Whelen Mod Tour Stat Advance: Monadnock
Analyzing The Town Fair Tire Whitcomb 200 At Monadnock
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The third race of the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season will take place on Saturday, May 11 with the Town Fair Tire Whitcomb 200 at Monadnock Speedway in rural Winchester, N.H. Below is a statistical look at the performance of series and selected drivers at the track:
Monadnock Race Setup:
• The eight previous NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at Monadnock Speedway have been won by eight different drivers.
• The two previous Monadnock events have been won from the pole: Todd Szegedy in 2011 and Ryan Preece in 2012.
• The Whitcomb 200 – the third race on the schedule – could be an early-season championship predictor. In seven of the eight previous seasons, the eventual champion has earned a victory within the first three events on the calendar.
AT MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY:
History
• Monadnock Speedway opened Aug. 13, 1971.
• Monadnock has played host to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour eight times previously from 1986-90 and 2010-present.
• A member of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, Monadnock sanctions five divisions in its weekly program, headlined by the Sportsman Modifieds.
Notebook
• Ken Bouchard won the inaugural NWMT race at Monadnock on May 18, 1986. Bouchard also earned the first two poles at the track.
• Current competitors Ted Christopher (2010), Ryan Preece (2012), Mike Stefanik (1988), Todd Szegedy (2011) and Jamie Tomaino (1990) have earned wins at the track.
Monadnock Speedway Data
Race: #3 of 14
Track Layout: .25-mile asphalt oval
• Race Length: 200 laps (50 miles)
• Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 18 degrees
• Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 16 degrees
Qualifying/Race Data
2012 Pole Winner: Ryan Preece
2012 Race Winner: Ryan Preece
Qualifying Record: Ryan Preece (12.313 seconds, 73.082 mph – 5/12/12)
ACTIVE CAREER CATEGORY LEADERS:
Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 73
2. Ted Christopher … 42
3. Ed Flemke Jr. … 17
Todd Szegedy … 17
5. Donny Lia … 15
Poles
1. Mike Stefanik … 48
2. Ted Christopher … 24
3. Ed Flemke Jr. … 16
Donny Lia … 16
5. Ryan Preece … 12
Laps Led
1. Mike Stefanik … 9,034
2. Ted Christopher … 6,595
3. Todd Szegedy … 2,595
4. Ed Flemke Jr. … 2,150
5. Donny Lia … 1,848
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 557
2. Mike Stefanik … 437
3. Ed Flemke Jr. … 427
4. Ted Christopher … 323
5. Wade Cole … 287
SELECTED DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS:
Jimmy Blewett (No. 76 John Blewett Inc./TS Haulers Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, two poles and 34 top 10s in 102 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Finished 14th at Monadnock Speedway in 2012, his only previous NWMT start at the track.
• Has one career NWMT win on a quarter-mile track – 2008 at Riverhead Raceway.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles and 26 top 10s in 48 career NWMT starts.
• Has finishes of ninth, second and fourth in three career starts at Monadnock.
• Has one career NWMT victory on quarter-mile tracks – 2011 at Riverhead.
Ted Christopher (No. 3 Silver Dollar Construction/Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion, he has 42 wins, 24 poles and 177 top 10s in 323 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
• Won at Monadnock in 2010 and has finishes of sixth and 12th in the two subsequent races.
• Has three additional NWMT wins at quarter-mile tracks – all at Riverhead.
Doug Coby (No. 52 Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet)
• The 2012 NWMT champion has seven wins, four poles and 57 top 10s in 132 career starts.
• Has finishes of 11th and second the last two seasons at Monadnock, his only previous NWMT starts at the track.
• Has not yet registered a NWMT victory on a quarter-mile track.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Circle Track Magazine Dodge)
• The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion. He has 16 wins, 16 poles and 65 top 10s in 129 career starts.
• Made his first NWMT appearance at Monadnock last year and finished sixth.
• Has four career NWMT wins at quarter-mile tracks – all at Riverhead.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet)
• Has a win and 43 top 10s in 90 career starts.
• Has finishes of 13th and 10th in his two NWMT starts at Monadnock. Did not compete there last year.
• His lone career NWMT victory came on a quarter-mile track – 2010 at Riverhead.
Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
• Has five wins, 12 poles and 46 top 10s in 83 career starts.
• Is the defending Monadnock winner, when he also earned the pole in track record time and led all 175 laps.
• Finished 23rd in his only other Monadnock start in 2010.
• Has two additional NWMT wins at quarter-mile tracks – both at Riverhead.
Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Racing/Brendan Kelley Music Chevrolet)
• The 2010 NWMT champion has nine wins, nine poles and 36 top 10s in 70 career starts.
• Has won three of the last four races – the last two of 2012, and last time out at Stafford Motor Speedway.
• Has finishes of fifth and 15th in his two NWMT starts at Monadnock. Did not compete there last year.
• Has not yet registered a NWMT victory on a quarter-mile track.
Andy Seuss (No. 70 Rockingham Boat/MUA/Summit Signs Chevrolet)
• Has four top-10 finishes in 28 career NWMT starts.
• Has finishes of 17th and 13th in his two NWMT starts at Monadnock.
• A full-time driver in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, he has 12 wins, seven poles and 54 top 10s in 72 career southern races.
Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, seven poles and 63 top 10s in 113 career starts.
• Has a NWMT-best average finish of fourth in three career races at Monadnock. He’s crossed the line third, fourth and fifth at the track in the three previous seasons.
• Has not yet registered a NWMT victory on a quarter-mile track.
Mike Stefanik (No. 22 Robert B. Our Co./Canto & Sons Paving Ford)
• The 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 NWMT champion.
• Holds NWMT records for most titles (seven), wins (73), poles (48), top fives (221) and top 10s (294).
• Has a win (1988), a pole (1988), five top 10s and an average finish of eighth in eight career NWMT starts at Monadnock. Is one of two drivers to compete in every tour race at the track along with Jamie Tomaino.
• Including Monadnock, he has nine career wins at quarter-mile tracks.
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Dunleavy Truck & Trailer Repair/A&J Romano Construction Ford)
• The 2003 NWMT champion has 17 wins, nine poles and 106 top 10s in 169 career starts.
• Won the pole and led wire-to-wire for the victory at Monadnock in 2011. Has finishes of 25th and third in his other two NWMT starts there.
• After a mid-season run last year where he finished in the top five in seven of nine races, his average result in the five races since is 17th.
Jamie Tomaino (No. 99 Supreme Manufacturing Chevrolet)
• The 1990 NWMT champion has three wins, five poles and 242 top 10s in a tour-record 557 career starts.
• Has a win and a tour-leading four top-five finishes in eight career NWMT races at Monadnock. Is one of two drivers to compete in every tour race at the track along with Mike Stefanik.
UP TO SPEED:
• The 2013 season is the 29th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
• The 2013 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.
• The competition season began with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Feb. 19. The Modified feature was won by Steve Park.
• Mike Stefanik won from the pole in the season-opening Icebreaker at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on April 14.
• Bobby Santos matched Stefanik’s feat from the opener when he won from the pole in the second race of the season on April 28 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR