Event Preview: Claremont Ready To Clash With Whelen Modified Tour, House Divisions Friday

CLAREMONT, N.H. – It’s time for the final JDV Productions event of the 2022 season. This Friday night, July 29, JDV will roll into Claremont Motorsports Park to present the Clash at Claremont 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour with four Claremont house divisions filling out a full card of racing.

The race marks the final in the three-race Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, and comes in the middle of the second half of the Whelen Modified Tour championship battle. In the Cup standings, Tommy Baldwin Racing and Roy Hall (Matt Hirschman’s car owner) are tied with 86 points, while Tyler Haydt (Ron Silk) and Ken Massa (Justin Bonsignore) aren’t far behind. It may come down to the driver who wins the race on Friday winning the Cup for their respective team. Whoever leaves Claremont with the most points will be awarded the $5,000 Cup championship prize, with second earning $2,000, and third earning their own $1,000 prize.

Additional Whelen Granite State Cup awards set to be determined at Claremont include the Consistency Bonus and Lap Leader Award. For each Cup event, drivers are also chasing the Moe’s Moving Move of the Race award, the Critical Screen Printing Move of the Race, Challenger Bonus, Hard Charger Bonus, and the 711 Wood Creations Best Appearing Car award. These awards will return for the finale.

After a wreck last time out at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ron Silk’s championship lead has dwindled down to 10 points over Jon McKennedy. With Eric Goodale third, just 11 points back, the Claremont stop could mark a turning point in the battle for NASCAR’s championship glory.

Will Silk extend his lead back out over the field? Can McKennedy or Goodale pounce on the opportunity to win their first title? Justin Bonsignore, a three-time and defending series champion who won the last JDV Productions event at Monadnock Speedway, is fourth, 25 points back. Bonsignore may have a few mechanical failures and some overall tough luck this season, but he has two wins, and is in a position to pounce towards another title if the opportunity is right down the stretch.

Additional entries to watch for the Whelen Modified Tour 150 include young gun Jake Johnson, who scored his first career Tour-Type Modified win just a week ago. Sam Rameau, Kyle Bonsignore, Craig Lutz, Tommy Catalano, and recent New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner Anthony Nocella are also set to be in the field. Local talent includes former multiple-time New Hampshire racing champion Todd Patnode, Brian Robie, and Matthew Kimball. Anthony Sesely, an established veteran of Modified racing in the Northeast, is also registered for the race.

With drivers set to run on the same set of tires for the duration of 150 laps, the race for the win will be one that includes tire conservation and a smart strategy behind the wheel.

On top of the Whelen Modified Tour, Claremont’s Six Shooters, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Mini Stocks will also join the card to continue their 2022 championship battles with qualifying and feature racing.

Claremont’s race day schedule begins with the opening of the pit area at 3:30 p.m., followed by Whelen Modified Tour practice from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Following Tour practice, Claremont’s four house divisions will take to the track for practice, followed by the beginning of heat races at 6:30 p.m. Whelen Modified Tour qualifying is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the green flag for the Clash at Claremont 150 will drop at 8:45 p.m., live on FloRacing.TV.

All tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day, where both the pit entry and grandstands are cash only. Fans can also purchase the latest JDV Productions apparel at the apparel tent on the midway.

For more information on Claremont Motorsports Park, visit ClaremontMotorsportsPark.com and follow the track on Facebook. For more information on JDV Productions, visit JDVProductions.com and follow on social media for the latest updates.