Preece King Of The Bullring
12th Whelen Modified Victory Comes At Waterford
WATERFORD, Conn. — Ryan Preece continued his mastery of bullrings.
The 24-year-old Berlin, Connecticut, driver picked up his 12th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory Saturday night in the Mr. Rooter 161 at New London-Waterford Speedbowl.
It was Preece’s second win at the Speedbowl and seventh tour win on a track that is a third-mile or smaller. He also has a win on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour on the quarter-mile at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
To get the win, Preece had to hold off defending tour champion Doug Coby in a green-white-checkered finish that pushed the race to 165 laps. Preece’s No. 6 TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet crossed the line .109 seconds ahead of Coby. Ted Christopher finished third, followed by Max Zachem and Woody Pitkat.
RESULTS | RACE CENTRAL LIVE REPLAY | AUDIO: POST-RACE INTERVIEW WITH WINNER RYAN PREECE |AUDIO: POST-RACE INTERVIEW WITH RUNNER-UP DOUG COBY | AUDIO: POST-RACE INTERVIEW WITH THIRD-PLACE TED CHRISTOPHER
Preece led a race-high 117 laps, including the final 36. He originally took the lead from Donny Lia on Lap 47 and only lost it briefly to Coby. Lia won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day.
With the win, Preece took the points lead over Coby by one and Pitkat by two.
Bobby Santos, Patrick Emerling, Rowan Pennink, Spencer Davis and Keith Rocco completed the top 10 in the race.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be right back at it Friday, June 5 with the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 at Stafford (Connecticut) Motor Speedway. Pitkat picked up the win the last time the tour visited Stafford on April 26.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR
NWMT Waterford 5/30/15 Results
Whelen Modified Tour
Race: NWMT Waterford 5/30/15
PRINT VERSION (PDF)
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 6 6 Ryan Preece TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet 165 48 5 Running
2 4 2 Doug Coby Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet 165 43 1 Running
3 20 13 Ted Christopher Mr. Rooter/Cape Cod Aggregates Chevrolet 165 41 Running
4 33 14 Max Zachem * Lu-Mac’s Package Store/Broadbrook Chevrolet 165 40 Running
5 10 88 Woody Pitkat Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet 165 39 Running
6 11 44 Bobby Santos Tinio Corp./Dan Kelley/Curb Records Chevrolet 165 38 Running
7 15 07 Patrick Emerling Buffalo Auto Auction Chevrolet 165 37 Running
8 12 93 Rowan Pennink Van Wickle Auto Supply Chevrolet 165 36 Running
9 14 79 Spencer Davis Hillbilly Racing/Coors 21 Means 21 Pontiac 165 35 Running
10 2 22 Keith Rocco Canto Paving/Milton Caterpillar Chevrolet 165 34 Running
11 17 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing/Supreme Skylights Chevrolet 165 33 Running
12 3 16 Timmy Solomito Diversified Metals /R.B. Enterprises Ford 165 32 Running
13 19 36 Dave Sapienza * Frankie’s Towing/Wine Country Chevrolet 165 31 Running
14 8 35 Derek Ramstrom * Matthew’s Truck Svc./Seekonk GP Chevrolet 165 30 Running
15 22 46 Jeff Goodale * Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet 165 29 Running
16 29 9 Chase Dowling * S&S Asphalt Paving/Dunleavy’s Repair Chevrolet 165 28 Running
17 27 37 Dave Salzarulo Brickenmore Bricks Chevrolet 164 27 Running
18 24 75 Shawn Solomito Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet 160 26 Running
19 5 4 Todd Szegedy Mystic Missile Racing Dodge 158 25 Suspension
20 31 3 Troy Talman * Cape Cod Copper/B&G Toys & Trains Chevrolet 158 24 Handling
