Whelen Modified Statistical Advance: Loudon
Analyzing The F.W. Webb 100 At New Hampshire
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the F.W. Webb 100 on Saturday, Sept. 22 in Loudon, N.H. Below is a statistical look at the performance of series and selected drivers at the track:
Loudon Race Setup
• Ted Christopher is the all-time wins leader at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 10. Five of those wins have come in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition.
• Season points leaders Doug Coby and Ryan Preece will be in search of their first NHMS win this week. The pair has combined to win six of 11 races this year.
• Ron Silk, third in points, is the defending winner of the F.W. Webb 100 and has finished in the top five in seven of the last eight races at NHMS.
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman will once again compete with the NWMT this weekend. He has two Modified wins at NHMS.
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 NWMT has raced there each year since.
• The track was renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.
• The largest racing oval – and the largest sports facility overall – in New England.
Notebook
• There have been 56 all-time NWMT races at NHMS, the most of any facility outside of Connecticut.
• There have been 17 different race winners, led by Mike Stefanik with eight.
• There have been 23 different pole winners, led by Jan Leaty’s six.
• Each year since 2007, with the exception of Ryan Newman’s season sweep in 2010, the eventual NWMT champion has won an event at NHMS during their title run.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Race: #12 of 14 overall, #2 of 2 at NHMS
Track Layout: 1.058-mile asphalt oval
• Race Length: 100 laps (105.8 miles)
• Banking–turns: 2 to 7 degrees
Qualifying/Race Data
2011 Pole Winner: Ron Silk
2011 Race Winner: Ron Silk
Qualifying Record: Mike Ewanitsko (28.693 seconds, 132.743 mph, 7/20/01)
Active Category Leaders at NHMS
Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 8
2. Ted Christopher … 5
3. Donny Lia … 2
Ryan Newman … 2
Ron Silk … 2
Todd Szegedy … 2
Poles
1. Ted Christopher … 5
2. Ryan Newman … 3
3. Mike Stefanik … 2
Ron Silk … 2
5. Five drivers with … 1
Laps Led
1. Ted Christopher … 753
2. Mike Stefanik … 595
3. Ron Silk … 244
4. Todd Szegedy … 210
5. Donny Lia … 114
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 56
2. Ed Flemke Jr. … 54
3. Wade Cole … 49
4. Mike Stefanik … 48
5. Ted Christopher … 46
Selected Driver Highlights:
Eric Beers (No. 45 Horwith Freightliner/John Blewett Inc. Ford)
• Has two wins, nine poles and 77 top 10s in 181 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Is ninth in points with four top 10s in 11 starts and a best finish of fourth on two occasions.
• Has 10 top 10s in 21 starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with an average finish of 13th and a best finish of third in 2005. Was fourth there in the July event.
Jimmy Blewett (No. 76 John Blewett Inc./Ling Trucking Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, a pole and 31 top 10s in 96 career NWMT starts.
• Has five top 10s in 11 races this year. Had three top 10s across 16 races the two previous seasons.
• Has three top 10s in 15 career starts at NHMS with an average finish of 21st and a best finish of second, twice. He finished 16th in the July race.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles and 24 top 10s in 43 career NWMT starts.
• Since gaining his first NWMT win last year at Riverhead Raceway, he has finished in the top 10 in 16 of 20 events.
• In six appearances at NHMS he has two top 10s with an average finish of 18th and a best result of third in this event last year. He was involved in an accident in the July race and finished 28th.
Ted Christopher (No. 3 Cape Cod Copper/Silver Dollar Construction Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion, he has 42 wins, 24 poles and 175 top 10s in 318 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth. Has at least one win in the 13 previous seasons.
• Is seventh in 2012 driver points with seven top 10s in 11 starts. Won the exhibition UNOH Showdown at Thompson.
• Is the active leader at NHMS for poles (5) and laps led (753), and ranks second among active drivers with five wins. Has 18 top fives and 26 top 10s in 46 career NWMT starts at NHMS with an average finish of 14th.
