Christopher Rules In UNOH Showdown
Seuss, Bonsignore Win Thompson NWSMT, NWMT Features
THOMPSON, Conn. – No stranger to Victory Lane at Thompson International Speedway, Ted Christopher once again came out on top in the UNOH Showdown combination race between the NASCAR Whelen Modified and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tours.
Christopher took the lead from Bobby Santos on Lap 7 and held off a hard-charging Jimmy Blewett in the closing circuits of the 50 green-flag-lap exhibition showcase between the two tours. Ryan Preece crossed the line third in the second edition of the non-points event at the historic .625-mile oval in northeastern Connecticut.
Donny Lia and defending race winner Doug Coby finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the UNOH Showdown. Ron Silk, Matt Hirschman, Santos, Andy Seuss and Burt Myers brought home the top 10.
The UNOH Showdown was the premier event of the weekend, but two points races preceded it on Sunday. Seuss was victorious in the GreenPointe Energy Southern 75 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race while Bonsignore took the checkered flag in the Town Fair Tire Northern 75 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour contest.
Changes made to his car after qualifying gave Seuss what he needed to win the Green Pointe Energy Southern 75, the first on Sunday’s card. The Hampstead, N.H., driver credited his crew with making the changes that led to his first win of the year and 12th career victory.
Seuss qualified third, but ended up leading the field to the green because polesitter Rob Fuller had to drop to the back for the start after his crew chief missed a mandatory meeting. Although he slipped back at the drop of the green flag, Seuss quickly mounted a move to the front and took the lead from Burt Myers on Lap 24.
Seuss held on for the win over Hirschman, with Fuller charging through the field to take third. Myers was fourth, with Tim Brown fifth. Completing the top 10 were Steve Masse, Danny Bohn, George Brunnhoelzl III, John Smith and Cole Powell.
Brunnhoelzl, with five wins this year, continues to lead the championship standings – with 385 points. Jason Myers is second with 337, Bohn with 328, Brown with 321 and Seuss with 313.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour followed with the Town Fair Tire Northern 75, which saw Bonsignore power to the lead past polesitter Preece on Lap 68 and hold on through a green-white-checker finish for the victory.
It was the second career victory for Bonsignore, who hails from Holtsville, N.Y. The first came at his home track, Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway, in 2011.
Santos crossed the line second in the Town Fair Tire 75 and Preece, who led the first 67 laps from the pole, settled for third. Todd Szegedy and Christopher brought home the top five.
Mike Stefanik, Lia, Eric Beers, Eric Berndt and Richie Pallai Jr. rounded out the top 10.
Points leader Coby finished 13th in the Town Fair Tire 75, but second in points Silk suffered a last-lap accident and was relegated to 18th. As a consequence, Coby extended his lead to 441-382 on Silk with Preece ranked third after 10 races at 379.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Riverhead while the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will next contest a race at Caraway Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 29.
RESULTS:
NWSMT | NWMT | UNOH SHOWDOWN
VICTORY LANE AUDIO:
TED CHRISTOPHER | JUSTIN BONSIGNORE | ANDY SEUSS
Sources: Kevin W. Green/NASCAR PR
NWSMT Thompson 9/9/12 Unofficial Finish
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Race: NWSMT Thompson 9/9/12
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 3 11 Andy Seuss Phoenix Pre-Owned Chevrolet Chevrolet 75 48 5 Running
2 8 50 Matt Hirschman Heritage Wide Plank Flooring Chevrolet 75 42 Running
3 1 71 Rob Fuller Draco Springs Ford 75 41 Running
4 5 1 Burt Myers Citrusafe/NAPA/Adams Towing Ford 75 41 1 Running
5 2 02 Tim Brown Hayes Jewelers/T&C Mtrspts Chevrolet 75 40 1 Running
6 4 13 Steve Masse * R&R Landscaping Chevrolet 75 38 Running
7 6 65 Danny Bohn * Rifenburg Const/Rustoleum Chevrolet 75 37 Running
8 7 09 George Brunnhoelzl, III Phoenix Pre-Owned Chevrolet Chevrolet 75 36 Running
