
2009 Winner N/A
2009 Polesitter N/A
Event Schedule Friday: Practice 11:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m., Final Practice 1:15-2 p.m., Qualifying 3:45 p.m.
Track Contact Rick Roso, (860) 435-5000, rick@limerock.com
NASCAR PR Contact Jason Cunningham, (704) 201-6658, jcunningham@nascar.com
Raceday Notes
The Race … The Lime Rock 100 at Lime Rock Park will be the inaugural event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at the Lakeville, Conn., road course.
The Procedure … The starting field is 30 cars, including provisionals. The first 25 cars will have secured starting positions based on road-race style (group) qualifying. The remaining five spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 66 laps (101 miles).
The Track … Lime Rock is a 12-turn, 1.53-mile road course. The track opened April 20, 1957 and has held sports car events throughout its history. The Whelen Modified Tour will run the “Optional Uphill.”
Tour Tidbits: Newman Breaks Through
The fifth race of the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season was the New England 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 26.
Newman Captures Checkers … In his fifth attempt, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman was able to break through for a win in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Newman teamed with Jamie McMurray’s Sprint Cup Series crew chief, Kevin Manion, for the first time to field a Whelen Modified Tour entry in the fall of 2008. Newman earned the Coors Light Pole Award in his first Modified foray at New Hampshire that September, but in four starts prior to last Saturday, his best finish was eighth. With the victory, Newman became the first NASCAR national series driver to win a Whelen Modified Tour race. In fact, Todd Bodine, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart have all failed to register a topfive. Newman also earned the pole for the New England 100 in Thursday qualifying.
Christopher’s Bid Comes Up Just Short … The winningest driver in New Hampshire Motor Speedway history, Ted Christopher, came up a quarter of a lap shy of adding to his legend. A 10-time Loudon winner, Christopher led six different times for a race-high 40 laps, but was passed by Newman in Turn 3 on the last lap. The runner-up effort did move Christopher from fourth to second in the season standings.
Streak Ends for Mystic Missile Racing … The No. 4 “Mystic Missile” Dodge had won the three previous New England 100s with Donny Lia and Chuck Hossfeld behind the wheel. Bobby Santos could not keep the streak alive in the 2010 edition, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Santos led three times for 16 laps, but in the end he finished a distant fourth.
Costly Incident for Stefanik … Through four races, Mike Stefanik and the No. 16 Flamingo Racing team was on point. They had registered top 10s in each outing, and Stefanik was 89 points behind Santos in the standings. Unfortunate circumstances struck early for Stefanik in Loudon on Saturday as he was involved in an accident with Rob Fuller on Lap 3. Stefanik was able to return to the track and turn laps, but he finished 27th and dropped from second to fourth in points, now 172 behind Santos.
Pitkat on the Move, Again … He may not be an elite qualifier, but Woody Pitkat has become adept at moving up through the field. In five races so far in 2009, Pitkat has earned the Coca-Cola Move of the Race Award three times. The award goes to the driver who improves the most positions at the end of the race from where they started. In those five starts, Pitkat has an average in-race improvement of 14 positions.
Tyler Bounces Back … At New Hampshire, Glenn Tyler finished 16th, but that was a marked improvement from his 36th at Martinsville Speedway in the previous race after an accident. As a result, he was the New England 100 Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award winner.
Rookie Pair in Top Half … In their first starts at the “Magic Mile,” rookies Justin Bonsignore and Richie Pallai Jr. both registered top-15 finishes. Bonsignore crossed the line 12th to earn the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award for the fourth time this year. Pallai finished 14th.
Santos Extends Lead
While many drivers would be ecstatic to record a top five at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the fourth-place finish for Bobby Santos on June 26 was actually his worst in five 2010 outings.
All was certainly not lost for the No. 4 “Mystic Missile” Dodge, however. Not only did Santos stay consistent with his fifth top-five in as many races this year, but he was also able to extended the championship points lead to a whopping 129 tallies, the largest margin between first and second since the end of the 2007 season.
Up Next: Monadnock
The next stop for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will take place at an old familiar facility.
Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H., has returned to the schedule for the first time since the 1990 season for the Monadnock 200 on Saturday, July 17.
The .25-mile high-banked oval played host to the Whelen Modified Tour five times from 1986-90.
Each of the previous five races produced different winners, including current drivers Mike Stefanik (1988) and Jamie Tomaino (1990).
The 2010 edition of the Whelen Modified Tour at Monadnock will be a qualifying format race. The first 16 starting positions will be determined from two-lap time trials and positions 17-23 will be determined from the top seven finishers in the 25-lap qualifying race.
The feature race will be 175 laps.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR