Whelen Mod Statistical Advance: Riverhead
Analyzing The Hoosier Tire 200 At Riverhead Raceway
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will head to Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway for the Hoosier Tire 200 on Saturday, June 29. Below is a statistical look at the performance of tour and selected drivers at the track:
Riverhead Race Setup:
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points leader Ryan Preece brings a career-best streak of 10 straight top-10 finishes into this week’s event at Riverhead Raceway, including wins the last two weeks.
• Preece also has the best career average finish among active drivers at Riverhead (fourth) and has twice won there from the pole, including last year.
• Riverhead’s 2011 weekly track champion, Justin Bonsignore has finished fourth or better in four of his five NWMT starts at his home track, including a victory.
• The Hoosier Tire 200 entry list includes eight drivers that have previously won races at Riverhead and 10 who hail from Long Island.
AT RIVERHEAD RACEWAY:
History
• Opened in 1951 as a dirt track and converted to asphalt in 1955.
• Held its first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on July 10, 1985 during the NWMT’s first season. The inaugural race was won by Jimmy Spencer.
• Has held 51 NWMT races all-time, fourth-most among all venues.
• Is one of two tracks to play host to the NWMT in each of its now 29 seasons of competition, along with Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.
Notebook
• At .25 miles, Riverhead is the smallest track on the schedule along with Monadnock Speedway.
• There have been four NWMT races that have been won by Riverhead NASCAR Whelen All-American Series drivers, the last of which was Ed Brunnhoelzl Jr. in 1995.
• Mike Ewanitsko experienced more success than any other NWMT driver at Riverhead during his days as a competitor. His 11 wins and eight poles lead in both categories.
• Mike Stefanik is the active wins leader at Riverhead with six while Ed Flemke Jr. has the most poles – four – among current competitors.
Riverhead Raceway Data
Race: #5 of 14 overall
Track Layout: .25-mile banked asphalt oval
• Race Length: 200 laps (50 miles)
Qualifying/Race Data
2012 Pole/Race Winner: Ryan Preece
Qualifying Record: Chuck Steuer (11.546 seconds, 77.949 mph, 6/10/00)
ACTIVE CATEGORY LEADERS AT RIVERHEAD:
Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 6
2. Donny Lia … 4
3. Ted Christopher … 3
4. Ryan Preece … 2
5. Jimmy Blewett … 1
Justin Bonsignore … 1
Ed Flemke Jr. … 1
Rowan Pennink … 1
Poles
1. Ed Flemke Jr. … 4
2. Ted Christopher … 2
Ryan Preece … 2
Mike Stefanik … 2
5. Howie Brode … 1
Jamie Tomaino … 1
Laps Led
1. Mike Stefanik … 771
2. Donny Lia … 516
3. Ted Christopher … 436
4. Ryan Preece … 318
5. Ed Flemke Jr. … 201
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 49
2. Ed Flemke Jr. … 36
3. Mike Stefanik … 34
4. Ted Christopher … 22
5. Donny Lia … 13
SELECTED DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS:
Jimmy Blewett (No. 76 John Blewett Inc./TS Haulers Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, two poles and 35 top 10s in 104 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Ranks eighth in points with top-10 finishes in three of four races this year. Best finish was sixth in the opener at Thompson International Speedway.
• Has a win (2008) and an average finish of 13th in six career NWMT starts at Riverhead Raceway.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, three poles and 28 top 10s in 50 career NWMT starts.
• Is fourth in points with top 10s in each of the four races and a best result of second in the Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway.
• Has a win (2011) and four top-five finishes in five career NWMT starts at Riverhead.
• Was the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Riverhead, where he has seven wins in the Modified division.
Howie Brode (No. 96 Peter Clark Motorsports Chevrolet)
• Has a pole and 15 top 10s in 56 career NWMT starts. The pole was earned at Riverhead in 2011.
• All five of his career top-five NWMT finishes – and 12 of his 18 top 10s – have been recorded at Riverhead, highlighted by a runner-up effort in 1998.
• The 1998 NWAAS track champion at Riverhead, where he has 12 career Modified division wins and is the current season points leader.
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 324 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
• Is 10th in points this season, highlighted by top-five finishes in the first two races of the year.