9 9 25 John Smith Havoline Plus/Shady Grady Racing Chevrolet 75 35 Running
10 17 73 Cole Powell * Copp's Buildall/Tricar/Fountain Chevrolet 75 34 Running
11 14 76 Jimmy Zacharias * Wilbur Auto Sales Chevrolet 75 33 Running
12 10 4 Jason Myers Trantham Moorefield/Wendell Edwards Ford 75 32 Running
13 15 7 Thomas Stinson Cowardin Jewelers/United Solar/Dennis' Towing 74 31 Running
14 12 77 Gary Putnam Stock Car Steel Chevrolet 74 30 Running
15 19 55 Ken Bouchard Ron Bouchard's Auto Stores Chevrolet 74 29 Running
16 18 40 Frank Fleming Autos By Nelson/Lewisville Motors Ford 74 28 Running
17 21 80 Michael Speeney * MRI Graphics Chevrolet 74 27 Running
18 20 37 Joe Scarbrough * Dreadnought Shaving/Atlantic Solar Chevrolet 73 26 Running
19 13 51 Kyle Ebersole * Ebersole Excavating Inc Ford 73 25 Running
20 11 59 Renee Dupuis Ed Bennett Properties Chevrolet 73 24 Running
21 16 9 AJ Winstead * Health Diagnostic Chevrolet 54 23 Engine
RACE STATISTICS
Race Comments: Prior to the green flag, the following drivers, under penalty, dropped from their original starting positions to the rear of the field for the reason indicated. #71Rob Fuller, #13 Steve Masse (missed crew chief meeting).
Fastest Qualifier: Rob Fuller, Time: 18.947 Seconds, Speed: 118.752 mph
Time of Race: 26 mins, 52 secs Average Speed: 104.684 mph Margin of Victory: .475 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 2-4 (Cars #59, #51 spin Backstretch). 1 for 3 laps.
Lap Leaders: Tim Brown 1-13, Burt Myers 14-23, Andy Seuss 24-75.
Total Laps Led: Andy Seuss 52, Tim Brown 13, Burt Myers 10. 2 changes involving 3 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: George Brunnhoelzl, III 385, Jason Myers 337, Danny Bohn * 328, Tim Brown 321, Andy Seuss 313, Kyle Ebersole * 302, Frank Fleming 300, John Smith 295, Thomas Stinson 289, Michael Speeney * 281
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
NWMT Thompson 9/9/12 Unofficial Results
Whelen Modified Tour
Race: NWMT Thompson 9/9/12
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 2 51 Justin Bonsignore M3 Technology Chevrolet 82 47 4 Running
2 3 44 Bobby Santos ImperialCars.com/Tinio Corp. Chevrolet 82 42 Running
3 1 16 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford 82 43 2 Running
4 6 2 Todd Szegedy UNOH/Dunleavy Repair Ford 82 40 Running
5 7 3 Ted Christopher Cape Cod Copper/Silver Dollar Const. Chevrolet 82 39 Running
6 8 66 Mike Stefanik Cady's Tavern/Town Line Farms Ford 82 38 Running
7 13 4 Donny Lia Mystic Missile Racing Dodge 82 37 Running
8 10 45 Eric Beers Horwith Freightliner/John Blewett Inc Ford 82 36 Running
9 11 46 Eric Berndt Cape Cod Agts/North End Auto Parts Chevrolet 82 35 Running
10 17 39 Richie Pallai, Jr. Bosch Spark Plugs Chevrolet 82 34 Running
11 19 58 Eric Goodale Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet 82 33 Running
12 21 99 Jamie Tomaino Supreme Manufacturing Chevrolet 82 32 Running
13 4 52 Doug Coby Reynolds Auto Wrkg/Furnace & Duct Chevrolet 82 31 Running
14 16 64 Ron Yuhas, Jr. Fast Track Elect./Complete Const. Chevrolet 82 30 Running
15 18 07 Patrick Emerling Emerling Chevrolet Dealership Chevrolet 82 29 Running
16 23 33 Wade Cole Perf Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan's Chevrolet 82 28 Running
17 20 88 Bryon Chew Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet 82 27 Running
18 9 6 Ron Silk Calverton Tree Farm/T.S. Haulers Chevrolet 81 26 Accident
19 5 93 Rowan Pennink Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet 81 25 Running
20 14 76 Jimmy Blewett John Blewett Inc./Ling Trucking Chevrolet 80 24 Running
21 15 28 Ed Flemke, Jr. Ron Bouchard's Autos/Raceworks TV Chevrolet 76 23 Running
22 12 79 Jon McKennedy Hill Enterprises/Coors Light Pontiac 72 22 Rear End
23 24 38 Brian Schofield Perf Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan's Chevrolet 56 21 Suspension
24 22 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood/MacLad Drywall Chevrolet 47 20 Suspension
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: Ryan Preece, Time: 18.828 Seconds, Speed: 119.503 mph
Caution Flags: Laps 43-46 (Car #76 spin Turn 3 <33>); 50-52 (Cars #88 & 64 accident Frontstretech); 73-79 (Cars #07 & 93 spin Turn 4 <76>). 3 for 14 laps.
Lap Leaders: Ryan Preece 1-67, Justin Bonsignore 68-82.
Total Laps Led: Ryan Preece 67, Justin Bonsignore 15. 1 changes involving 2 drivers.
NWMT-NWSMT Thompson 9/9/12 Unofficial Results
Whelen Modified Tour
Whelen Southern Modified Tour
Race:
Pos No. Name Class Laps Total Tm Diff Status
1 3 Ted Christopher NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:08.1 Running
2 76N Jimmy Blewett NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:08.3 0.224 Running
3 16 Ryan Preece NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:09.7 1.625 Running
4 4N Donny Lia NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:10.2 2.115 Running
5 52 Doug Coby NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:11.0 2.846 Running
6 6 Ron Silk NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:13.4 5.274 Running
7 50 Matt Hirschman NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:14.0 5.85 Running
8 44 Bobby Santos NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:14.1 6.022 Running
9 11 Andy Seuss NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:14.4 6.289 Running
10 1 Burt Myers NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:15.9 7.806 Running
11 09 George Brunnhoelzl, III NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:16.1 7.966 Running
12 71 Rob Fuller NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:19.0 10.88 Running
13 07 Patrick Emerling NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:20.6 12.44 Running
14 65 Danny Bohn* NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:20.7 12.565 Running
15 58 Eric Goodale NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:22.1 13.938 Running
16 46 Eric Berndt NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:22.2 14.067 Running
17 51S Kyle Ebersole* NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:22.6 14.497 Running
18 73 Cole Powell* NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:23.1 14.994 Running
19 77 Gary Putnam NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:23.5 15.352 Running
20 4S Jason Myers NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:23.8 15.659 Running
21 99 Jamie Tomaino NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:24.0 15.901 Running
22 7 Thomas Stinson NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:25.2 17.06 Running
23 40 Frank Fleming NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:26.5 18.332 Running
24 25 John Smith NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 50 27:27.7 19.551 Running
25 51N Justin Bonsignore NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 49 27:06.8 1 Lap Running
26 37 Joe Scarbrough* NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 48 27:11.7 2 Laps Running
27 64 Ron Yuhas, Jr. NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 41 24:24.7 9 Laps Mechanical
28 2N Todd Szegedy NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 30 21:23.8 20 Laps Ignition
29 66 Mike Stefanik NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 23 12:58.7 27 Laps Mechanical
30 02 Tim Brown NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 12 09:48.2 38 Laps Suspension
31 13 Steve Masse* NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 4 06:57.6 46 Laps Mechanical
32 39 Richie Pallai, Jr. NASCAR Whelen Modified/Southern Modified Tours 3 01:02.9 47 Laps Accident
RACE STATISTICS
Race Comments: Prior to the green flag, the following drivers, under penalty, dropped from their original starting positions to the rear of the field for the reason indicated. #4S Jason Myers, #40 Frank Fleming, #6 Ron Silk, #64 Ron Yahas Jr. (unapproved adjustment).
Time of Race: 27 mins, 31 secs Average Speed: 69.098 Margin of Victory: .224 Seconds
Caution Flags: Lap 3 (Accident car 39 Backstretch), Lap 23 (Fluid on track) <RED>.
Lap Leaders: Justin Bonsignore 1, Bobby Santos 2-6, Ted Christopher 7-50.
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender