CHAMPION PROFILE: Title Puts Silk On Map
Silk was a driver on the periphery prior to teaming with Partridge
Prior to the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, Silk had made 67 career starts in the Tour for six different teams in a span of seven years of full- and part-time competition. He’d won races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Thompson International Speedway, but he struggled to find consistency at the front of the field – posting Top-10 finishes less than half the time over that same span.
When Eddie Partridge went looking for a full-time driver for his No. 6 TS Haulers Chevrolet, though, he wasn’t necessarily out looking for the most sparkling resume. He wanted some stability.
“Ronnie has ability to talk to (crew chief Tommy Grasso) and he knows the feel he wants in the car, where when he starts the race the car is going to be good throughout the whole race,” Partridge said. “He’s an aggressive driver, but not when he doesn’t want to be. He just has that ability, he has that feel.”
Silk won three races in 2011, posted eight Top-5 finishes in 16 races and is now a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion. He led wire-to-wire at Stafford Motor Speedway in May and then cemented his title run in the second half of the season with victories in the inaugural race at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway that gave him the championship lead for good.
“There’s a lot of great drivers that have never won the championship,” Silk said. “I don’t think it defines who you are as a driver, but it’s certainly an awesome feeling to win one. You take the whole year, and to know you came out on top – it’s a pretty good feeling.”
Grasso said he knew Silk had championship mettle when he first worked with him on a startup Tour team a few years before.
“Ron drove the car I was working on in his rookie season and his second season,” Grasso said. “We hit it off right from the beginning. Then we went our separate ways – I went to work for Eddie and he went to drive for (Hillbilly Racing). Then he came back – I knew he and I worked well together.”
So well together, in fact, that the pairing paid dividends in its very first race together toward the end of the 2009 season. Silk left Hillbilly Racing that season and made two starts for Partridge’s team down the stretch – winning at New Hampshire in his first race.
Best of all, Silk won the race in the team’s secondary car.
“I happened to have a backup car that was complete. I said to Eddie, ‘Why not let Ronnie drive the other car?’” Grasso said. “That was kind of the beginning of his second round with me.
“I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Ronnie. He’s very level-headed. He doesn’t get excited about anything. He’s calm, cool, collected. We get along pretty good and think the same way about the cars. It’s just a really good combination.”
CHAMPION PHOTO GALLERY | CHAMPION CAR OWNER: Ed Partridge | CHAMPION CREW CHIEF: Tom Grasso
And with that combination, Partridge had the driver he wanted in his seat. The team finished fourth in the final Whelen Modified Tour standings in 2010, their first full year together, before grabbing the title this time around.
Partridge said that Silk brought an element the team had been missing. Silk feels like he’s found the place where he’s gone from being a contending driver to a championship one. On a Tour with a history decorated with names like Richie Evans, Jimmy Spencer, Geoffrey Bodine, Mike Stefanik, Ted Christopher and more, Silk now has his name among those.
“I just can’t thank my car owners (Ed and Connie Partridge) enough for the equipment they let me drive,” Silk said. “They’re really great people to be around. I’m really happy to win the championship for them.
“It’s just unbelievable. You see people hold the trophy before, and it’s a real honor to be able to do that.”
Grasso believes that Silk’s ability behind the wheel is matched only by his ability at the race shop.
“One of things Ronnie has going for him is he could almost set up the race car himself,” Grasso said. “He knows what adjustments on the car do. I can’t say enough about him.
“He wasn’t quite as aggressive when I was with him on the 19 (car). I don’t know if he’s a little more mature, but when he came back to us he was a little bit different. He would make riskier moves and be able to pull them off, if you know what I mean. He was a much more improved driver when he came back to Eddie.”
And he’s no longer on the Tour periphery. He’s one of the shining stars.
“It’s unbelievable,” Silk told Speed51 following the season finale at Thompson in October. “All the guys on the team, we get along great. Everyone has a good time. Everyone says this (sport) is about having fun – but most of the people in here don’t have fun all the time. We really have a great time, a great relationship with Eddie and his wife, Connie, and I’m really happy they picked me to do it for them.”
The following is a look back at the highlights of Silk’s championship season:
Silk Soars To Stafford Victory | Silk Win At Delaware Worth The Wait | Silk Sails To The Front At New Hampshire | Silk Takes Home Whelen Modified Crown
Sources: Travis Barrett, Special to NASCAR Home Tracks