• His last 21 NWMT starts at NHMS have resulted in 17 top 10s. The other four were DNFs.
• Also has five NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victories at NHMS. His combined 10 wins are the most in track history.
• Has made five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at NHMS.
Doug Coby (No. 52 Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, four poles and 53 top 10s in 127 career starts.
• Points leader has four wins and seven podium finishes in 11 races this year. Recorded two wins in 116 starts prior to the 2012 season.
• Has five wins and 19 top 10s in 28 starts with the No. 52 team since the end of the 2010 season.
• Started the season with top 10s in each of the first eight races but has finishes of 11th, 13th and 22nd in the last three outings. Suffered his first DNF of the year last time out at Riverhead.
• Has a pole and nine top 10s in 18 career starts at NHMS with an average finish of 16th and a best finish of third in this year’s first visit to the track in July.
Matt Hirschman (No. 50 Heritage Wide Plank Flooring Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles and 37 top 10s in 73 career NWMT starts.
• The 2008 championship runner-up, this will be his first NWMT appearance of the year. He finished second in this car in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at Thompson on Sept. 9.
• Has four top 10s in nine career NWMT starts at NHMS with a best result of third in July 2011.
• Also finished fourth in the NKNPS East race at NHMS in Sept. 2008.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Racing Dodge)
• The 2007 and 2009 champion, he has 16 wins, 15 poles and 62 top 10s in 124 career starts.
• Has a win and seven top 10s through 11 races with an average finish of ninth in his return to the NWMT this year.
• Has two wins and eight top 10s in 15 career NWMT starts at NHMS with an average finish of 14th. Crossed the line eighth at NHMS in July.
Ryan Newman (No. 7 Menards/Aggressive Hydraulics Chevrolet)
• Has four wins, three poles and five top 10s in 10 career NWMT starts. Two of those wins and all three poles have come at NHMS. The other two wins were earned at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• Was involved in an accident 40 laps into the July race at NHMS.
• Has three wins, six poles and 14 top 10s in 21 career NSCS starts at NHMS.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet)
• Has a win and 40 top 10s in 83 career starts.
• Ranks 11th in points this year despite missing a race. Has five top 10s in 10 starts.
• Has five top 10s in 12 starts at NHMS with an average finish of 18th and a best finish of fourth in 2009. Finished sixth there in July.
Woody Pitkat (No. 79 Hill Enterprises/Coors Light Pontiac)
• Has 23 top 10s in 61 career NWMT starts.
• Has four top 10s in six starts this year in the No. 11. This will be his first race this year in the No. 79.
• Has six top 10s in 11 starts at NHMS with an average finish of 15th and a best finish of second in 2011. That runner-up effort in last year’s August race is the best overall finish of his NWMT career. Was 10th there in July and has three top 10s in his last four NHMS starts with the one exception being an engine failure.
Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
• Has five wins, 12 poles and 41 top 10s in 78 career starts.
• In 12 races with Flamingo Motorsports he has two wins, seven poles, seven top 10s, and laps led in seven of those events. Both wins and six of those poles have been earned this year.
• Is the first driver to record six poles in a season since Tony Hirschman earned seven in 2005.
• Has a pole and five top 10s in 12 career starts at NHMS with an average finish of 13th and a best result of third, twice. Was 12th at NHMS in July.
Bobby Santos (No. 44 ImperialCars.com/Tinio Corporation Chevrolet)
• The 2010 NWMT champion has six wins, eight poles and 33 top 10s in 65 career starts.
• Has a pole and three top 10s in six appearances this year in a part-time role.
• Has a pole and five top 10s in 12 career NWMT starts at NHMS with an average finish of 16th and a best result of fourth on two occasions. Finished 11th in the July event.
