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Patrick Emerling Wins First Whelen Modified Tour Event at Oswego for Back-to-Back Victories on Tour

By NASCAR STAFF

OSWEGO, NY (August 31, 2024) - The phrase “hitting your stride” is an idiom, an expression that has a figurative meaning different than the literal meaning of the words.

In this case, hitting your stride means to begin doing something with confidence and effectiveness after a slow start.

It’s safe to say that what Patrick Emerling has done in the last month fits the definition of that particular idiom.

Emerling drove to a convincing victory in Saturday night’s Toyota Mod Classic 150 at Oswego Speedway, his first triumph at one of New York’s most historic race tracks.

The win, his second in as many races, thrusts the driver from Orchard Park, New York directly into a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship battle that until Saturday night appeared to be another dual between Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore.

“We’re building momentum,” Emerling said in Victory Lane. “We had one hiccup this year at Richmond and that pinned us back there. Anything can happen, though. We’re coming on strong as a team.”

This is Emerling’s first season driving for Rich Gautreau, a first-year car owner with the Modified Tour who owns a heavy-duty truck repair and fleet service business in California called Fleetworks Inc. The deal for Emerling to drive for the team came together during the offseason. He was convinced to join Gautreau’s program after seeing the dedication required to challenge for a championship.

“There was a lot of excitement for this team going into this year,” Emerling said. “When the opportunity came about to drive for Rich Gautreau during the offseason, I was just so excited to get started.”

As you would expect, it’s taken some time for Emerling to get up to speed with the new team. A crash and subsequent 24th-place finish at Richmond Raceway in March put the team behind the eight ball.

But slowly, Emerling and company began to find the pace they were seeking. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Emerling ran fourth. At Monadnock Speedway, he came home third. At Lancaster Motorplex — you guessed it — he finished second.

Then came Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where Emerling started from the pole and led every lap, something nobody had done in years at the facility.

“Yeah, we had a few bumps in the road,” Emerling said. “We came out pretty solid, and we just kept on trying to get ourselves in a rhythm and trying to get better each week. There was just so much hard work done on this car with this awesome group of guys.”

Saturday’s race at Oswego was not like that race at Thompson. Emerling didn’t win the pole, and he didn’t lead every lap. He might not have even had the best car.

What he did have was the confidence to do something that could have backfired spectacularly but instead paid off and led directly to his trip to Victory Lane.

The moment came during a restart on Lap 70. Emerling restarted third behind Tim Connolly, who had opted not to pit, and Bonsignore. Connolly got off Turn 2 poorly, and Bonsignore rocketed to the outside. Emerling, on the other hand, went low and passed both to take the lead.

“It was tough. We were all on tires and (Connolly) wasn’t,” Emerling said. “On the restarts, anything can happen. I played out a few scenarios in my head, and that was one of them.”

With the win, Emerling finds himself unofficially 24 points behind Bonsignore in the battle for the series championship and only 19 points behind second-place Silk.

Five races remain in the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. That leaves plenty of time for Emerling to catch Bonsignore and Silk. After all, he’s just hitting his stride.

“Anything can happen,” Emerling said. “If we keep doing what we’re doing here, we’ll be looking pretty good.”

RESULTS Budweiser Classic Weekend 68 Modified Madness 8th Annual NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Toyota Mod Classic Saturday, August 31, 2024 Oswego Speedway Oswego, NY

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Toyota Mod Classic (150-laps): 1. 1 PATRICK EMERLING, 2. 60 Matt Hirschman, 3. 51 Justin Bonsignore, 4. 16 Ron Silk, 5. 16 Austin Beers, 6. 114 Jacob Lutz, 7. 54 Tommy Catalano, 8. 22 Kyle Bonsignore, 9. 46 Craig Lutz, 10. 32 Tyler Rypkema, 11. 82 Woody Pitkat, 12. 4 Tim Connolly, 13. 3 Bobby Santos III, 14. 56 Trevor Catalano, 15. 00 Andy Jankowiak, 16. 18 Ken Heagy, 17. 24 Andrew Krause, 18. 84 Tyler Catalano, 19. 10 Bob Reis, 20. 01 Melissa Fifield

Qualifying: 1. 60 Matt Hirschman - 17.559, 2. 46 Craig Lutz - 17.679, 3. 1 Patrick Emerling - 17.728, 4. 51 Justin Bonsignore - 17.800, 5. 22 Kyle Bonsignore - 17.807, 6. 64 Austin Beers - 17.820, 7. 3 Bobby Santos III - 17.838, 8. 16 Ron Silk - 17.890, 9. 56 Trevor Catalano - 17.902, 10. 54 Tommy Catalano - 17.932, 11. 32 Tyler Rypkema - 17.967, 12. 82 Woody Pitkat - 17.993, 13. 84 Tyler Catalano - 18.059, 14. 14 Jacob Lutz - 18.077, 15. 00 Andy Jankowiak - 18.264, 16. 4 Tim Connolly - 18.295, 17. 24 Andrew Krause - 18.375, 18. 18 Ken Heagy - 18.705, 19. 10 Bob Reis - 18.930, 20. 01 Melissa Fifield - 20.550.

Submitted By: OSWEGO ADMIN

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Robie Motorsports partners with Bar Harbor Bank & Trust

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Robie Motorsports accelerates with Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Partnership

Sunapee, N.H. – June 15, 2024 – Robie Motorsports is thrilled to announce an exciting partnership with Bar Harbor Bank & Trust for the remainder of the 2024 racing season. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both entities as they join forces to conquer new challenges on the track.

As a premier financial institution renowned for its commitment to excellence and community engagement, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust embodies the same values of precision, teamwork, and innovation that drive Robie Motorsports to victory. This partnership represents a perfect alignment of vision and purpose, uniting two entities dedicated to progress and the resulting success.

"We are delighted to welcome Bar Harbor Bank & Trust to the Robie Motorsports family." said Brian Robie, Owner/Driver at Robie Motorsports. "The additional support will have an immediate and positive impact on our program and subsequent results on the track. We share a common passion for excellence and a relentless pursuit of innovation, making this partnership a perfect fit."

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust's logo will be prominently featured on our cars, website, and all team media releases, with more branding methods to come as we demonstrate our collaborative spirit and shared commitment to excellence. This high-visibility branding opportunity will enhance the bank's brand recognition while providing Robie Motorsports with crucial support to elevate our performance to new heights.

The partnership between Robie Motorsports and Bar Harbor Bank & Trust promises to be a dynamic collaboration that transcends traditional sponsorship boundaries. Through shared values, mutual respect, and tireless motivation, both entities are primed to make a lasting impact on the racing world and beyond.

For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB) is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Operating over 50 locations across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine and has more than $4 billion in assets. As a leading Northern New England community bank, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust offers a full range of personal and business banking services, as well as wealth management services through its subsidiary Bar Harbor Wealth Management. For more information about Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, visit www.barharbor.bank or call 888-853-7100. Member FDIC.

[End of Press Release]

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NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 2023 special award winners

The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season featured 18 races, 82 drivers and more than 3,000 laps completed from February through October.

While Ron Silk claimed the biggest prize of the season, the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship, several season-end special awards were claimed by a variety of drivers.

Below are the special award winners for the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award: Justin Bonsignore

For the third consecutive season, Holtsville, New York native Justin Bonsignore earned more No. 1 starting positions than any other driver.

The driver of the No. 51 Modified for Ken Massa Motorsports secured seven Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Awards in 2023, three more than he earned during the 2022 season when he claimed the same season-long award.

He was able to turn four of those pole positions into trips to Victory Lane, beginning at New York’s Riverhead Raceway in May, followed by wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway and, to complete the circle, again at Riverhead in September.

His other three poles came at Monadnock in May, New York’s Lancaster Motorplex in August and Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in October.

Bonsignore will receive a $3,000 bonus for winning the Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award.

Mayhew Tools, founded in 1856, is the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the United States, growing their extensive professional grade, American-made product line to include pry bars, pneumatics, cable ties and more. In 2020, the company extended its product line to a complete line of dual drive and socket bits and sets.

Serving the industrial, automotive, hardware and construction industries, Mayhew‘s premium hand tools are sold globally through an extensive distributor network. Mayhew Tools started sponsoring the Whelen Modified Tour pole award in 2019 and has continued the partnership ever since. Mayhew also sponsors six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby.

In addition to Bonsignore, others to secure poles during the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season included Austin Beers (six), Coby (two), Tyler Rypkema (one) and Matt Hirschman (one).

Whelen 75th Lap Leader Award: Justin Bonsignore

To celebrate NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, Whelen Engineering officials decided to offer a special year-end bonus award for the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

The honor, the Whelen 75th Lap Leader Award, was awarded to the driver who was the race leader at Lap 75 of the most races throughout the season.

The winner was Justin Bonsignore, who found himself as the race leader at Lap 75 on four different occasions.

Bonsignore actually tied Matt Hirschman, who also was the Lap 75 leader four times in 2023. However, Bonsignore was declared the winner of the Whelen 75th Lap Leader Award based on his higher finishing position in the final 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings.

For winning the Whelen 75th Lap Leader Award, Bonsignore will receive a $7,500 bonus from Whelen Engineering.

Phil Kurze Mid-Race Leader Award presented by Josten‘s: Ron Silk

Ron Silk took home plenty of honors during his 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship season, including several special awards.

The first of those is the Phil Kurze Mid-Race Leader presented by Josten‘s, named in honor of former Whelen Engineering vice president of motorsports Phil Kurze and awarded to the driver who is the leader at the halfway mark in the most races throughout the year.

The late Kurze, who was honored in 2021 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina with a plaque in the Whelen Hall of Champions, was a strong advocate for short-track racing. He helped elevate the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour prior to his passing in 2018.

Silk was the leader at the halfway mark four times throughout the course of the season, enough to give him his first of several special awards. He will receive $1,000 for winning the Phil Kurze-Mid Race Leader Award presented by Josten’s.

Josten‘s, the official provider of the NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy, the Daytona 500 championship ring, the Indy 500 championship ring and more, coins itself as the Most Trusted Partner in Celebrating Moments That Matter and is a proud supporter of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Hoosier Tire Lap Leader Award: Austin Beers (KLM Motorsports)

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour tire supplier, Hoosier Tire, is the sponsor of a trio of special awards each year. They include the Hoosier Tire Lap Leader Award, which goes to the car owner of the driver who leads the most laps in a race the most times during the season.

This year the award goes to Austin Beers, who led the most laps five times during the 2023 season.

In all, Beers led a whopping 633 laps during the 2023 season. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the most laps led throughout the year. That honor went to Ron Silk, who led a season-high 644 laps on his way to the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.

Justin Bonsignore, who ranked second in the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings, was third on the laps led list at 626. They were the only three drivers who led more than 600 laps during the season.

Beers will take home $6,000 for winning the Hoosier Tire Lap Leader Award.

Whelen Engineering Winner of the Race Award: Ron Silk

The second of Ron Silk’s special awards is the honor bestowed upon the driver who wins the most races during a given season, the Whelen Engineering Winner of the Race Award.

This season, Ron Silk won five times, the same as his championship rival Justin Bonsignore. But Silk walked away with the award thanks to his higher finishing position in the series standings.

Silk’s first victory of the season came in the opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in February. He followed that up with wins at Riverhead Raceway, New Jersey’s Wall Stadium Speedway, New York’s Oswego Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

Silk and Bonsignore were two of seven drivers to earn trips to Victory Lane during the 2023 season. Other race winners in 2023 included Matt Hirschman, Austin Beers, Kyle Bonsignore, Doug Coby and Ryan Preece.

For winning the Whelen Engineering Winner of the Race Award, Silk will receive an extra $2,000.

Hoosier Tire Hard Charger Award: Ron Silk

It would be accurate to say Ron Silk wasn’t the best qualifier during the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. In fact, unlike his title rival Justin Bonsignore, Silk didn’t score a single Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award throughout the year.

However, that set Silk up to claim his second straight Hoosier Tire Hard Charger Award.

The Hard Charger award is given to the driver who advances the most positions during a race.

The postseason award is given to the driver who earns the award in the most races compared to his competitors throughout the season.

Silk will take home an extra $6,000 for winning the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger Award.

Hoosier Tire Most Improved Award: Brian Robie

A new face on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2023, Brian Robie managed to secure a special honor based on his limited performance throughout the season.

Despite making just five starts, Robie was able to earn the Hoosier Tire Most Improved Award for team owner Kayleigh Eastman.

The Hoosier Tire Most Improved Award goes to the eligible new team/organization whose driver improves the most positions during the course of each race.

In the team’s first year, Robie secured a best finish of eighth, which came in his final race of the season at Monadnock Speedway. Robie will receive a $6,000 bonus for winning the Hoosier Tire Most Improved Award.

Patrick Emerling scores impressive Whelen Modified Tour victory at Oswego

• Updated: Sep. 01, 2024, 8:13 a.m.
• | Published: Sep. 01, 2024, 7:58 a.m.
• Dick O'Brien | Contributing Writer

Patrick Emerling is driving for a new modified team for 2024, but his new group seems to be hitting it’s stride after scoring an impressive victory in Saturday night’s 150-lap, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour main event at the Oswego Speedway.

The victor grabbed a mid-race lead in the $102,000 Classic weekend modified feature and held off Matt Hirschman down the stretch for his second straight dominant Whelen triumph in less than two weeks.

Last week Emerling was fast qualifier and led every lap in the Whelen event at the Thompson (Connecticut) Speedway. “We’re just a first year team, but I think we’re starting to build some momentum for a real strong finish to 2024,” said the happy victor in Oswego’s victory lane.

This Orchard Park driver now sits in third place in the Whelen point standings and a strong finish to the season could give him a shot the title.

After Matt Hirschman led the first 65 laps off the pole, the key moment of the race occured when all the leaders pitted for tires and Hirschman came in first, but came out fifth. Emerling then took over the lead and went on to score his sixth career Whelen triumph.

A disappointed Hirschman battled back from fifth to finish second. “Nobody passed me on the race track, but I lost the race in the pits,” said the Northampton, Pennsylvania driver.

Whelen Tour point leader, Justin Bonsignore was third, with Ron Silk fourth. Bonsignore’s point lead over Silk is now just five markers.

Young Austin Beers was fifth and Jake Lutz came from deep in the pack to wind up sixth. Tommy Catalano, Kyle Bonsignore, Craig Lutz and Tyler Rypkena filled out the top ten finishers. A slim field of 20 Whelen mods was on hand.

Jankowiak wins: A forty lap test for sport modifieds was the second feature at Oswego Saturday and Andy Jankowiak notched an impressive $4,000 victory.

This second generation racer from Tonawanda took the kead on the third lap and never looked back. Tony Hanbury

ended up a well beaten second, with Jack Christman, Tim Catalano and Josh Sokolic making up the top five finishers.

Sokolic is Oswego’s 350 supermodified champion and was making his first start in his new sport modified.

More rain: Weather continues to be a problem throughout the area and Lebanon Valley’s big Mr DIRT Track USA special was washed out Saturday. Thunder Mountain Speedway was also rained out.

Fulton’s show Saturday was rain delayed, but they managed to get it in and Ryan Dolbear, Brendon Carvey and Lance Willix were the first three 358 modifieds to the checkered flag.

The ESS Sprint Tour was also on hand and Liverpool’s Joe Trenca picked up the $2,000 winner’s check at the end of their 25-lap main event. John Smith and Jason Barney were second and third.

Veteran Alan Johnson pocketed a $2,000 check for winning Saturday night DIRT big-block modified finale at the Land of Legends Speedway. Kevin Root and Zach Payne followed Johnson to the finish.

Classic finale: The 68th Budweiser Classic winds up Sunday, with feature events for 350 supers, small-block supers and the 200-lap, 125-mile test for supermodifieds. Racing starts at noon.

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NASCAR Implementing New Whelen Mod Tour Rules And Procedures For Remainder Of Season 

NASCAR announced Wednesday that the Whelen Modified Tour would be introducing several rules and procedural changes to “improve efficiencies” for teams for the remainder of the 2024 season. 

The new rules and procedures will go into effect for the May 18 Miller Lite Salutes Wayne Anderson 200 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway on May 18. 

“When we announced the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season schedule, we were proud that it provided balance for our competitors and teams, who manage their jobs and families away from the track,” Whelen Modified Tour director Jimmy Wilson said. “As we continue through the season, NASCAR is always looking for ways to improve efficiencies for our teams. By reducing the tire allotment at several events and reducing practice time at all tracks [with the exception of Martinsville Speedway], we know this will help teams maximize their resources and time without sacrificing the high quality of racing fans expect from the Tour.”

A release from NASCAR announcing the changes read: 

Over the course of the remaining 12 races on the 2024 Modified Tour schedule, the overall tire allotment will be reduced, providing a financial savings for teams through the rest of the season. In alignment with the tire reduction, at tracks that require a tire change (with the exception of New Hampshire Motor Speedway), teams will now only be permitted to change a maximum of two tires per caution period (previously, they may change all four tires during a caution period). In addition, practice time will be reduced by approximately 15 – 30 minutes per event, excluding the Martinsville Speedway championship weekend. This will allow race-day schedules to be condensed and permit teams to arrive at tracks later in the day.

“The new tire change procedures will allow tire management strategy to come into play, putting it back on the crew chiefs to decide how and when to change their tires as we give them the adjustability to do so,” Wilson said. 

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Big deal couple of tires gas how about not having to pay a fee at every event to have car inspections?? Don’t know of any others paying at every event not the open modifieds etc correct me if wrong but the officials are at track anyways so don’t know who that fee goes to but that’s ridiculous to pay every event.

??? Tire allotment and number of tires per caution are related how? Teams have always had the option of taking tires or taking track position by forgoing a stop. They could do well by getting to 150 laps on any of their events as we know the racing doesn’t really start till 50 to go. I think reality is finally getting to So Fla. Reduce tires, limit pit work and low and behold a (God forbid) redraw at Monadnock (had to be a JDV thing) the pressure from the other “lessor” series and the opens is no doubt having an effect. Gonna be interesting to follow that’s for sure.

These rule changes only benefit the top teams and hurt the smaller ones. The top teams have the technology allowing them to show up at a track really close to where they need to be, so they don’t need as much practice as smaller teams. The tire rule also benefits the bigger teams who have the resources to develop setups aimed at reducing tire wear NASCAR is just trying to lure new teams to their slowly dying series. If you’re traveling 4 or 5 hours to compete, and you work, chances are you’re taking a day off. Half an hour less practice is trivial.

Don’t matter what chassis you run now, we are racing tires!!!! 🛞

We can run paper mache chassis now.

Crazy in NY, Redraw was announced back in February. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Brings Back Qualifying Redraw For Selected 2024 Events

Some napkin math:

The original tire forecast was 209 + 4 potential extra practice tires at NW that were TBD pending tire tests. But I’m assuming they were going to be allowed.

The new forecast shows 190 tires.

23 tire reduction for the rest of the year. ~$5,750.

Not an insignificant amount.

For the sake of example, if they run this schedule back in 2025, with the same rules from the start of the season. The tire forecast would be roughly 173. A reduction of 50 tires, ~$12,500. Fairly significant id say.

If a team commits to just changing 2 tires at change events and not making a 2nd stop, you could probably shave that down by another half dozen.

A lot can be said about the tour and their costs and what not. A nearly 50% increase in tire prices the last few years isn’t really something they can control. No one can control it.

Every track is fighting it. Riverhead has a tire bank now. stafford has 3 scheduled SK races where 0 new tires will be permitted to be purchased

I have to say, someone claiming a reduction in tire allotment only benefits the big teams is a new one for me.

Missed that Feb article Shawn thanks for the clarification.

You can throw out all the smoke and mirrors changes but you’re not going to fix anything until you address the real issues. … This should be a New England and New York based series. There are at least 13 tracks in New England that could handle one of these events and only 4 of them want a race. Why is that? Figure out that question and you probably can fix a lot of things. NASCAR doesn’t want to fix this. … Less practice time is only an advantage to the top teams. This will not be an incentive for new teams to come to the tour. Nobody is going to see there’s 30 minutes less of practice time and decide they want to run the tour. … Here’s what is going to happen. NASCAR is going to buy the Smart tour soon. Then they’re going to say they’re combining Smart with the Modified tour. The new Modified tour is going to be 19 races with 14 races in the south and 5 up here. … NASCAR doesn’t care where the races are now because they don’t care about having a crowd at the track. Everything is about being on Flo now. Monadnock gets about 600 fans for a Modified tour race and they have 3 races there and NASCAR doesn’t care. Riverhead gets about 500 fans. 10 years ago you couldn’t have a Modified tour race anywhere with a crowd of less than 4,000 people. Since NASCAR doesn’t care what the crowd is it will be way cheaper for them to put all these races at tracks in North Carolina and Virginia, slash the purses and race in front of 400 people every other week and not have to drag all their officials and equipment up to Monadnock or Riverhead to do it. … Remember how they killed the Busch North? Get ready for Busch North murder part two.

NASCAR couldn’t care less about the tour

Both SMART TOUR MODIFIED races we attended this year at Tri County Speedway & Hickory Speedway in NC were very well attended… The Smart tour now has 6 or 8 Drivers that can go out and grab a Win at any time , 2 former Cups Stars. 2 young guns Baldwin and Lofton who has Won 3 or 4 races already and his Dad . 2 of the Myers clan & Buzzie . Brown. Coulter. Big Money Matt and quite a few others who could win… I would say they have a more competitive series as far as the amount of Top notch cars.. The top 10 cars in my opinion are closer in competition than the Top 10 in the Whelen Mod Tour… The Owner is doing a fantastic job running the Tour and at Hickory the top 3 finishers of Myers.. Hirschman … and the Winner the KID Lofton all had to pull their engines after the Race and they were all dyno tested & inspected and all were within 1% of each other in HP…. He gets it .. Track tech that is real and fans who get a clean run show with Features that start early in the day or evening some fans and competitors alike can get home at a decent hour…I hope the Owner of the SMART keeps growing the series and PLEASE DON’T SELL TO NASCAR !!!!!!! You have a excellent tour you are building with Young guns and seasoned veterans all mixed in and we LOVE Watching SMART RACES….

Help me understand this…

“ In addition, practice time will be reduced by approximately 15 – 30 minutes per event, excluding the Martinsville Speedway championship weekend. This will allow race-day schedules to be condensed and permit teams to arrive at tracks later in the day.“

So now we are reducing practice time by 15-30 minutes so teams can show up to the tracks 15-30 minutes later????

Really??? How many teams and crew are gonna be like, “Oh goody, we don’t have to get there until 15-30 minutes later.”

NWMT Director and other esteemed moronic management: Let’s schedule races all up and down the eastern seaboard, resulting in thousands of dollars of additional cost per event, and also reduce the tires allowed per race to really suck up the racing, and make it a pacing and tire mileage event. And then they all patted themselves on the back.

Here’s some free advice NWMT Management: kiss and make up with Thompson and Stafford, and get 8-10 races between those 2 tracks.

For my compensation, I’ll take an order of fried clams at Thompson, and 2 orders of wings at Stafford, both with extra crispy fries and a Pepsi, at all events.

You’re welcome.

Well the Race at Tri County was the FIRST FEATURE EVENT , And at Hickory they moved the Race up sooner in the FEATURE EVENT lineup because rain showers were forecasted at 30% for later that evening .. Both races were on FLO so there seemed to be no big problems doing so … Hopefully the SIZZLER will be the FIRST FEATURE TONIGHT at Stafford after they finish the Feature that was on track when the rain came in …Hopefully Stafford has dry weather for tonight’s show….

Jake, There are six features on the schedule for tonight. The SK Light Modified feature that was started on April 28 will be completed on May 17. The SK Light Modifieds will run a full 20-lap feature tonight. In addition the schedule is the 100-lap NAPA Spring Sizzler, a 40-lap SK Modified feature, a 30-lap Late Model feature and 20-lap features for the Limited Late Model and Street Stock division. The NAPA Spring Sizzler will be the second feature of the evening. The SK Light Modifieds will run first. After the Spring Sizzler they will go Street Stocks, Limited Late Models, Late Models and SK Modifieds. Click here for the detailed schedule for May 10 at Stafford Speedway .

Excellent Schedule, Sizzler is Second Feature !!!! Love it… Then fans won’t have to hang in too long in the COLD later on in the evening ..!!! Thanks Shawn for clearing that up …. Stafford got it fixed & we are happy about that…

If there wasn’t all this travel and the extra thousands of dollars per event because of all the excessive travel, then this early season rules change to reduce tire consumption would not be an issue. If the schedule had the usual 8-10 races at Thompson and Stafford, these would be single day events, mostly everybody would be in bed that night.

Let them have tires!!!!

Because of the stupid schedule and all the STOOOOPID ¢o$tly travel, we now have to implement a tire consumption/cost reduction rule.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Stupid is what Stupid does. Here’s looking at you, Jimmy.

zig13 wrote, “23 tire reduction for the rest of the year. ~$5,750.

Not an insignificant amount.”

The cost to send a team from the northeast to some southern track for a 3-4 day event is far more than that, for just one event. Plane tickets, transportation, rental cars, Uber, hotels, hauler, feeding the team, entry fees, TOLLS, it adds up YUGELY.

NASCAR has to do this to cater to the shoestring budget teams that are slammed hard by the HUGE travel cost. Otherwise, the car counts will suffer even worse.

Travel is a cost. Sure.

We just had a sizzler where 30 cars showed up. Richest race of the year. Heart of modified land. Little travel. Didn’t even reach what NSS had for the tour opener.

It was also probably the least competitive tour type race of the year so far.

And how did the Stafford Friday open shows fair last season?

You could replace the 3 biggest travel NWMT races with 3 races at Stafford and the car count probably hardly changes.

The CT modified scene isn’t what it used to be. You have 1 very strong track and 2 with both feet in the grave right now.

25 cars +/- a few is going to be pretty standard for a while.

DaRealBicycleRacer, I think you need some Everclear in your Pepsi! Let’s see how the tire reduction works out for the racing and the teams before having heart palpitation over it.

Liz, less tires means more pacing and less racing.

We’ve been through this.

Why not just eliminate practice. No practice has done wonders for the National Series.

the redraw was a good thing. now how about the choose cone? definetly would add another layer of strategy.

[less tires means more pacing and less racing.]

nope..that’s what counting cautions get you.

100 lap events, 2 tires and a top 10 redraw ALL GREEN will fix the Tour more than anything. The TTOM model works pretty.

Think of all the tires 🛞 they could run with the thousands $$$$$$$ saved if they didn’t have to spend 💰 to travel 🧳 so far to most of the races.

GET RID OF THE PIT STOP! Equipped Pit box 10,000.00 Pit crew gear 400.00 per member x 5 2000.00 Pit equipment guns jack etc 10,000.00 Licenses x5 1000.00 Travel and food 5 guys full season 4000.00 per guy 20000.00 Top teams pay their crew 250.00 per day x 5 1250.00 TOTAL SAVINGS 44,250.00 JIMMY WILSON THIS IS A SAVINGS. NOT 2 TIRES AND 15-20 MIN OF FUEL!! Half way break or no pit stop races. You would have 30 plus cars back on the tour. Times have changed Nascar. Adapt……….. Companies can not get paid employees to show up to work these days, yet Nascar expects teams to find 7 guys to show up for 14 hour days for free? On the weekend? Best of luck with that. It’s not 1990 anymore.

This proves how all the travel screwed the NWMT.

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NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Announces 2023 Schedule

Schedule to honor NASCAR’s 75th anniversary

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 27, 2022) – As NASCAR prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2023, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour blends the old with the new as 19 race dates were announced in the 2023 schedule.

The Tour will kick off the season at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida for the second straight year, joining the track’s “World Series of Asphalt Stock Cars Racing” during NASCAR’s Speedweeks, racing under the lights on Saturday, February 11. The 65th running of the DAYTONA 500 at nearby Daytona International Speedway will take place the following weekend.

In 2022, Martinsville Speedway is hosting the Tour’s season finale for the first time in 30 years. And the Virginia short track will return as the season finale next year to crown the series champion on Thursday, October 26. The Tour title race will kick off a weekend of excitement as NASCAR also will set the field for the Championship 4 in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series.

In a tribute to NASCAR’s past, the Whelen Modified Tour will take on North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time in series history on Saturday, September 30. North Wilkesboro will be hosting the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race and the NASCAR Xfinity Series next May, marking the first time a NASCAR national series has raced at the track since 1996.

“NASCAR has been running a Modified series since its founding and it was important to honor that history in the Whelen Modified Tour schedule as NASCAR celebrates its 75th anniversary,” said Jimmy Wilson, Senior Director, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. “We’re excited to see our drivers put on a great show for fans at so many venues and cities that have played a large role in the success of NASCAR over the years.”

Richmond Raceway (Friday, March 31) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Saturday, July 15) will once again welcome the Tour in conjunction with NASCAR national series events. New Hampshire’s 74 Tour races is the second-most among tracks on the 2023 schedule.

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (Connecticut), one of the original tracks from the Tour’s modern era schedule (1985-Present), will host a pair of events on Wednesday, August 16, and Sunday, October 8. Thompson has hosted 150 Whelen Modified Tour races, most all time.

Riverhead Raceway, third on the current tracks list with 70 Whelen Modified Tour races since first hosting the series in 1985, continues to be a cornerstone of the schedule. The Long Island, New York, track will hold three Saturday race dates again in 2023 – May 20, June 24, September 16.

Seekonk Speedway (Massachusetts), which first hosted a Whelen Modified Tour event in 1987, returns to the schedule after a three-year absence with a race on Saturday, June 10. Langley Speedway (Hampton, Virginia) remains as a summer date, hosting the Tour on Saturday, August 26.

Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire, will hold two races for the first time in the track’s history with the Tour, on Saturday, May 6, and Saturday, September 9. Lancaster Motorplex (New York) – formerly known as New York International Raceway Park – will host their second-ever Tour event with a Saturday, August 5, race. The Tour’s only other event there was in 2021.

Additionally, the Tour will return to Oswego Speedway (New York), which has hosted 15 Tour races, on Saturday, September 2, and to Wall Stadium on Saturday, July 8.

“These historic tracks and fans in the Northeast are the heart of the Whelen Modified Tour,” Wilson added. “They pack the stands and create an electric atmosphere for their hometown drivers.”

Two additional dates have been set (Saturday, May 27, and Saturday, July 29), with the venues to be announced in the near future.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour concludes the 2022 season tonight at Martinsville Speedway, with four drivers sitting within 13 points of each other for the championship. Jonathan McKennedy leads the points with 564, while Ron Silk is six behind him. Reigning champion Justin Bonsignore is third, 11 points behind McKennedy, and Eric Goodale trails the leader by 13 points in fourth place.

Below is the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. Schedule is subject to change. Race times and broadcast networks will be announced at a later date.

2023 NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR SCHEDULE

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of  SpeedwayMedia.com

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2024 NASCAR Awards to take place in Charlotte

The annual NASCAR Awards – the year-end celebration honoring the sport’s top talents and brightest stars – will have a new home in 2024 … Charlotte, N.C. Home to many of the sport’s drivers, race teams and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, this will be the first time the NASCAR Cup Series Awards will be hosted in the Queen City.

The 2024 NASCAR Awards will be held on Friday, Nov. 22 to formally honor all three national series champions (NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series) at the Charlotte Convention Center and will air on Sunday, Nov. 24 from 3-5 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. Tune in to watch the celebration of the 2024 national series champions.

For the second consecutive year in conjunction with the national series awards, NASCAR will host a celebration for the NASCAR Regional Series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series) and the NASCAR International Series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), on Thursday, Nov. 21.

“We are pleased to announce our move to the Queen City for our postseason celebrations.” said Michelle Byron, EVP, Chief Partnership and Licensing Officer at NASCAR. “Being able to trace many of our sport’s racing roots back to the North Carolina area, you can feel the energy and passion for NASCAR from the fans in Charlotte. We’re excited to officially crown our champions in the Queen City.”

Last year, 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer, and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes were honored in Music City. The formal postseason Awards is a tradition that stretches back to 1981, when the event was held in New York City. It has since relocated to Las Vegas from 2009 to 2019 and Nashville from 2019 to 2023.

About NASCAR: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com , and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat.

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Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk have battled against each other for years on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, but their rivalry reached a new level in 2023. Seemingly every race it was one of those two drivers coming out on top with the other right behind with plenty of paint and chrome traded. With two races now in the books, 2024 has been more of the same with both multi-time champions now each scoring a victory.

2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Richmond Raceway

In February at New Smyrna Speedway, it was Silk striking first, taking the victory to open the season while Bonsignore finished second. But on Friday night in the Commonwealth at Richmond Raceway this time it was Bonsignore edging Silk, by just a few feet to take his first win of the season.

Bonsignore held off Silk at the checkered flag by 0.081-second after the two dueled for the win in a four-lap dash.

“It’s cool when we can race each other hard and be respectful, but I’m sure it’s just going to ramp up all season long,” Bonsignore said after winning Friday’s thriller. 

After a multi-car crash in turn four, the field went back green with just four laps to go. Silk on the inside and Bonsignore on the outside. Both drivers spun their tires, which gave Doug Coby and Ryan Newman a chance to dive to the inside. Both Silk and Bonsignore held on during that near four-wide moment and turned their focus towards each other.

Silk ran to the inside of Bonsignore for two laps before Bonsignore switched lanes down the backstretch with two laps to go. Bonsignore kept Silk to his outside for the rest of the final lap, bouncing off of each other multiple times as they charged towards the checkered flag.

Bonsignore drifted a little bit wide coming out of the final corner and just pulled ahead of Silk at the line by barely the length of his white and black No. 51 to take his second victory in three years at Richmond Raceway.

“I just wanted to hang him out there and not let him cross me over, because he’s one of the best,” said Bonsignore in victory lane. “Then it was just a killer drag race back to the line. This rivalry just doesn’t go away. I know the fans have to be enjoying it. I know we are. It kind of got to a boiling point last year between us, but he did pull up on the back straightaway after the race and gave me the normal thumbs-up.”

Rookie contender Trevor Catalano scored his first top-three finish on Friday night with Bobby Santos and Jake Johnson rounding out the top five. Johnson rebounded back to the front after early contact with Austin Beers cut down his right front tire. Doug Coby, Craig Lutz, Kyle Bonsignore, Carson Loftin, and Tommy Catalano completed the top ten.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is back in action next week for the first of three visits to the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, Connecticut for the Icebreaker 150 live on FloRacing.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Richmond Raceway Unofficial Results

• Richmond Raceway
• Pavement Modifieds
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
• Justin Bonsignore

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