Whelen Modifieds Set for Return to Stafford
Preece Looks To Defend TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Victory
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Following a rainout last week, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is set to return to Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 on Friday, May 30.
It marks the second year in a row that the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 has been pushed back due to rain. The 2013 edition was actually postponed twice.
It’s been a tough start to the racing season for Stafford, which has seen its weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program washed out three weeks running. Ryan Preece, the defending TSI Harley-Davidson 125 winner and current Stafford SK Modified points leader, said it’s been a choppy start to the campaign.
“It’s been pretty rough, we haven’t been able to get going,” Preece said of the weekly competition at Stafford that has now also flowed into his tour schedule. “It’s been hurting all of us. Mother Nature has been making it pretty hard for us.”
Shifting the focus back to the track also returns the attention to just how much parity this race date has seen in recent seasons for the Whelen Modified Tour. Each year since 2003 the second Stafford tour event of the year has produced a different winner, and it’s been since 1997-98 since a driver won the event in back-to-back seasons.
Preece will vie to end both of those streaks on Friday. The Whelen Modified Tour was able to get time trials in prior to the arrival of rain last Friday, and Preece qualified 13th.
“I think we have something that can possibly win,” Preece said. “This week off – that rainout – kind of helped us to sit down and think about where we might have got off track. I think we’re pretty close. We may not have qualified the best, but I definitely think we have a car that’s capable of driving forward and driving to the front.”
The title defense has had a bit of a sluggish start for Preece, who finished ninth in the opener at Thompson (Conn.) Speedway Motorsports Park and was relegated to 24th in the first Stafford race – the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200 – on April 27. In 14 races during his 2013 title campaign, Preece’s worst finish was 17th, and he had only four results outside the top five.
“I don’t think it’s the results any of us would like to see,” Preece said. “We blew the motor at Stafford and at Thompson we all agreed to try something and it just didn’t work our way, where in the future it may.
“It’s something where I think maybe a win at Stafford can pick everybody up off the ground and keep everybody going, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The Whelen Modified Tour will be joined on Friday’s race card by five Whelen All-American Series feature races, which are set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Green flag for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 is approximately 8:15 p.m.
“I think it’s going to be an exciting race,” Preece said. “There are plenty of cars that can win and I think qualifying showed that this past week.”
RACE: TSI Harley-Davidson 125
PLACE: Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway
DATE: Friday, May 30
TIME: 8:15 p.m. ET (approx.)
TRACK LAYOUT: .5-mile, semi-banked asphalt oval
2013 WINNER: Ryan Preece
2014 POLESITTER: Bobby Santos
EVENT SCHEDULE: Practice 5:35-6:20 p.m., Autograph Session 6:45-7:15 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT: Scott Running, 860-684-2783, scottrunning@staffordspeedway.com
TRACK TWITTER: @StaffordSpeedwy
EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #TSI125
NASCAR CONTACT: Jason Cunningham, 704-201-6658, jcunningham@nascar.com, Twitter: @NASCAR_NE
Fast Facts:
The Race: The 24th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125 will be the third of 14 races on the 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, the second of four events at Stafford Motor Speedway and the 112th all-time tour appearance at the historic half-mile. The race is a postponement from the original date of May 23.
The Procedure: The starting field for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 was set by Coors Light Pole qualifying on May 23 before inclement weather arrived. The race is scheduled for 125 laps (62.5 miles) and the tire change rule for the race 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-sanctioned 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. Ryan Preece is the defending winner of the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 and Bobby Santos won the season’s first race at the historic half-mile oval.
Pole Winners: There have been 42 different pole winners at Stafford, led by Stefanik’s 17. Preece holds the tour’s track qualifying record at 17.924 seconds (100.424 mph). Tommy Barrett Jr. was the pole winner in the April event and Santos will be on the pole for this race.
NWMT Stafford 5/30/14 Revised Schedule
Time Event
1:30 p.m. Haulers Enter
2:15 p.m. Garage Opens
5:35-6:20 p.m. Practice
6:35 p.m. Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
6:45-7:15 p.m. Driver Autograph Session
8:15 p.m. Race (125 Laps, 62.5 Miles)
All times ET and subject to change
NWMT Stafford 5/30/14 Entry List
CAR DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM OWNER CREW CHIEF
01 Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H. * Allstate Insurance/Eastern Boats Chevrolet Kenneth Fifield Kenneth Fifield
2 Doug Coby, Milford, Conn. Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet Mike Smeriglio, III Phil Moran
4 Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y. Mystic Missile Racing Dodge Robert Garbarino Dan Laferriere
6 Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn. TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet Ed Partridge Ryan Stone
07 Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y. Emerling Chev./Buffalo Auto Auction Chevrolet Jennifer Emerling Jan Leaty
8 Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass. Reflex Energy/Baja Construction Chevrolet Mark Sypher Jerrett Skwira
13 Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn. J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates Chevrolet Robert Katon, Jr. Robert Katon Jr.
16 Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn. East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford Eric Sanderson Sly Szaban
18 Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y. Buoy One Seafood Ford Robert Pollifrone Greg Gorman
22 Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass. * Canto Paving/Ferguson Waterworks Chevrolet Christopher Our Brad Lafontaine
26 Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric Pontiac Sean McDonald Chad McDonald
33 Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn. Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet Beth Cole Rick Rodenbaugh
38 Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass. * Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet Linda Rodenbaugh Bobby Bourne
39 Richie Pallai, Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y. MAHLE Performance/Lucas Oil Chevrolet Rich Pallai Rich Pallai
44 Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass. Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet Mike Curb Steve Lemay
48 Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn. Wheelers Auto/Mr. Rooter Chevrolet John Rufano Junior Woods
51 Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y. chem3.com Chevrolet Ken Massa Bill Michael
52 Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa. Furnace & Duct/Seekonk Grand Prix Chevrolet Wayne Darling John McKenna
58 Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y. GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet Edgar Goodale Jason Shephard
64 Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn. Fast Track Electric/Scorpion Const. Chevrolet Mike Murphy PJ Fearns
75 Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y. * Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet Wayne Anderson Jerry Solomito
88 Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn. Buzz Chew Chev./TSI Harley-Davidson Chevrolet Buzz Chew Ron Ste-Marie
89 Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y. * Cystic Fibrosis Fdn./Acme Sanitary Chevrolet Jerry Solomito Ed Bennett III
93 Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet Mark Pennink Don Barker
99 Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J. Dunleavy’s Repair/N.A. Contractors Chevrolet Brittany Tomaino George Ratajczak
* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
Entry List as of 5/23
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR PR