PIT BOX: Matt Hirschman Looks to Steal Spotlight at Seekonk

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Returns To “Concrete Palace”

We’re past Memorial Day weekend, which means the unofficial start of the summer swing for racing is set to get underway. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East runs its sixth of 14 race events on the 2018 championship schedule this weekend at the three-quarter mile Memphis International Raceway Saturday evening. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Massachusetts to the third-mile Seekonk Speedway Saturday night.

NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR at SEEKONK

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

After getting the month of May off, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is back in action with the tour’s third consecutive trip to “The Cement Palace” and ninth overall.

While the focus will be on the championship chase, Matt Hirschman is looking to steal the spotlight. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, driver, won the pole and led 62 laps last year before finishing fourth.  While he’s still looking for his first tour win since 2008, he started the year strong by winning the tour-type Modified title at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and finishing third in the tour opener at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Speedway.

Four-time defending tour champion Doug Coby is looking to get his season on track. He’s seventh in points and the defending race winner, and showed last year not to count him out too early. Coby has three top fives in four starts at Seekonk.

Justin Bonsignore holds a one-point lead on Chase Dowling, and has a pair of top 10s in two events.

RACING-REFERENCE: Previous Whelen Modified Tour races at Seekonk | Whelen Modified Tour drivers’ career stats at Seekonk

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTRAL LIVE | ENTRY LIST | TICKETS

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 28 cars, including provisionals.

Qualifying groups will be determined by each vehicle’s overall fastest single lap from the official practice sessions.

The first 22 cars will secure starting positions based on group qualifying session. The remaining six spots will be awarded through the provisional process.

Each group qualifying session will be five (5) minutes in duration and the fastest single lap speed of each vehicle will determine starting positions 1st through 22nd. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on a vehicle after the vehicle enters the track to begin the qualifying session. Vehicles may not

return to the track or make any further qualifying laps unless directed to do so by a NASCAR Official or in the event of a caution. If a vehicle returns to pit road, the vehicle’s qualifying attempt is complete.

The Seekonk 150 will 150 laps (49.99 miles). Maximum of three (3) crew members permitted over the wall at any time during the event. Teams may only change one (1) tire on a single pit stop. Teams will be permitted to swap/move tire locations.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. Four (4) tires used for qualifying must be used to begin the race. The tire change rule is zero (0).

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST at MEMPHIS

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Harrison Burton picked up the checkered flag in the series’ inaugural run at the historic Tennessee track, and this year’s event will be 25 laps longer.

Both Chase Cabre (second) and Ronnie Bassett Jr. (fourth) recorded top fives among returning drivers. Cabre is coming off a bittersweet run at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway, where he was within a lap of scoring his first series victory.

Instead, it was newly-minted NASCAR Next driver Anthony Alfredo who ended DGR-Crosley’s four-race stranglehold on Victory Lane. Tyler Ankrum has used remarkable consistency (five top fives in five races, including three top threes) to build an 11-point lead on teammate Tyler Dippel. Bassett sits in third, another 16 points back, ready to pounce if any of the leaders run into trouble.

This is the final in a five-race swing through Tennessee and Virginia for the series, which next heads north to New Jersey before a pair of New England dates.

RACING-REFERENCE:  Previous K&N Pro Series East races at Memphis | K&N Pro Series East drivers’ career stats at Memphis

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTRAL LIVE | ENTRY LIST | TICKETS

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The maximum starting field is 24 cars, for each race, including provisionals.

Qualifying groups will be determined by each vehicle’s overall fastest single lap from the official practice sessions.

The first 20 cars will secure starting positions based on the group qualifying session for the MEMPHIS 150 presented by AUTOZONE. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process.

Each group qualifying session will be five (5) minutes in duration and the fastest single lap speed of each vehicle will determine starting positions 1st through 20th. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on a vehicle after the vehicle enters the track to begin the qualifying session. Vehicles may not

return to the track or make any further qualifying laps unless directed to do so by a NASCAR Official or in the event of a caution. If a vehicle returns to pit road, the vehicle’s qualifying attempt is complete.

The MEMPHIS 150 presented by AUTOZONE will be 150 laps (112.5 miles) to be run in three (3) segments. The five (5) minute breaks will occur at or near the conclusion of Laps 50 and 100. At the conclusion of the break, lead lap vehicles that elected to pit will line up – in the order they were running at the beginning of the break — behind the lead lap vehicles that elected not to pit in order of running.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Four (4) tires for practice, four (4) tires for qualifying and to begin the race and an additional four (4) tires for use during the race for a total of twelve (12) tires.

LOCAL FOCUS

June also marks the last two track openings of the 2018 season for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

New York’s Chemung Speedrome is slated to get rolling Saturday night. Last year, Jimmy Zacharias took home seven wins en route to his sixth Sunoco Modified Division title at Chemung and the New York championship. The 40-lap Modified feature will highlight the Whelen Engineering Night on the .375-mile oval.

Ontario’s Sauble Speedway will take the green flag on its NASCAR Whelen All-American Series era with Opening Night on Saturday, June 9. The Late Models are the quarter-mile track’s Division I.

MEDIA CENTER

Johnson City Press: VanDyke earns second win of season at Kingsport

LaCrosse Tribune: LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway: Steve Carlson serves notice he’s back, and he’s fast

RaceDayCT.com: Spoiler: Rowan Pennink Slays Keith Rocco Record Streak With SK Mod Win At Stafford Speedway

Rutland Herald: Sunn shines in Devil’s Bowl upset

Speed51.com: Rogers Jr. Sweeps Modified and Figure 8 Races at Riverhead

YourGV.com: Morris rides to Late Model Stock Car Division win

Sources: Jason Christley/NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

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