News & Notes: Whelen Modified Tour Returns To New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway

The seventh race of the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season on July 17 will feature a return to one of its old stomping grounds.

For the first time in two decades, the Whelen Modified Tour will return to Monadnock Speedway. The high-banked quarter-mile facility in Winchester, N.H., last played host to the Tour in 1990.

Each of the five races from 1986-90 produced different winners, including active drivers Mike Stefanik (1988) and Jamie Tomaino (1990).

The Monadnock 200 will bring back some fond memories for Stefanik, who is fifth in points after six races in 2010.

“I haven’t been there in 15 years. Back in the day – in the mid 1970s – we used to run there a lot,” Stefanik said. “It’s one of the most fun quarter-mile race tracks around. I’ve got a lot of good memories from there.”

While the majority of current drivers have not competed at Monadnock before, a few have turned laps there in recent seasons either in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, or in other Modified series.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Richie Pallai Jr. is one of the drivers who recently raced Monadnock to get a feel for the track. He registered a 10th-place finish on May 22 in the track’s Whelen All-American Series Modified Division feature.

“As a driver, I had never been to a short track before and raced, so we wanted to get that aspect of it out of the way,” Pallai said. “We tried to dial-in the car the best we could. We’ve run Thompson and Stafford, and had a good setup for that, but obviously we needed work on our short track program. I think we learned a lot.”

The 2010 edition of the Whelen Modified Tour at Monadnock will be a qualifying format race, along with the July 31 date at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway. The feature race will be 175 laps.

With the tire change rules for the event – which is instituted to keep costs down for the teams – Stefanik thinks tire management will be the major key to success.

“Tire management and a good handling car that doesn’t go away [will be the key],” Stefanik said. “Monadnock – Turns 1 and 2 is pretty good banking, and you can really use up your tires.

It will probably be a really strategic battle. We’re definitely going to try to qualify in the front because guys who have to run the heat race will have the extra wear on their tires.”

While Stefanik’s No. 16 Flamingo Racing team has a plan heading to Winchester, its not like the veteran driver will lean on his past experience at the track.

“I’m not going there with any advantage,” Stefanik. “Its been so long since I’ve been there its almost like it will be the first time.”

The Whelen Modified Tour’s schedule traditionally features venues familiar to all of the competitors, but for the second race in a row, the Monadnock 200 will be the first time that many have been to the facility. The last race on July 3 was the inaugural appearance for the Tour at Connecticut’s road course, Lime Rock Park.

“I love a different challenge,” Stefanik said. “I haven’t been there in long time, I’m looking forward to it.”

ENTRY LIST

Raceday Notes
The Race … The Monadnock 200 will be the sixth  NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race all-time at Monadnock Speedway, located in Winchester, N.H.

The Procedure … The starting field is 28 cars, including provisionals. Starting positions 1-16 will be determined by two-lap time trials. Positions 17-23 will be set from the 25-lap qualifying race and the remaining five spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 175 laps (43.75 miles).

The Track … Monadnock Speedway is a high-banked quarter-mile asphalt track. Monadnock held five Whelen Modified Tour races from 1986-90.

Stefanik Set For Start No. 400
A record-holder in nearly every NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour statistical category, he might never reach Jamie Tomaino’s mark for career starts, but Mike Stefanik is set to reach a milestone in that category this weekend.

The Monadnock 200 will be the 400th career start for undoubtedly the greatest driver in the 26-year history of the Whelen Modified Tour. Stefanik’s list of accomplishments are headlined by Tour records for championships (seven), wins (70) and poles (43).

This week he will become just the second active driver to reach the 400 starts milestone. Tomaino holds the record with 517.

“I’ve been in this oval track game for 30 years,” Stefanik said. “I’ve been fortunate to still be winning races, I’m still competitive.”

Stefanik has experienced a solid start to the 2010 campaign with five top 10s, two race runner-up finishes and a pole. He is fifth in points after six races.

With a mantle full of trophies, Stefanik keeps looking forward and doesn’t rests on his accomplishments.

“I just happen to still be playing the game. There are some new faces, and some of the same faces,” Stefanik said. “I don’t get caught up in much of the nostalgic stuff, I just look at it as we’re going racing at Monadnock.”

Tour Tidbits: Return To The Road
The sixth race of the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, and the first on a road course in 10 years, took place at Lime Rock Park on July 3 in Lakeville, Conn.

Quarterley Wins With Late Rally … For the second race in a row a “ringer” wound up in Victory Lane as Dale Quarterley took the checkered flag in the inaugural Lime Rock 100. Quarterley, who has an extensive background in road racing and two career Lime Rock wins in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East action, made the winning pass Todd Szegedy on Lap 63 of the 66-lap event. Behind the wheel of the No. 52 Modified, Quarterley pitted three times in the race, the last on Lap 46, and with fresh tires he was able to come back through the field.

Szegedy Earns First Lime Rock Pole … Despite coming up just short of what would have been his first win in nearly two years, Szegedy did have one of the more dominant cars of the weekend. Friday netted Szegedy his seventh career Coors Light Pole Award. Saturday’s finish was his best of the year. He also led the most laps in the race to earn 10 bonus points.

Silk, Preece Adapt Quickly … Unlike the majority of the top finishers in the Lime Rock 100, Ron Silk and Ryan Preece were road course rookies. Both proved to be quick learners however. Silk was one of the faster cars in both practice sessions and qualified eighth while Preece qualified seventh. Both stayed the course on Saturday and Silk crossed the line third, followed by Preece. It marked the best finish of the year for Silk.

Tomaino on the Move … As part of the minority that had previous road racing experience, Jamie Tomaino was able to lean on a little of that prior knowledge to work his way through the field at Lime Rock. Tomaino qualified 21st, but finished ninth to earn the Coca-Cola Move of the race Award. It was his best finish of the season.

Stefanik Recovers at Lime Rock … After he suffered his first finish of the season outside the top 10 in the previous race at New Hampshire, Mike Stefanik bounced back to record a sixth-place effort at Lime Rock. The improvement from the previous race earned him the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award.

Bonsingnore Builds on Rookie Lead … Despite a finish of 21st, Justin Bonsignore was able to beat out fellow first-year driver Richie Pallai Jr. for Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors as Pallai finished 23rd. Bonsignore has won the award in five of the season’s first six races.

Another Top 10 for Cole … The Lime Rock 100 marked the second top-10 effort for Wade Cole this year. For Cole, who has competed either full- or part-time throughout the Whelen Modified Tour’s history, 2010 is the first time he has recorded multiple top 10s in the same season. He now has five for his career.

Up Next: Riverhead
The next stop for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the annual appearance at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway.

The quarter-mile bullring on Long Island’s eastern edge has been on the  schedule in each of the 26 season of the Whelen Modified Tour, a benchmark that Riverhead shares with only one other track, Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.

Mike Ewanitsko is the all-time leader in wins (11) and poles (eight) at Riverhead while Mike Stefanik (six wins) and Ed Flemke Jr. (four poles) are the active leaders. Ryan Preece is the defending pole and race winner.

The 2010 edition of the Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead will once again 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.

The Riverhead 200 will also be the premiere for the Whelen Modified Tour on VERSUS as the first of nine races between the Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours to be featured on the cable network in 2010. The race will air on Wednesday, Aug.  4, at 7 p.m.

NWAAS At Monadnock
Monadnock Speedway is one of two tracks in New Hampshire that runs a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program, along with Lee USA Speedway.

The Winchester quarter mile runs Saturday night features in Modified, Outlaw Pro,  Sportsman Modified, Super Stock and Mini Stock divisions.

As of the July 3rd races, Todd Patnode had a slim two-point lead on Kirk Alexander in Monadnock’s featured Modified division. Barry Gray (Outlaw Pro), William Kimball (Sportsman Modified), Bill Johnston (Super Stock) and Chris Davis (Mini Stock) were also points leaders.

COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD
Bobby Santos … 3
Ryan Newman … 1
Mike Stefanik … 1
Todd Szegedy … 1

COCA-COLA MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD
Woody Pitkat … 3
Erick Rudolph … 1
Mike Stefanik … 1
Jamie Tomaino … 1

FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD
James Civali … 1
Chuck Hossfeld … 1
Bobby Santos … 1
Mike Stefanik … 1
Rob Summers … 1
Glenn Tyler … 1

WHELEN WINNER OF THE RACE
Bobby Santos … 3
Ted Christopher … 1
Ryan Newman … 1
Dale Quarterley … 1

SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD
Justin Bonsignore … 5
Richie Pallai Jr. … 1

SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
Justin Bonsignore … 49
Richie Pallai Jr. … 46

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR

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