Andy Seuss (No. 70 Rockingham Boat/Summit Signs Chevrolet)
• Has four top 10s with an average finish of 20th and a best finish of seventh in 26 career NWMT starts.
• In 10 starts at NHMS he has an average finish of 21st with that NWMT career-best seventh this past July.
• Primarily competes in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, where he has posted 12 wins and 49 top 10s in 66 career races and has finished in the top five in the final standings in each of the previous four years.
Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, seven poles and 60 top 10s in 108 career starts.
• Is third in points – 19 behind Doug Coby – on the strength of two wins and eight top 10s in 11 races.
• Has six wins and 32 top 10s in 43 starts with TS Haulers Racing since they first joined forces in 2009. He’s led laps in 19 of those races and has just five DNFs during the span.
• Has two wins, two poles and 11 top 10s in 17 career starts at NHMS with an average finish of 10th. Is the defending winner of this race and was second in a photo finish there this past July.
Mike Stefanik (No. 66 Canto & Sons Paving/Robert B. Our Co. Ford)
• The 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 NWMT champion.
• Holds NWMT records for most titles (seven), wins (72), poles (47), top fives (219) and top 10s (290).
• Is 12th in points this year with six top 10s in 10 outings. Did not attend last week’s race at Riverhead.
• By beating Ron Silk by 0.003 seconds to the finish line in the July event, he now holds the NWMT record for wins at NHMS with eight. Also has two poles, 595 laps led and 31 top 10s in 48 career starts at NHMS. Has won two of the last three NWMT races at NHMS dating to 2011.
• The second and last of his 12 career NKNPS East victories came at NHMS.
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Dunleavy Repair/A&J Romano Const. Ford)
• The 2003 NWMT champion has 17 wins, nine poles and 105 top 10s in 164 career starts.
• Has seven top fives in 11 outings this year with a best finish of second at Bristol.
• Has two wins, a pole and 15 top 10s in 20 career starts at NHMS with an average finish of ninth and 210 laps led. The only active driver with a single-digit average finish at the track, he finished fifth there in July.
Up to Speed:
• The 2012 season is the 28th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
• The 2012 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.
• Defending NWMT champion Ron Silk won the 2012 season-opener at Thompson International Speedway on April 15. Ryan Preece was the polesitter for the Icebreaker.
• Doug Coby joined a select group of multiple Spring Sizzler winners when he took the checkered flag at Stafford Motor Speedway on April 29. Preece set the track record in qualifying prior to the event.
• Preece made it 3-for-3 in qualifying as he took the pole in track record fashion at Monadnock Speedway on May 12 and made the top starting position stand up as he led every lap en route to the victory.
• Bobby Santos captured the pole and led nearly the entire race before Coby wrestled the lead away in the closing laps to take the checkered flag on May 25 at Stafford.
• In the NWMT’s return to Waterford Speedbowl following a six-year absence, Ted Christopher earned the pole, but it was Coby who stole the show to earn his third win of the season.
• Mike Stefanik earned his first win of the year when he edged polesitter Silk by .003 seconds at the line at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14.
• Coby made it three-for-three at Stafford in 2012 when he won the Stafford 150 on Aug. 3. Preece earned his fourth pole of the season prior to the race.
• Stefanik earned his first pole of the season and Donny Lia his first race win of the year in the Budweiser King of Beers 150 on Aug. 9.
• Silk was the driver to beat at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 22 when he sat on the pole and took checkers in the fourth annual combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
• Justin Bonsignore captured his first checkered flag of the season and Preece added yet another pole award in the Town Fair Tire Northern 75 on Sept. 9 at Thompson. Christopher followed that with a victory in the UNOH Showdown exhibition combo race with the NWSMT.
• Preece won from the pole for the second time this year when he took the checkers at Riverhead Raceway on Sept. 15 in an event that was rescheduled from a July rainout.
• Following the F.W. Webb 100, the NWMT will return to action on Sept. 30 at Stafford with the CARQUEST Fall Final.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR