Statistical Advance: F.W. Webb 100
Analyzing The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour At New Hampshire
Daytona Beach, FL — The first of three trips for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2011 is on tap for Saturday, July 16 with the F.W. Webb 100.
Selected Driver Highlights:
Eric Beers (No. 45 Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, nine poles and 64 top 10s in 159 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Is fourth in points with three top 10s in five races.
• Has seven top 10s in 17 career starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a best finish of third in 2005.
Jimmy Blewett (No. 14 Chevrolet)
• Has a pole, five wins and 25 top 10s in 81 starts.
• Has participated in two of the five races this year.
• Has three top-five finishes in 12 starts at NHMS, highlighted by runner-ups in 2008 and 2010.
Ted Christopher (No. 36 Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion.
• Has 40 wins and 23 poles in 298 career starts. His wins total rank third all-time and his poles are eighth. Has at least one win 13 years in a row.
• Is third in points with top 10s in all five races and is the only driver with two wins.
• Has five wins, five poles and 24 top 10s in 42 NWMT starts at NHMS. Also has five NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victories there, which makes him the winningest driver in track history.
• Has finished in the top 10 in 15 of the last 17 races at NHMS, including five wins and four runner-ups.
• Has led laps in 18 of the last 22 races at NHMS, and 753 total laps for his career.
James Civali (No. 79 Pontiac)
• The 2006 NWMT Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
• Has four wins, a pole and 33 top 10s in 62 career starts.
• Is 12th in points with three top 10s in five races this year.
• Has four top 10s in eight NHMS starts. His best finish, second, came in his debut there in 2006.
Doug Coby (No. 52 Chevrolet)
• Has a win, three poles and 38 top 10s in 105 career starts.
• Is 10th in points with three top 10s in five races this year.
• Has six top 10s in 14 NHMS starts with a best finish of fourth in both 2005 and 2010.
Matt Hirschman (No. 3 Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles and 33 top 10s in 62 career starts.
• Is fifth in points with top-10 finishes in four of the five races this year.
• Has two top 10s in six career starts at NHMS with a best finish of fourth in 2007.
Chuck Hossfeld (No. 59 Chevrolet)
• Has seven wins, nine poles and 73 top 10s in 130 career starts.
• Has one top-10 finish in three races this year.
• Has three wins and nine top 10s in 15 career starts at NHMS.
Ryan Newman (No. 7 Chevrolet)
• Has three wins, three poles and four top 10s in seven career NWMT starts. Five of his seven NWMT starts have come at NHMS.
• Won both NWMT races at NHMS from the pole in 2010.
• Has led 122 of the 452 laps he has completed at NHMS.
• Has 22 combined NASCAR national series victories, including two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series triumphs at NHMS. He has 12 top 10s in 18 career NSCS starts at NHMS.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Chevrolet)
• Has a win and 30 top 10s in 62 career starts.
• Is the points leader with three runner-up finishes and four top 10s in five races this year.
• Has two top 10s in eight starts at NHMS with a best finish of fourth in 2009.
Andy Petree (No. 5 Chevrolet)
• Is set to make his NWMT debut in his own No. 5 Modified.
• Attempted to compete in the UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2010, but did not qualify.
• Has five NASCAR Nationwide Series and seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts.
Ryan Preece (No. 40 Chevrolet)
• Has four poles, three wins and 30 top 10s in 60 career starts.
• Participated in the first three races this year in the No. 11 with a best finish of fourth in the opener.
• Has finished third three times at NHMS and as four total top 10s in eight career starts.
Erick Rudolph (No. 98 Chevrolet)
• Has a win, a pole and 22 top 10s in 40 career starts.
• Is ninth in points with three top 10s in five outings.
• Has two top 10s in five starts at NHMS with a best finish of seventh in his NHMS debut in 2008.
Bobby Santos (No. 4 Dodge)
• Earned the 2010 NWMT championship in his first full-time season.