• Has three wins (2002, 05, 06), two poles, 14 top 10s, an average finish of 11th and 436 laps led in 22 career NWMT starts at Riverhead.
Doug Coby (No. 52 Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet)
• The 2012 NWMT champion has seven wins, four poles and 59 top 10s in 134 career starts.
• Ranks third in points with top 10s in all four races and a best result of second last time out at Waterford Speedbowl.
• Has six wins and 26 top 10s in 35 overall starts with the No. 52 team since the end of the 2010 season.
• Has two top 10s, an average finish of 16th and a best result of fifth in seven career NWMT starts at Riverhead.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Circle Track Magazine Dodge)
• The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion. He has 16 wins, 16 poles and 67 top 10s in 131 career starts.
• Ranks ninth in points with three top 10s in four 2013 races. Best season result was third last week at Waterford.
• Has four wins (2003, 04, 05, 07), seven top 10s, an average finish of 11th and 516 laps led in 13 career NWMT starts at Riverhead.
• His four wins at Riverhead are more than he has earned at any other track. He has three apiece at Stafford and Thompson.
• Has three career NWAAS Modified wins at Riverhead, and was the division’s Rookie of the Year in 2001.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet)
• Has a win and 44 top 10s in 91 career starts. The win came at Riverhead in 2010.
• Is second in points with top-10 finishes in all four races, including a best finish of second in the opener.
• Has the win, two additional top 10s and an average finish of 11th in six career NWMT starts at Riverhead.
Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
• Has seven wins, 12 poles and 48 top 10s in 85 career starts.
• Is the season points leader with top-five finishes in all four races and wins the last two times out at Stafford and Waterford. Is in the midst of a career-best streak of 10 straight top-10 finishes dating back to last year.
• In 19 races with Flamingo Motorsports he has four wins, seven poles, 14 top 10s and 13 races led.
• Has two wins (2009, 12), two poles and an average finish of fourth in six career NWMT starts at Riverhead. He’s finished in the top 10, and on the lead lap, in all six events.
• His first career NWMT top-10 finish came at Riverhead in 2007.
• Has three career NWAAS Modified wins at Riverhead, including the Richie Evans Hall of Fame 100 this year.
Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Racing/Brendan Kelley Music Chevrolet)
• The 2010 NWMT champion has nine wins, 10 poles and 38 top 10s in 72 career starts.
• Ranks fifth in points with three top-five finishes, including a victory in the Stafford Spring Sizzler.
• Has finished ninth in both of his prior NWMT starts at Riverhead.
Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, seven poles and 65 top 10s in 115 career starts.
• Sits seventh in points with three top 10s in four races, including a runner-up effort last time out at Stafford.
• Has five top 10s, an average finish of 10th and a best result of second (2008) in seven NWMT Riverhead starts.
• Has three career NWAAS Modified victories at Riverhead.
Shawn Solomito (No. 89 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation/Acme Sanitary Chevrolet)
• Has an average finish of 20th in three career NWMT starts with a best result of 16th last week at Waterford.
• Is the reigning NWAAS track champion at Riverhead, where he has four career victories in the Modified division, including the 2013 opening weekend.
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 (295).
• Is sixth in points with top-10 finishes in three of four races, highlighted by a victory in the Thompson opener.
• Is the active leader with six career wins at Riverhead, the last coming in 2001. Has an average finish of ninth with 20 top 10s in 34 career starts at the track. Is also the active leader at Riverhead with 771 laps led.
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Dunleavy Truck & Trailer Repair/A&J Romano Construction Ford)
• The 2003 NWMT champion has 17 wins, 10 poles and 107 top 10s in 171 career starts.
• Ranks 11th in points after four races with a best result of sixth last time out at Waterford.
• Has five top 10s, an average finish of 13th and a best result of second (2011) in 12 career NWMT starts at Riverhead.
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.
• The third race of the season was to take place at Monadnock Speedway on May 11 but the event was postponed to July 27 due to rain.
• At Stafford on June 14 it was Santos on the pole, but Ryan Preece rallied from the rear for the victory. The race was postponed twice – on May 24 and June 7 – due to rain.
• Preece made it two-in-a-row when he took the checkered flag following a thrilling green-white-checkered finish at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl on June 22. Todd Szegedy was the event’s pole winner.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR