




| |
To view current point standings,

|
|

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Qualifying Rained Out at Thompson
Ted Christopher Will Start on the Pole Sunday
September 6, Thompson, CT--- Unfavorable weather conditions at
Thompson International Speedway Saturday afternoon washed out time trials for
the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Current points leader Ted Christopher will now
start on the pole for Sunday’s Sunoco Modified Mania 150.
With the rainout lineup, the field for the Sunoco Modified Mania
150 was set according to the NASCAR rule book. Christopher took the points lead
last time out at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park with his second win of the
2008 season. He will enter Sunday’s 11th race of the season with a 60-point
advantage over Chuck Hossfeld.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was able to get 45 minutes of
practice on the track between showers Saturday afternoon. Christopher was the
fastest car during the session at 18.893 seconds (119.092 mph).
Green flag for the Sunoco Modified Mania 150 is set for Sunday at
approximately 2:45 p.m. For ticket information, please visit Thompson’s official
Web site (thompsonspeedway.com).
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour –
Sunoco Modified Mania 150 Lineup
Race Sunday; Qualifying
cancelled by rain. Lineup set by 2008 owner points, except where noted
At New Thompson International
Speedway
Thompson, Conn.
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Car number in parentheses)
1. (36)Ted Christopher, Plainville Conn., Chevrolet
2. (4)Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville N.Y., Dodge
3. (59)Matt Hirschman, Northampton Pa., Chevrolet
4. (16)Mike Stefanik, Coventry R.I., Pontiac
5. (79)Ronnie Silk, Norwalk Conn., Pontiac
6. (2)Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield Conn., Ford
7. (46)Eric Beers, Northampton Pa., Chevrolet
8. (19)Jimmy Blewett, Howell N.J., Chevrolet
9. (10)Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington Conn., Chevrolet
10. (93)Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley Pa., Chevrolet
11. (3)Ryan Preece, Kensington Conn., Chevrolet
12. (28)Doug Coby, Milford Conn., Chevrolet
13. (58)Kevin Goodale, Riverhead N.Y., Chevrolet
14. (12)Ken Heagy, Calverton N.Y., Chevrolet
15. (17)Glen Reen, Wilbraham Mass., Chevrolet
16. (8)Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays N.Y., Chevrolet
17. (09)Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield Mass., Chevrolet
18. (0)Danny Sammons, Hamilton N.J., Chevrolet
19. (33)Wade Cole, Riverton Conn., Chevrolet
20. (05)Joe Hartmann, Calverton N.Y., Chevrolet
21. (98)Bobby Santos, Franklin Mass., Chevrolet*
22. (77)Rick Fuller, Auburn Mass.#
23. (99)Jamie Tomaino, Howell N.J., Chevrolet#
24. (32)Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich Conn., Chevrolet^
25. (9)Jake Marosz, Middletown Conn., Chevrolet^
26. (06)Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown N.J., Dodge^
27. (21)Richard Savary, Canton Mass., Chevrolet^
28. (14)Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill Conn., Ford^
29. (90)Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury Conn., Chevrolet^
30. (26)Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma N.Y., Chevrolet^
31. (64)Eric Berndt, Cromwell Conn., Chevrolet^
32. (31)Tony Ferrante, Jr., New Hyde Park N.Y., Chevrolet^
*Driver win in 2007; # Past
champions; ^ Owner attempts

NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour Broadcast Dates Announced
New Hampshire, Martinsville Races To Be Aired By SPEED
September 4, Daytona Beach, FL--- NASCAR and SPEED TV have
announced the broadcast dates for upcoming NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
The New Hampshire
100, which will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13, will be the second appearance for
the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at the Loudon, N.H., track in 2008. The race
will be aired on a tape-delayed basis by SPEED on Sept. 24 at 1:30 p.m.
The Made In
American Whelen 300, which will be run at Martinsville, Va., on Saturday, Sept.
20, will also be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis by SPEED. The fourth annual
event, which features the NASCAR Whelen Modified and NASCAR Whelen Southern
Modified Tours in a combination race, will air on SPEED on Friday, Oct. 10 at
noon.
Before making the
aforementioned back-to-back trips to New Hampshire and Martinsville, the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour will contest its 11th race of the season at Thompson
(Conn.) International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 7. The green flag is set to drop
on the Sunoco Modified Mania 150 at approximately 2:45 p.m.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour News & Notes - Sunoco Modified Mania 150
• Silk Looks To Continue String Of Success At Thompson
• Modified Champ Fuller To Be Honored At Thompson
• Five Questions: Rick Fuller
• Home Tracks: Blewett Earns Third NWAAS Win At Thompson
September 3, Thompson, CT--- Silk Looks To Continue
String Of Success at Thompson
It may be a two-hour drive from his hometown of Norwalk, Conn., but for
Ronnie Silk, Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway is home sweet home.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will make its fourth appearance of
2008 at Thompson on Sunday, Sept. 7 for the Sunoco Modified Mania 150.
Silk, who made his 50th NASCAR Whelen Modified start last week, has
excelled at Thompson throughout his young career, especially as of late.
In three of the last five races at the .625-mile oval, Silk has
reached Victory Lane. With a win this Sunday, he would become the first
driver to win three-straight races at Thompson since Mike Stefanik swept
all four dates in 1998.
Silk made his Thompson debut with a 37th-place finish in the Sunoco
300 on Sept. 7, 2003. In fact, it wasn't until Silk's eighth start at
the track that he would finish in the top 10. Starting with a
seventh-place finish in the 2006 World Series, however, he has been a
formidable contender with top 10s in seven of the last 10 events.
The first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory came for Silk in
last year's Sunoco Modified Mania 150 at Thompson. This year Silk has
found even more success at "Big T," with wins in the June 19 and Aug. 14
races, bringing his Thompson and Modified career win totals to three.
"Our car is just great at Thompson, that's for sure," Silk said.
"We've had a good car at other places, but the breaks have gone our way
there."
In 16 career starts at Thompson, Silk has three wins, five top fives
and seven top 10s. His career average finish at the track is 15, but
when analyzing the last nine races, that number drops to 10.
Action will begin for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday,
Sept. 6 with practice and qualifying. The Sunoco Modified Mania 150 is
set to go green on Sunday at approximately 2:45 p.m.
The Race: Sunoco Modified Mania 150
The Place: Thompson (Conn.) International
Speedway
The Date: Sunday, Sept. 7
The Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 0.625-mile oval
Race Purse: $92,901
2007 Winner: Ronnie Silk
2007 Pole: Donny Lia
Schedule: Saturday, Sept. 6; Practice: 11:30
a.m.-1 p.m., Qualifying: 3 p.m.
Track Contact: Russ Dowd, (860) 923-2280 or
pitcrew@thompsonspeedway.com
Modified Champ Rick Fuller To Be Honored At Thompson
As part of a season-long celebration of 60 Years of Modified Champions,
1993 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour titlist Rick Fuller will be honored at
the Sunoco Modified Mania 150.
A consistent championship contender throughout his NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour career with top-10 points finishes in 17 seasons, Fuller
broke through in 1993 and earned a 93-point victory over Reggie Ruggiero
for the title.
In eighth place in the season standings after five races in 1993,
Fuller put together a run of eight top fives in the next 10 races and
took the points lead from Ruggiero for the first time on Sept. 15 after
placing fourth in the Sunoco 300 at Thompson. He then held off Ruggiero
in the season's final two races to earn the title.
Still an active competitor in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Fuller
has 20 wins and 230 top 10s in 434 career starts. His win total is
seventh on the series' all-time list while his 11 Coors Light Pole
Awards rank 13th.
A resident of Auburn, Mass., Fuller has excelled at the .625-mile
oval throughout his career. Of his 20 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
wins, eight came at Thompson, including his first on Oct. 16, 1988.
Prior to joining the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on a full-time basis,
Fuller nabbed Thompson track titles in the Late Model division in 1982
and the Modified division in 1985.
Fuller is one of only three drivers who have made starts in each of
the 24 years of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, along with Carl
Pasteryak and Jamie Tomaino. Always a fan favorite, Fuller was named the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's Most Popular Driver in 2000.
Fuller is the younger brother of Jeff Fuller, a former standout
driver in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The two brothers have
combined to win 51 races in the series. Rick's 1993 series title came
just one year after Jeff's. The elder Fuller was honored for his 1992
championship at Thompson on June 19.
News & Notes
The Race ... The Sunoco Modified Mania 150 will be the 11th of 16
races in 2008. This will also be the fourth of five stops for the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson International Speedway.
The Procedure ... Starting Positions 1-31 will be set from
time trials. The remaining five will be filled through the provisional
process. The race is 150 laps (93.75 miles).
The Track ... A .625-mile banked oval that opened in 1940,
Thompson Speedway was the first asphalt track in the nation, and the
largest in New England until New Hampshire Motor Speedway opened in
1990.
Race Winners ... There have been 29 different race winners at
Thompson, led by Mike Stefanik's 14 victories, which is four more than
Jeff Fuller. Ed Flemke Jr. won the first race at Thompson this year on
April 27 and Ronnie Silk captured the second and third on June 19 and
Aug. 14, respectively. The entry list for this race could feature as
many as 11 drivers who have reached Victory Lane at Thompson before.
Pole Winners ... There have been 35 different pole winners at
Thompson, led by Jeff Fuller and Tony Hirschman's 13. James Civali and
Bobby Grigas III were able to nab their first career poles at the track
earlier this year. Qualifying was rained out for the Aug. 14 date. Todd
Szegedy set the qualifying record at Thompson prior to the 2007
Icecbreaker at 18.457 seconds (121.905 mph).
Tour Tidbits
A Change at the Top ... The season points lead,
controlled by Chuck Hossfeld for eight of the first nine races in 2009,
was captured by Ted Christopher on Aug. 23 at Mansfield (Ohio)
Motorsports Park. Down 41 points heading into the race, Christopher
completed a 101-point swing with his victory and Hossfeld's DNF and left
the Buckeye State with a 60-point advantage.
Seuss Completes Grueling Weekend ... A full-time driver in the
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, New Hampshire's Andy Seuss takes
as many opportunities as he can to also run with the northern circuit.
Seuss made his fourth NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start of the season
Saturday at Mansfield, a night after running at Caraway in the NWSMT.
After traveling through the night from North Carolina to Ohio, Seuss was
able to post a 14th place finish in the Whelen 150, his best NWMT result
in 2008.
Spec Engine Makes Second Appearance ... Richmond Corwin Jr., part
owner of Glen Tyler's No. 8, fielded a second car at Mansfield driven by
Dion Ciccarelli with a spec engine It was the second time a spec engine
had been run in an NWMT race — L.W. Miller ran one at New Hampshire in
June.
Your Vote Counts ... Less than two months remain to determine
who will be the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Most Popular Driver.
Fans can vote once a day for their favorite Modified drivers from now
until October 19 by visiting nascarhometracks.com. Results of the
balloting will be announced at the postseason banquet.
Whelen Online Store ... Fans are encouraged to visit the
Whelen Motorsports store online at whelen.com to get NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour gear. The latest addition to the store are items that
feature the 60 Years of Modified Champions logo.
Five Questions: Rick Fuller
You are one of three drivers to make starts in all 24 NWMT seasons.
What's the biggest change you've seen?
I've seen a lot. One of the big changes is the tire rule. It used to be
that you raced 30 laps then you'd pit and put four tires on it. You'd
keep doing that every 30 laps and keep throwing tires on the car to fix
it. Its evolved to where we are now where you can work on the car in
practice and fix it and race the entire race on the same set of tires
and be faster than anybody else.
What drew you to become a race car driver?
Way back in the mid-1970s I used to help my brothers, Bobby and Jeff.
They were race car drivers at the time. Probably around 1978 or 1979, I
had enough of helping them and decided it was probably something that I
could at least do as good as them, if not maybe better. So I bought my
own race car and started racing.
Were you and your brother, Jeff, rivals on the track?
Later in our careers together we were wheel-to-wheel on more than
one occasion. Probably what comes to mind the most when you talk about
Jeff and I is at Nazareth Speedway, I believe in 1993. I was leading the
race, there was a caution with five to go, and when we went green again
Jeff wrecked me for the win.
Any memories that stand out from your 1993 championship season?
There are a lot of memories from 1993. The team I'm driving for right
now is the same team I was driving with when I won the championship. Its
kind of funny and we joke about it all the time now, but In 1993 when I
was driving the Chase Racing No. 77, if there was a wreck in front of
me, it was kind of like "Days of Thunder." I could aim at that wreck, I
could do anything I wanted, and I'd come out the other side. I couldn't
do anything wrong; it was just one of those years. No matter what I did,
no matter how bad that decision seemed at the time, it was just the
right one. It was just one of those years where we were destined to win
that championship. We only won one race doing it, but our average finish
was something like sixth. It was just an amazing year and the team
deserved to win a championship.
You also work as a color commentator for "NASCAR New England."
How is covering racing from the media side working out for you?
It is absolutely the hardest thing I've done in the racing world. I
can't believe how much easier driving a race car is than trying to talk
about what's going on. As far as giving my perspective of somebody
trying to make a particular type of move on a race track, that part is
easy. But knowing who that person is, their sponsor, their crew chief
[is tough]. I've gained so much respect for all of these commentators
that do it week-in and week-out. I can't believe how tough that job
actually is.
Home Tracks: Blewett Earns Third NWAAS Win At Thompson In
2008
Jimmy Blewett, a full-time driver in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, is
also a regular in Thompson International Speedway's "Thursday Night
Thunder," part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
This past Thursday, Blewett registered his third victory of the
season in Thompson's Sunoco Modified division. With three wins, the
Howell, N.J., native is tied atop the division's leader board with Woody
Pitkat and Keith Rocco.
Blewett, who also has an NWAAS win at Riverhead in 2008. He is
currently ranked 14th in the NWAAS National standings.
Despite the win totals of all three, Todd Ceravolo is the Sunoco
Modified season points leader after 11 races.
Season To-Date
• Ted Christopher took over the points lead for the first time last week
at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park when he captured the Whelen 150 ...
He also won the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler earlier this year at Stafford
(Conn.) Motor Speedway.
• Chuck Hossfeld, who led in points for eight straight races, is now
60 points behind Christopher... He has victories at SMS (5/23) and New
Hampshire Motor Speedway (6/28).
• Ronnie Silk won the last race at Thompson (Conn.) International
Speedway ... He has two wins this year, both at TIS.
• Jimmy Blewett won back-to-back races at Riverhead Raceway (8/2) and
SMS (8/8).
• Ed Flemke Jr. captured the season-opener at TIS (4/6), his first
victory since 2004.
• Matt Hirschman earned his first career NWMT victory at Spencer
Speedway on July 12.
• James Civali, Bobby Grigas III and Ryan Preece have earned their
first career poles in 2008.
Benchmarks/Milestones
• With a win in this race, Ronnie Silk would become the first driver to
capture three-straight races at Thompson International Speedway since
Mike Stefanik swept all four dates in 1998.Todd Szegedy's next win would
be the 13th of his career, which would put him in sole possession of
13th on the all-time list.
• Mike Stefanik has 40 career poles. The next would place him in a
tie with Tony Hirschman for the all-time lead.
• Jamie Tomaino will extend his own series record by making his 494th
career start.
• Ed Flemke Jr. is expected to extend his record consecutive starts
streak to 306.
Up Next: New Hampshire 100
The second and final date on the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
schedule at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be on Saturday, Sept. 13.
The excitement of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's first stop at New
Hampshire this year will be hard to duplicate. Chuck Hossfeld edged Ted
Christopher at the finish line in the New England 100 on June 28 by just
.001 seconds, the smallest margin possible. Christopher and Hossfeld,
who currently sit No. 1 and No. 2 in the season standings, respectively,
figure to be contenders once again on Sept. 13. Christopher is the
all-time wins leader at the track with nine. He has four trips to
Victory Lane in NWMT races while Hossfeld has three.
There have been 15 different winners in 46 previous NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour races at New Hampshire. Tony Hirschman leads all drivers
on that list with seven.
The starting field for the New Hampshire 100 will be comprised of 38
cars. Practice and time trials are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 11.
Final practice will be held the morning of race day.
The New Hampshire 100 is set to go green at approximately 1 p.m. The
race will be followed by the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' Camping
World RV Rental 200 Driven by Winnebago Industries. The Modifieds and
Trucks will be joined at NHMS for the weekend by the NASCAR Camping
World Series East and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, which will race on
Friday and Sunday, respectively.
As part of NASCAR's celebration of 60 Years of Modified Champions,
1988 titlist Mike McLaughlin and 2003 winner Todd Szegedy will be
recognized.

Seuss Gunning
To Score Big For Riggs Racing In Made In America Whelen 300 At Martinsville
Speedway
September 2, Martinsville, VA--- A chance meeting in the NASCAR trailer has
turned into a career-maker for Andy Seuss and put him behind the wheel of a
car that is a threat to win the Made In America Whelen 300 at Martinsville
Speedway on Sept. 20..
Midway through
the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified season, Seuss bumped into Jeff
Riggs while in the NASCAR trailer. Riggs, who heads up the team, asked the
Hampstead, NY, driver to stop by the Riggs Racing hauler. Seuss did and
wound up with a one-race deal with the Martinsville-based Modified team.
That one-off
race, which just happened to be the 2007 Made In America Whelen 300 at
Martinsville Speedway, was wiped out by poor timing. Seuss was
understanding, but disappointed.
“They (Riggs
Racing) put a lot of emphasis on Martinsville and they wanted me to run a
second car there last year,” Seuss recalled recently. “Then they realized
they had two races really close together, and it didn’t happen. It was a
little frustrating. I thought I had missed a big chance.”
It turned out
that Seuss didn’t need the tryout. Nor did he need to be upset at the missed
seat time in the Riggs Racing Modified.
When two-time
Southern Modified champion Junior Miller and Riggs Racing decided to part
ways at the end of the season, Seuss got the call again, this time for a
fulltime ride.
“The second I
put my phone down after agreeing to race with them, it hit me … I’m
replacing Junior Miller in a championship car. It made me a little nervous,”
said the 21-year-old Seuss. “But they have been good to me, knowing I’m
fairly new to this, but they understand everything.”
A year ago Seuss
was virtually unknown in NASCAR circles. He had campaigned a family-owned
Modified on the Northern-based True Value Modified tour for a couple of
seasons, but had rarely ventured out to events on either the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour or the Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
“The Whelen
Modified Tour is very tough. You need a lot of people in the crew, there are
a lot more weekday shows that take everyone out of work. It’s just a tough
series,” said Seuss.
Seuss’ big break
through came last summer when he traveled to Nashville for a Whelen Southern
Modified Tour event. His underfinanced, almost unknown family team rolled to
a win, besting the best the southern tour had to offer.
“I had been
racing Modifieds for three years on the True Value series and had some
success there. But last year when we came down south and won…that was the
first big success we had had,” said Seuss.
“We had won at
New Smryna (Florida) during Speedweeks, but nothing at the NASCAR level. To
get that win and race hard with Tim Brown, it was huge. We had a pretty good
battle the whole race.”
It hasn’t been a
typical Riggs Racing season, but it hasn’t been bad either. Seuss has a
second, a fifth and four top 10s in the tour’s six races so far this year.
And there have been a couple of great runs, possible winning runs, wiped out
by accidents or mechanical woes.
“We’ve been very
fast all year. We’ve had some misfortune. We had one big wreck, destroyed
the car on the first lap after winning the pole. A couple of weeks ago we
were running second with 20 to go when the oil line fell off. One of these
days things will go right and we’ll win one,” said Seuss.
The next big
race on Seuss’ radar screen in the Made In America Whelen 300 at
Martinsville Speedway on September 20. It’s the Holy Grail of Modified
racers, the one everyone wants to win, and because they live in
Martinsville, it’s even bigger for the members of Riggs Racing.
“This one is
going to be big for us. It’s in the Riggs’ backyard. It’s the race all
Modified teams aim for,” said Seuss.
And it is also
the only combination event on the schedule the entire season, the only time
the Southern Tour drivers get to go head-to-head with the Northern Tour
drivers.
“That makes it
even bigger,” said Seuss. “But I think we’ve got what it takes to run with
them.”
Tickets
for the Made In America Whelen 300 are $25. Children six to 12 years old are
$5. Tickets may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or visiting
www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Sunoco Modified Mania 150 at Thompson Intl.
Speedway
September 1, Daytona Beach, FL--- The
Sunoco Modified Mania 150 will be the fourth of five appearances in 2008 at
Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The
n1th race of the season will go green on Sunday, Sept. 7.
At
Thompson International Speedway:
·
Since the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour formed in 1985, there have been 103 races at Thompson
International Speedway.
·
There have been 29
different race winners at TIS, led by Mike Stefanik’s 14 victories.
·
Tony Hirschman
is tied with Jeff Fuller for the most poles won at TIS with 13 … There
have been 35
different pole winners at TIS.
·
Ed Flemke Jr.
won the first NWMT race of the year at TIS, the Icebreaker … Ronnie Silk has
since captured the June and August races at TIS.
·
Silk
became the first back-to-back winner at TIS since Tony Hirschman in 2003.
·
This
race could feature 11 drivers who have previously reached Victory Lane at TIS.
Season Recap:
-
Ted Christopher
assumed the season points lead for the first time last week at Mansfield
(Ohio) Motorsports Park when he captured the Whelen 150 … He also won the
Tech-Net Spring Sizzler earlier this year at Stafford (Conn.) Motor
Speedway.
-
Chuck Hossfeld,
who led in points for eight straight races, is now 60 points behind
Christopher… He has victories at SMS (5/23) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway
(6/28).
-
Ronnie Silk
won the
last race at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway … He has two wins this
year, both at TIS.
-
Jimmy Blewett
won back-to-back races at Riverhead Raceway (8/2) and SMS (8/8).
-
Ed Flemke Jr.
captured
the season-opener at TIS (4/6), his first victory since 2004.
-
Matt Hirschman
earned his first career NWMT victory at Spencer Speedway on July 12.
-
James Civali, Bobby Grigas
III and Ryan
Preece have earned their first career poles in 2008.
Last
Time Out – Mansfield, Aug. 23:
-
Ted Christopher
earned his second win of the season and took the season points lead in the
process … He also moved past Mike Ewanitsko into sole possession of fifth
place on the NWMT all-time wins list.
-
Ryan Preece
recorded his best career finish, third.
-
Rookie Erick Rudolph registered a seventh place finish, the best in his
six career starts.
-
Richmond Corwin Jr., part owner of Glen Tyler’s No. 8 team, fielded a
second car for driver Dion Ciccarelli with a SPEC engine … It was the second
time a SPEC had been run in an NWMT race … L.W. Miller ran a SPEC at NHMS in
June.
Selected Driver Highlights:
Eric
Beers (No. 46 Chevrolet)
-
Has two wins and eight
poles in 122 career starts.
-
Has five top-five finishes
in 10 starts this year.
-
Won at TIS on Sept. 10,
2006.
Jimmy Blewett (No. 19 Chevrolet)
-
Has four wins and one pole
in 56 career starts.
-
Earned his first NWMT wins
at Riverhead on Aug. 2, and at SMS on Aug. 8.
-
Is eighth in the NWMT
season standings and was 14th in last week’s NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series national Top 500 before adding a win at Thompson on
Thursday.
Ted
Christopher (No. 36 Chevrolet)
-
Has 29 wins and 13 poles
in 255 career starts.
-
Has a 60-point lead in the
season standings over Chuck Hossfeld.
-
Won the last time out at
Mansfield on Aug. 23 … Also won the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler at SMS on April
27.
-
Has at least one victory
in 10 consecutive seasons.
-
Has led 428 of 1328 (32%)
total laps this year, nearly three times as many as any other driver.
-
Has six career NWMT wins
at TIS … The next would put him in sole possession of fifth on the NWMT wins
list at TIS.
Doug
Coby (No. 28 Chevrolet)
-
Will drive the No. 28 of
Don King this week … Shares the ride with Woody Pitkat.
-
Has one win 11 top fives
and 24 top 10s in 77 career starts.
-
Was 16th in last week’s
NWAAS National Top 500 standings.
Ed
Flemke Jr. (No. 10 Chevrolet)
-
Won the season-opener at
TIS.
-
Has 17 wins and 16 poles
in 364 career starts.
-
Has made a record 305
consecutive starts … The last time he did not start an NWMT race was on July
22, 1992 at Riverside Park Speedway.
Rick
Fuller (No. 77)
-
1993 NWMT Champion … Will
be honored prior to this race as part of NASCAR’s celebration of 60 Years of
Modified Champions.
-
Has 20 wins and 11 poles
in 434 career starts … Last won at Waterford in May, 2003.
-
Has eight career wins at
TIS, tied for third-most all-time … Last win was the 2001 Icebreaker.
Bobby
Grigas III (No. 09 Chevrolet)
-
Captured his first career
Coors Light Pole Award at TIS on June 19.
-
Registered best career
finish, third, at TIS in this year’s Icebreaker.
Matt
Hirschman (No. 59 Chevrolet)
-
Has 25 top 10s in 49
career starts.
-
Earned his first NWMT win
at Spencer on July 12.
-
Has finished on the lead
lap in 27 consecutive races, the most among all drivers … Is the only driver
to complete all 1328 laps this year.
-
Has top-10s in six of the
last eight races and is up to third in the standings, his highest ranking
this year.
Chuck
Hossfeld (No. 4 Dodge)
-
Trails Ted Christopher by
60 points in the season standings … Maintained the points lead for eight
weeks before the last race at Mansfield.
-
Finished in the top four
in each of the season’s first six races … Last four outings have resulted in
finishes ranging from 15th to 28th.
-
Has won this year at SMS
(5/23) and NHMS (6/28).
-
Has seven wins, 42 top
fives and 61 top 10s in 105 career starts.
-
Has one win at TIS, the
2003 Icebreaker.
Ryan
Preece (No. 3 Chevrolet)
-
Has one pole and seven top
10s in 24 career starts.
-
Currently ranks 11th in
the season standings with five top 10s in 10 starts.
-
Recorded best career
finish, third, last time out at Mansfield.
-
Has led 135 laps this
year, third among all drivers.
Ronnie
Silk (No. 79 Pontiac)
-
Has won back-to-back races
at TIS … All three of his career wins have come at TIS … Has won three of
last five NWMT races at TIS, dating back to 2007.
-
Is fifth in the standings,
his highest ranking this year … Has top-10 finishes in six of the last seven
races, including two wins.
-
Has 19 top-10s in 49
career NWMT starts.
Mike
Stefanik (No. 16 Pontiac)
-
Seven-time NWMT Champion …
Was honored at SMS on May 23.
-
Has a NWMT record 68
victories in 375 career starts.
-
Has eight top 10s in 2008
and is fourth in the season standings.
-
Is the all-time NWMT wins
leader at TIS with 14 … Last win was the 2006 Icebreaker.
Todd
Szegedy (No. 2 Ford)
-
The 2003 NWMT Champion …
Will be honored at New Hampshire on Sept. 13.
-
Has 12 wins in 104 career
starts, the best start-to-victory ratio (9:1) of any active driver.
-
Like Chuck Hossfeld, he
finished in the top 10 in each of the season’s first six races, but not in
the four outings since.
Jamie
Tomaino (No. 99 Chevrolet)
-
The 1990 NWMT Champion …
Was honored at Spencer on July 12.
-
Has missed only four of
the 497 races in the history of the NWMT (1985-pr.).
-
Is one of three drivers
(Rick Fuller, Carl Pasteryak) to make a start in all 24 years of the NWMT.
Upcoming
Milestones/Benchmarks:
-
With a win in
this race, Ronnie Silk would become the first driver to capture
three-straight races at Thompson International Speedway since Mike Stefanik
swept all four dates in 1998.
-
Todd Szegedy’s
next win would be the 13th of his career, which would put him in sole
possession of 13th on the all-time list.
-
Mike Stefanik
has 40 career poles … The next would place him in a tie with Tony Hirschman
for the all-time lead.
-
Jamie Tomaino
will extend his own series record by making his 494th career start.
Ed Flemke Jr.
is expected to extend his record consecutive starts streak to 306.

Modified Champion Rick Fuller To Be
Honored At Thompson
NASCAR To Recognize 1993 Modified Champ On Sept. 7
August 28, Daytona Beach, FL--- As part of a season-long celebration
of 60 Years of Modified Champions, 1993 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
titlist Rick Fuller will be honored at the Sunoco Modified Mania 150 on
Sunday, Sept. 7 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.
A consistent championship contender throughout his NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour career with top 10 points finishes in 17 seasons; Fuller
broke through in 1993 and earned a 93-point victory over Reggie Ruggiero
for the title.
In eighth place in the season standings after five races in 1993,
Fuller put together a run of eight top fives in the next 10 races and
took the points lead from Ruggiero for the first time on Sept. 15 after
placing fourth in the Sunoco 300 at Thompson. He then held off Ruggiero
in the season’s final two races to earn the title.
Still an active competitor in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Fuller
has 20 wins and 230 top 10s in 434 career starts. His win total is
seventh on the series’ all-time list while his 11 Coors Light Pole
Awards rank 13th.
“I think it’s pretty awesome that they’re going to do it there at
Thompson,” Fuller said. “That is in my backyard, I only live 15 minutes
away.”
A resident of Auburn, Mass., Fuller has excelled at the .625-mile
oval throughout his career. Of his 20 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
wins, eight came at Thompson, including his first on Oct. 16, 1988.
Prior to joining the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on a full-time basis,
Fuller nabbed Thompson track titles in the Late Model division in 1982
and the Modified division in 1985.
“I’ve had a lot of good times there,” Fuller said. “I started racing
there back in the early 1980s and I’ve won in just about every division
that they’ve ran there. I love that place.”
Fuller is one of only three drivers who have made starts in each of
the 24 years of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, along with Carl
Pasteryak and Jamie Tomaino. Always a fan favorite, Fuller was named the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Most Popular Driver in 2000.
Fuller is the younger brother of Jeff Fuller, a former standout
driver in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The two brothers have
combined to win 51 races in the series. Rick’s 1993 series title came
just one year after Jeff’s. The elder Fuller was honored for his 1992
championship at Thompson on June 19.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
will hold its 11th race of the season on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Thompson.
Practice and time trials for the Sunoco Modified Mania 150 will take
place on Saturday, Sept. 6. For ticket information, please visit
Thompson’s official Web site (
thompsonspeedway.com).




Disclaimer:
Views expressed by
columnists and all others on this website are strictly their own, and may not
necessarily reflect the views and/or opinions of the management of Long Island
Motorsports News.
Long Island
Motorsports News, your source for
racing coverage, is updated daily.
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 by
Long Island Motorsports News. All rights reserved.