Star-Studded Entry List Filling Up for Independence Day 200
Woodstock, NH – Some of the biggest names in Northeast Modified racing will make White Mountain Motorsports Park their stomping ground next Saturday, July 4. The Independence Day 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour already has an impressive entry list that will add an exclamation point to the track’s “Thunder in the Mountains” moniker.
From former NASCAR Modified Tour champions Doug Coby and Justin Bonsignore to winners of the region’s most historic Modified shows, the stars will be out this coming Independence Day. Series officials are expecting a field of at least 30 teams to roll through the pit gates for 200 laps of pulse-pounding action.
Advance tickets are still available for the series’ first-ever trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park. Fans can call (802) 244-6963 ext. 1 to order tickets and reserve camping spots. With attendance limited to 50% per state health and safety guidelines, it is strongly recommended that fans purchase tickets ahead of time to ensure they get a seat for the must-see event.
Even a cursory look at the early entry list reveals a field loaded with open-wheel standouts. Milford, CT’s Doug Coby, winner of six of the last eight Whelen Modified Tour (WMT) championships, is making his first trip ever to White Mountain. It will also be Coby’s second event in charge of his own team after long-time car owner Mike Smeriglio III retired following the 2019 season. Still, with those six titles and 28 career WMT wins, Coby belongs on the shortlist of contenders anytime he shows up at a race track.
He is just one of many decorated drivers making the journey to New Hampshire’s North Country. Holtsville, NY’s Justin Bonsignore, the 2018 NASCAR Modified Tour champion and 2014 Modified Racing Series (MRS) Champion, will also be one to watch. Bonsignore won the tour’s season opener at Jennerstown Speedway and looks to ride the momentum to the quarter-mile bullring.
Bellingham, MA’s Woody Pitkat, meanwhile, is one of the few drivers on the entry list with recent experience at White Mountain. The two-time MRS Champion and multi-time WMT winner was a contender in last year’s Bullring Bash Thunder in the Mountains 100 and also has competed twice at White Mountain this season in an American-Canadian Tour Late Model. That experience could give the veteran an early leg up.
Other former Modified champions who have entered include four-time Modified Racing Series Champion and 2014 Tri-Track Open Modified Series Champion Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, MA; four-time Tri-Track Modified Champion “Big Money” Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA; 2001 Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ronnie Silk of Norwalk, CT; two-time MRS Champion Chris Pasteryak of Lisbon, CT; and 2017 MRS Champion Anthony Nocella of Woburn, MA. Nocella has a win at White Mountain in the 2019 Thunder in the Mountains 100 that perhaps makes him the early favorite.
This still barely scratches the surface of who will take to the high banks for the Independence Day 200. Former NASCAR Modified Tour winners Timmy Solomito, Eric Goodale, Chase Dowling, and Craig Lutz have all entered the event. Rising young stars such as Matt Swanson, Calvin Carroll, Tyler Rypkeinia are looking to break through while veterans like Rob Summers and J.R. Bertuccio could see the inaugural trip to a track as a chance to pull an upset. All told, it will be one of the most stacked fields for any event at White Mountain in recent memory.
The Independence Day 200 is part of a holiday doubleheader on the high banks. Friday, July 3 features a 150-lap showdown for the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models and the Foley Oil & Propane 100 for the track’s weekly Late Models. Both are expected to draw a variety of big local and regional names as they try to steal the show from the Modified invaders.
The 7-Eleven Dwarf Cars and Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks round out the Friday card while the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers and Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s join the Saturday show. Both nights will conclude with a dazzling fireworks display.
White Mountain Motorsports Park celebrates the nation’s birthday with a doubleheader on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4. Friday’s program includes the PASS Super Late Model 150, Foley Oil & Propane Late Model 100, 7-Eleven Dwarf Cars, and Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks. On Saturday, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour takes the stage for the Independence Day 200 plus the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers and Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s. Post time is 6:00pm both nights.
Admission for the Independence Day 200 on July 4 is $30 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6-12. Advance tickets and camping reservations can be purchased by calling (802) 244-6963 ext. 1. The July 3 event is $25 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6-12. Spectator attendance at both events is limited to 50% of capacity per state health and safety guidelines.
Both events will also be available on live pay-per-view. The Friday event can be watched on Northeast Sports Network for $25. Fans may purchase the broadcast at www.NSNsports.net. Saturday’s Whelen Modified Tour event can be seen on NBC Sports TrackPass. Sign up for a monthly or yearly TrackPass subscription at www.nbcsports.com/gold/trackpass.
For more information, contact the White Mountain Motorsports Park offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.whitemountainmotorsports.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at @WhiteMtnMotorsports.
For more about the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, visit hometracks.nascar.com/whelen-modified-tour. Head to www.NSNsports.net to learn more about the Northeast Sports Network.
Sources: ACT PR
Numerous Modified champions and winners are coming to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the Independence Day 200 on Saturday, July 4. (NASCAR file photo)