21 1 8 Donny Lia Sypher Construction/Bardahl Chevrolet 144 24 1 Running
22 7 28 Brendon Bock * Pro-System Brakes Ford 139 22 Accident
23 9 63 Tom Rogers, Jr. East End Statuary Chevrolet 137 21 Accident
24 18 31 Steve Masse * El Gee Products/Dunleavy’s Repair Chevrolet 137 20 Rear End
25 16 51 Justin Bonsignore M3 Technology Chevrolet 132 19 Accident
26 23 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Chevrolet 131 18 Running
27 13 29 Jon McKennedy EXIT Realty Chevrolet 111 17 Accident
28 25 33 Johnny Bush Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 110 16 Accident
29 26 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric Pontiac 101 15 Accident
30 32 38 Wade Cole Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 62 14 Handling
31 30 64 Anthony Nocella * Nocella Reclamation/Complete Const. Chevrolet 32 13 Accident
32 28 01 Melissa Fifield Big Moose RV Chevrolet 19 12 Handling
33 21 99 Jamie Tomaino Dunleavy’s Repair/Atlantic Sprinkler Chevrolet 11 11 Accident
RACE STATISTICS
Race Comments: Ryan Preece won the Mr. Rooter 161, his 12th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory, and second at New London-Waterford Speedbowl. The event set track records for: largest starting field (33), closest margin of victory (0.109 seconds), most caution periods (12), most caution laps (73).
Fastest Qualifier: Donny Lia, Time: 13.965 Seconds, Speed: 96.670 mph
Time of Race: 1 hrs., 18 mins, 30 secs Average Speed: 47.293 mph Margin of Victory: 0.109 Seconds
Caution Flags: [Beneficiary] Laps 16-21 (Cars #9, 39 spinout (Turn 2) [none]); 34-41 (Cars #18, 28, 64 accident (Backstretch) [9] {Red Flag 9 min.}); 43-46 (Car #75 accident (Turn 2) [38]); 62-67 (Cars #26, 38 spinout (Turn 3) [none]); 87-93 (Car #33 spinout (Turn 4) [75]); 97-104 (Cars #16, 37 accident (Turn 4) [36]); 112-118 (Multi-car accident (Turn 3) [none] {Red Flag: 6 mins.}); 121-125 (Car #33 flat tire (Backstretch) [16]); 131-134 (Multi-car accident (Frontstretch) [none]); 138-146 (Multi-car accident (Turn 2) [none] {Red Flag: 5 mins.}); 150-153 (Car #46 spinout (Turn 2) [35]); 158-162 (Car #4 accident (Backstretch) [9]). 12 for 73 laps.
Lap Leaders: Donny Lia 1-46, Ryan Preece 47-127, Doug Coby 128-129, Ryan Preece 130-165.
Total Laps Led: Ryan Preece 117, Donny Lia 46, Doug Coby 2. 3 changes involving 3 drivers.
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
COCA-COLA MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Max Zachem *, 14 Lu-Mac’s Package Store/Broadbrook Chevrolet
COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Donny Lia, 8 Sypher Construction/Bardahl Chevrolet
HOOSIER TIRE FASTEST LAP AWARD: Ryan Preece, 6 TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet
HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADER AWARD: Ryan Preece, 6 TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet
HOOSIER TIRE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Max Zachem *, 14 Lu-Mac’s Package Store/Broadbrook Chevrolet
INGERSOLL RAND POWER MOVE AWARD: Spencer Davis, 79 Hillbilly Racing/Coors 21 Means 21 Pontiac
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: Max Zachem *, 14 Lu-Mac’s Package Store/Broadbrook Chevrolet
SUNOCO SPEC FUEL 1ST PLACE AWARD: Ryan Preece, 6 TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet
SUNOCO SPEC FUEL 5TH PLACE AWARD: Woody Pitkat, 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet
SUNOCO SPEC FUEL 10TH PLACE AWARD: Keith Rocco, 22 Canto Paving/Milton Caterpillar Chevrolet
WHELEN ENGINEERING WINNER OF THE RACE AWARD: Ryan Preece, 6 TS Haulers/East West Marine Chevrolet
* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender