Mods to Give Stafford Another Go
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Perhaps the third time will be the charm for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 presented by G-Oil.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was originally set to contest the second of four 2013 races at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway on May 24. An ominous rain forecast pushed the race date to June 7, only to once again meet the same fate. A third attempt to get the race in is now set for this Friday, June 14.
The postponements have not only affected the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, but Stafford’s weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program as well. And one driver who has felt the effects of both, Ryan Preece, is set to return to his home track this Friday with some newfound recognition.
Preece, a 21-year-old from Berlin, Conn., was named last week to the 2013-14 NASCAR Next driver roster. He’s the first Whelen Modified Tour driver to be a part of the program, now in its third year. NASCAR Next is an industry initiative that helps to shine the spotlight on NASCAR’s rising stars.
Through the course of the next 12 months Preece and the 12 other drivers selected from NASCAR’s regional touring series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will participate in a variety of public appearances and training events designed to elevate and enhance their profile to complement their on-track accomplishments.
Although the latest postponement left Preece with yet another unplanned night off from racing at Stafford, it did allow him to participate in the NASCAR Next announcement that took place at Iowa Speedway on Friday. He would have been running in the Whelen Modified Tour and Whelen All-American Series events otherwise, and would not have been able to join his new NASCAR Next teammates in Iowa.
Preece made a day trip to Iowa for the announcement, headed back to Connecticut that evening, then went down to Long Island on Saturday and won the prestigious Richie Evans Hall of Fame 100 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway in Whelen All-American Series Modified action. Of the 13 newly-announced NASCAR Next drivers, Preece was one of five that registered a victory over the weekend.
As the focus returns back to Stafford this weekend, Preece will be looking for his first Whelen Modified Tour win of 2013 and will also look to maintain his lead in the season standings of Stafford’s premier SK Modified division, where he was the 2011 titlist.
RACE: TSI Harley-Davidson 125 pres. by G-Oil
PLACE: Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway
DATE: Friday, June 14
TIME: 9:15 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT: .5-mile, banked asphalt oval
2012 WINNER: Doug Coby
2012 POLESITTER: Bobby Santos
EVENT SCHEDULE: Practice 2:30-3:30 p.m., Qualifying 6 p.m., Driver Autograph Session 7:30 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT: Scott Running, 860-684-2783, scottrunning@staffordspeedway.com
TRACK TWITTER: @StaffordSpeedwy
EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #TSIHD125
NASCAR CONTACT: Jason Cunningham, 704-201-6658, jcunningham@nascar.com, Twitter: @NASCAR_NE
FAST FACTS
The Race: The 23rd Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125 presented by G-Oil will be the third race on the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule and the second of four events this season at Stafford Motor Speedway.
The Procedure: The maximum starting field is 31 cars, including provisionals. The first 26 cars will have secured starting positions based on two-lap qualifying. The remaining five spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race is scheduled for 125 laps (62.5 miles) and the race tire change rule is two tires, any position.
The Track: A half-mile, slightly-banked oval, Stafford originated as a horse racing track in the 1870s. After seven decades as a horse track, the dirt oval started holding automobile races following World War II. Stafford became a NASCAR track in 1959 and was paved for the first time in 1967.
Race Winners: There have been 31 different race winners at Stafford all-time, led by Mike Stefanik’s 20 victories. Doug Coby is the defending winner of the TSI Harley-Davidson 125, the second of his three victories at the track in 2012. Bobby Santos won this season’s first race at Stafford.
Pole Winners: There have been 40 different pole winners at Stafford, led by Stefanik’s 17. Ryan Preece holds the tour’s track qualifying record at 17.924 seconds (100.424 mph). Bobby Santos set fast time for this event a year ago, as well as the first trip to Stafford this year.