• Has six wins, five poles and 26 top 10s in 48 career starts.
• Is sixth in 2011 points with a win and three top 10s in five outings.
• Has four top 10s in eight starts at NHMS with a best finish of fourth in 2007 and 2010.
Ron Silk (No. 6 Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, four poles and 44 top 10s in 86 career starts.
• Is second in points with a win and four top-fives in five events this year.
• Has a win and eight top 10s in 13 career starts at NHMS.
Mike Stefanik (No. 16 Pontiac)
• The 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 NWMT champion.
• Holds NWMT records for most titles (7), wins (70), poles (46), top fives (213) and top 10s (279).
• Is eighth in 2011 points with three top 10s in five races.
• Has six wins, two poles and 28 top 10s in 44 career NWMT starts at NHMS. Last win was 1998.
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Ford)
• The 2003 NWMT champion.
• Has 15 wins, eight poles and 89 top 10s in 142 career starts.
• Is seventh in points with three top 10s and a win from the pole at Monadnock Speedway.
• Has a win, a pole and 11 top 10s in 16 starts at NHMS. The win came in 2007.
Ron Yuhas Jr. (No. 64 Chevrolet)
• Has eight top 10s in 30 career starts.
• Is 11th in points with a pair of top 10s in five outings.
• In three career starts at NHMS his best finish was eighth in 2007.
Up to Speed:
• The 2011 schedule features 16 races at eight tracks across four states. The NWMT will make its international debut this year with a race at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway in Canada.
• Bobby Santos broke his own track record in qualifying for the season opener at Thompson International Speedway while Ted Christopher took the checkered flag in the Icebreaker on April 10.
• Doug Coby was the pole winner at Stafford Motor Speedway for the Spring Sizzler and Santos took home the checkered flag on May 1.
• Ron Silk won from the pole at SMS on May 27.
• Todd Szegedy followed Silk’s example as he captured the pole and led all 175 laps en route to victory at Monadnock Speedway on June 26. The race was postponed a day due to rain.
• In the second of four races at TIS this year, Christopher earned the pole and then came from outside the top 15 with 25 laps left to earn the victory on June 30.
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
History
• Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway was Aug. 13, 1989.
• The official opening was June 5, 1990 and the first NASCAR event was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990.
• The first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race was held on Sept. 2, 1990.
• The track was renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.
• NHMS is the largest racing oval – and the largest sports facility overall – in New England.
Notebook
• There have been 52 NWMT races all-time at NHMS, the most of any facility outside the state of Connecticut.
• There have been 17 different race winners, led by Tony Hirschman’s seven.
• There have been 22 different pole winners, led by Jan Leaty’s six.
• Mike McLaughlin won the first NWMT race at NHMS in 1992. He also won the inaugural NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race that same day.
• Ryan Newman earned the pole and race win in both events at NHMS in 2010.
• Among the probable race entries, six have won at NHMS including: Mike Stefanik (6), Ted Christopher (5), Chuck Hossfeld (3), Newman (2), Ron Silk (1) and Todd Szegedy (1).
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Race: #6 of 16 overall, #1 of 3 at NHMS
Track Layout: 1.058-mile oval
Banking: Variable between 2-7 degrees in the turns
Race Length: 100 laps/105.8 miles
Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: Ryan Newman (128.402 mph, 29.663 seconds)
2010 race winner: Ryan Newman (84.509 mph, 1:15.07)
Track qualifying record: Mike Ewanitsko (132.743 mph, 28.693 sec., 7-20-01)
NWMT Win Leaders at NHMS
Tony Hirschman … 7
Reggie Ruggiero … 6
Mike Stefanik … 6
Ted Christopher … 5
John Blewett III … 4
Steve Park … 4
NWMT Pole Leaders at NHMS
Jan Leaty … 6
Ted Christopher … 5
Mike Ewanitsko … 4
Tim Connolly … 3
Ryan Newman … 3
Steve Park … 3
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR