(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
Justin Bonsignore
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will conclude the 2017 season on Sunday with the running of the Sunoco World Series 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Below is a statistical look at the race, including selected driver notes:
Sunoco World Series 150 Setup
• The Sunoco World Series 150 marks the fourth and final appearance of the 2017 season at Thompson. Rowan Pennink and Ryan Preece have already visited Victory Lane on the high-banks this season.
• Entering the race, Doug Coby holds a 10 point lead in the championship standings over Justin Bonsignore. Timmy Solomito is third, 12 points back, while Ryan Preece is fourth, 19 points back.
• Preece (five), Solomito (four) and Bobby Santos (two) are the only driver’s to win multiple points races this season. Doug Coby has two wins, but one of them came in the non-points event at Charlotte last week.
At Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
• The historic 0.625-mile oval opened in 1940 and has held at least one NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race since the series started in 1985.
• The track held three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races in history, with the first being won by Neil Cole back in 1951.
• The track also has a non-NASCAR road course, where events are held throughout the year.
• The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Tour returned to Thompson for the first time since 2009 on July 8 this season, with Harrison Burton going to Victory Lane.
Notebook
• There have been 137 Whelen Modified Tour races in the history of Thompson, which is the most of any other facility on the 2017 schedule.
• Seven-time series champion Mike Stefanik holds the lead with 15 career wins at the Connecticut oval, while Doug Coby, Bobby Santos and Justin Bonsignore lead all active drivers with five career wins.
• There have been 47 different pole winners at Thompson. Tony Hirschman leads the list with 13 career poles, while Doug Coby is the active leader with seven career poles.
•In the Icebreaker, Rowan Pennink snapped a dry spell that dated back to 2009 for the Boelher Racing team. Ryan Preece was able to roll into Victory Lane in the other two events at Thompson so far this season.
Thompson Data
Race: #16 of 16 overall
Race Date: Sunday, October 15 at 3:30 p.m. (approx.)
Track Layout: 0.625-mile paved oval
Race Length: 150 laps (93.75 miles)Qualifying/Race Data
2016 Winner: Justin Bonsignore
2016 Polesitter: Timmy Solomito
1-Lap Qualifying Record: 123.376 mph (Bobby Santos — April 2011)
Active Category Leaders at Thompson
Wins
1. Justin Bonsignore … 5
Doug Coby … 5
Bobby Santos … 5
3. Ron Silk … 4
Poles
1. Doug Coby … 5
Bobby Santos … 5
2. Ryan Preece …. 4
Top Fives
1. Jamie Tomaino … 20
2. Doug Coby… 18
Ryan Preece ….18
Top 10s
1. Jamie Tomaino … 49
2. Doug Coby …. 31
3. Todd Szegedy … 28
Laps Led
1. Ryan Preece … 863
2. Doug Coby … 854
3. Donny Lia … 668
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 134
2. Wade Cole… 91
3. Doug Coby … 53
Selected Driver Highlights
Doug Coby (No. 2 Mayhew Tools/Dunleavy’s/AJ Romano Construction Chevrolet)
• The four-time series champion leads the championship standings by 10 points entering Thompson, as he looks to capture a fourth straight championship.
• In 15 starts this season, Coby has one win, nine top fives and 10 top 10 finishes.
• In 53 Thompson starts, Coby has five wins, 18 top fives and 31 top 10s, along with 854 laps led.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet)
• Bonsignore enters Thompson second in the championship standings, 10 from the lead as he looks for a first career championship.
• In 15 starts this season, Bonsignore has no wins, six top fives and 12 top 10s, along with an average finish of 7.3
• Bonsignore is the defending winner of the Sunoco World Series 150 and has five career Thompson wins.
Timmy Solomito (No. 16 Starrett Tools Ford)
• Solomito enters the race third in the championship standings, 12 from the lead, in search of his first championship.
• In 15 starts this season, Solomito has four wins, nine top fives and 10 top 10 finishes.
• Solomito has one career win at Thompson, along with six top fives and 13 top 10s.
Ryan Preece (No. 6 TS Haulers Chevrolet)
• Preece enters Thompson fourth in the championships standings, 19 points from the lead.
• In 13 starts this season, Preece has five wins, 12 top fives and 12 top 10s.
• Preece has won two races at Thompson this season, three career there, and has led 863 laps at Thompson.
Woody Pitkat (No. 82 Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet)
• Pitkat has 11 starts this season and has four top 10 finishes.
• Pitkat is driving the No. 82 in honor of the late Ted Christopher, who passed in September after driving the car this season.
• Pitkat has no wins in 36 career Thompson starts, but also has seven top fives and 15 top 10s.
Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Corp/Worldband Chevrolet)
• Santos has two victories this season, both coming at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• In his eight starts this season, Santos has those two wins, five top fives and seven top 10s, along with 25 laps led.
• In 42 career Thompson starts, Santos has five career wins, 18 top fives and 24 top 10s.
Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing Chevrolet)
• Goodale enters Thompson fifth in the championship standings, still with a mathematical shot at winning the title, but he will need some luck.
• In 15 races this year, Goodale has one win, the most recent series event at Stafford on Oct. 1.
• Goodale has 31 starts at Thompson, four top fives and 17 top 10s.
Rowan Pennink (No. 3 Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet)
• Pennink enters Thompson sixth in the points, still with a mathematical shot at winning the title, but will need some luck.
• In 15 starts this season, Pennink has one win, three top fives and 11 top 10s.
• In 40 Thompson starts, Pennink has two wins, including the Sunoco World Series in 2013.
Jimmy Blewett (No. 76 Starrett Tools Ford)
• Blewett has only one start this season, which resulted in a 24th place finish in the Icebreaker at Thompson.
• In 122 career Whelen Modified Tour starts, Blewett has six wins, 28 top fives and 48 top 10s.
• In 34 career Thompson starts, Blewett has no wins, but has six top fives and 12 top 10s.
Ron Silk (No. 85 Montanari Fuel/Stuarts Automotive/J&R Pre-Cast Chevrolet)
• In six starts this season, Silk has a best of third in the NAPA Fall Final at Stafford on Oct. 1.
• Silk won the 2011 Whelen Modified Tour championship.
• Silk has four wins, 17 top fives and 27 top 10s in his career at Thompson.
Dave Sapienza (No. 36 Sapienza Enterprise Chevrolet)
• Sapienza has 15 starts this season, with three top fives and six top 10s.
• In 46 career starts, Sapienza has four top fives and 10 top 10s.
• In 12 career Thompson starts, Sapienza has just one top 10 finish.
Up To Speed
• This is the 33rd season of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action. The first race was in 1985 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
• The 2017 schedule included 16 points races at nine different tracks, across seven different states. It also included two non-points events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Eric Goodale scored the victory in the most recent Whelen Modified Tour event, which was held at Stafford Motor Speedway.
• This is the final race of the unified Whelen Modified Tour season.
Statistically speaking, given the long lines and high ticket prices for this event, at least one person we know won’t be going.
There are so many things that can happen here, so many different possible outcomes. Bad luck is a factor, just who will be affected?
The names Doug Dareal so if you’re going to be snarky once again with an entry completely unrelated to the story at hand why not go the full measure. No I’m not going to seek a physical confrontation for your continued pettiness like one person did. Nor will I cease making entries like the gal you chased off by doing the exact same thing. Actually I’m building an homage to you with many of your greatest statements from your hatred of Trump to your claims of being an intellectual. And every time I read one of your none racing attacks that have no purpose except to be petty I’ll unpack my collection and share.No doubt it will get very long since preemptive snarky attacks is kind of your thing. Stay tuned Dareal, more to come.
I’m looking forward to this race. For a great closer to the season, I’m calling the 3 to win. The 2, 51, and 16 are gonna wear each other and themselves up. I think the 3 and 6 are going to have fun.
art, safe travels. Get there early… the place will be packed. You want to avoid those long lines with the big crush when people show up en masse. You should have a nice ride, early autumn scenery.
Thanks dareal,I leave Sun morning at 7 get there 10-10:30 never had a bad line foe a paddock pass.Get to walk around and talk and get ready for a great show.
Liz, what’s your call? Stolimoto?