Returning to Action: The layoff between the last Whelen Modified Tour race on April 28 – also at Stafford – and this week’s rescheduled TSI Harley-Davidson 125 will be 49 days. That’s the longest in-season stretch between races for the tour since a 51-day span in 2006.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR
NWMT Stafford 6/14/13 Schedule
Time Series Event
10 a.m. NWMT Haulers Enter
11 a.m. NWMT Garage Opens
2:30-3:30 p.m. NWMT Practice
3:30-5:30 p.m. NWAAS Practice
6 p.m. NWMT Qualifying
6:30 p.m. NWAAS Feature Races Begin
7 p.m. NWMT Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
7:30 p.m. NWMT Driver Autograph Session
9:15 p.m. NWMT TSI Harley-Davidson 125 pres. by G-Oil (125 Laps/62.5 Miles)
All times ET and subject to change
NWMT Stafford 6/14/13 Entry List
CAR DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM OWNER CREW CHIEF
2 Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn Dunleavy Repair/A&J Romano Const. Chevrolet Mike Smeriglio, III Phil Moran
3 Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn. Silver Dollar Const./Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet Jan Boehler Scott Richards
4 Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y. Circle Track Magazine Dodge Robert Garbarino Dan Laferriere
6 Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn. TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet Ed Partridge Tom Grasso
07 Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y. Emerling Chevrolet Dealership Chevrolet Jennifer Emerling Mike Paquette
7 Gary Putnam, Concord, N.C. Stock Car Steel Chevrolet Marcy Putnam Gary Putnam
16 Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn. East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford Eric Sanderson Stan Szaban
18 Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y. Buoy One Seafood/Mehner Racing Ford Robert Pollifrone Greg Gorman
22 Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I. Robert B Our Co/Canto & Sons Paving Ford Christopher Our Brad Lafontaine
25 Zane Zeiner, Bath, Pa. ATC Chevrolet Gary Cretty Barry Kuhnel
26 Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric Pontiac Sean McDonald Chad McDonald
28 Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn Ron Bouchard’s Auto Stores Chevrolet Don King Tommy Trcka
33 Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn. Perf. Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan’s Chevrolet Beth Cole Rick Rodenbaugh, DJ Hickton
38 Brian Schofield, Monson, Mass. Perf. Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan’s Chevrolet Linda Rodenbaugh Larry Befford
39 Richie Pallai Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y. MAHLE Performance/Lucas Oil Chevrolet Rich Pallai Denis Pruchnik
44 Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass. Tinio Racing/Brendan Kelley Music Chevrolet Mike Curb Steve Lemay
46 Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn. Cape Cod Agrgts./North End Auto Parts Chevrolet Robert Katon, Jr. Robert Horn
51 Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y. M3 Technology Chevrolet Ken Massa John Sanford
52 Doug Coby, Milford, Conn. Reynolds Auto Wrckng./Furnace & Duct Chevrolet Wayne Darling John McKenna
58 Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y. Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet Edgar Goodale Jason Shephard
64 Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn. Fast Track Electric/Scorpion Const. Chevrolet Mike Murphy Curt Chase
68 Johnny Bush, Huntington Station, N.Y. Buoy One Seafood/JB Stone Chevrolet Charlene Bush TBA
73 Cole Powell, Mt. Brydges, Ont., Canada * Copps BuildAll/Tricar Chevrolet Todd Powell Jeff Malave
76 Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J. John Blewett Inc./TS Haulers Chevrolet John Blewett Ed Bennett
79 Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn. TSI Harley-Davidson/Coors Light Pontiac Sandra Hill David Hill
88 Bryon Chew, Mattituck, N.Y. Buzz Chew Chevrolet/GT Vodka Chevrolet Buzz Chew Ron Ste-Marie
89 Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y. * EMPower/Eastport Feeds Chevrolet Jerry Solomito Jerry Solomito
93 Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet Mark Pennink Don Barker
99 Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J. Supreme Manufacturing Chevrolet Trey Tomaino Trey Tomaino
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
Entry List – As of May 16