Chris Pasteryak celebrates a Valenti Modified Racing Series victory in 2016 at Monadnock Speedway (Photo: Jim DuPont)
A familiar name to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is heading back to action with the series after seven years away.
Chris Pasteryak of Lisbon will be in the lineup when the Whelen Modified Tour kicks off its 2018 season with the running of the Performance Plus 150 on March 17 at Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway.
Pasteryak made his last Whelen Modified Tour start in 2010. Since then he has been a regular on the Valenti Modified Racing Series and last year ran full-time with the Modified Touring Series.
Pasteryak cited seeing improvements in the efficiency of operation of the Whelen Modified Tour as part of the impetus for his return.
“To be honest, it’s a lot of the changes they’ve made for tightening up the schedule for the time at the tracks,” Pasteryak told RaceDayCT Saturday. “I went out and helped out Gary Putnam three or four times last year. Kind of just helped during the race. And I saw that really I was pretty impressed with how they ran the show. So that kind of opened the door a little bit to ‘Maybe we could come back and do this.’ The spec motor has been there for a few years and they’ve got a lot of the kinks ironed out with that. How Max Zachem ran when he ran his 18-degree motor, which he was competitive. So they’ve got their rules a little bit closer there if we put our 18-degree motor in. And it was time for a change. It was time to do something different. A lot of the stuff that I used to complain about, like being at the track at 5 a.m. to run a race at midnight, they kind of fixed and they’ve gotten it a lot better.”
Pasteryak said his team plans to run all but two events. They will skip the Eastern Propane & Oil 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 21 and the Bush’s Beans 150 on Aug. 15 at Bristol (Tenn.) Speedway.
“We want to do the 250-lapper at [New Hampshire Motor Speedway] so we probably won’t go to the first [event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” Pasteryak said. “And then that we’ll free up enough time that we could definitely go to the second one there. It will be pretty much the plan is to do everything else but that. That’s depending on whether I wad it up too much or blow or something like that. But that’s the goal, to run everything but two.”
Pasteryak made his Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2005. He had thirty starts in the division from 2005 to 2010, recording four top-five’s and 11 top-10’s during that span. He finished sixth in the Whelen Modified Tour standings in 2009, his only full-time season in the division. He won Valenti Modified Racing Series championships in 2008 and 2011.
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Good racing Family
His Dad was one I enjoyed watching.
Good, Hard Racer!
Good Luck!
Well, the fact that the MTS is gone and the MRS is in disarray sorta leaves not too many options for respectable Tour class modified racing in Pasteryak’s neighborhood. He was never really competitive on the Tour. We’ll see if he developed while he was away these last few years. He was a big fish in the MRS pond, let’s see how he does in the NWMT pond.
Would like to see Chris in an SK at Stafford. Think he’d be a good addition. Nice to see him back on the tour rhough
Good luck Chris, do the family proud!
Did not know the tour ran on water, thought they ran on asphalt. What’s with this pond thing and fish? Maybe you need a bass boat instead.
Second Rob p on seeing Chris in a Stafford SK. May I suggest the 99 temporarily if Pennink requires more time to heal up.
Racing is about what have you done lately. But Chris P is longggggggggggg time accomplished driver.
https://racedayct.com/chrispasteryak/
Interesting article from racedayct with some nuggets of gold. The NWMT was sloppy and has tightened things up. 18 degree engines are more competitive with the widely used spec engine. Traveling to Tennessee isn’t worth it. Pass on the Monster Series weekend and yes to the new 250 lapper. Interesting.
Hope Chris makes it to the Stafford Open Modified Show.
Also nice to see WHELEN stepping up and adding $3500 to winners share to make all races pay 10K to win
Welcome back and Good Luck CCCP racing
Yeah, I’m so glad that NASCAR stepped up its game to make it worthy of Chris Pasteryak. Chris was running all those other top shelf series: MRS, MTS, KOMA, etc. Yeah, so glad NASCAR upped its game to compete with MTS, MRS and KOMA.
NOTE: MAJOR SARCASM LOL!!!!
He wasn’t competitive then, why would he be competitive now? And why pass on the Loudon and Bristol events? He wasn’t competitive then with top shelf Hutter power and all the best parts, what makes him think he can compete now? And the MRS championships… we all know that just running the most races in the MRS will just about hand you the championship. The MRS is at best a traveling open series, full of transients, very few cars run all races in a given season. So just a couple races into the MRS season has already whittled the championship contenders down to about 3. All those 3 have to do is finish the races and they will be contenders. Big whoop.
This reunion has been a long time coming. Welcome back. Another solid team back on the tour. Winter is officially next Saturday night. Time to rock!
Could use a predictions poll for the championship. Time to get our picks down in writing so we all can see who picked who in Oct.
Dareal… You have also said about a dozen or so times that Matt Hirschman had no success on the tour when he ran full time, even though he finished 2nd in points and 3rd in points out of 4 years of full time competition. Or do points not count on the WMT either… Chris finished 6th in points in his only full season, back when you still had 40+ cars showing up to events at nhms and martinsville… you literally know nothing and are a troll. You live in a land of delusion where the tour is the only racing that exists. You know nothing and have never touched a race car besides at a pit party… But you win because I reacted.
Racedaynh, ooops there it is, ooops there it is…………
ALL DAREAL is here for is to make silly stupid comments to get others to react and make himself chuckle I put him and Jeffery in the same category
The idea of predicting the top 5 spots or so in the NWMT seems like a good idea. No hedging, no qualifications, any takers? Being the least informed and with no credibility I’ll go first. Solomito, Coby,Goodale Bonsignor and Carroll. That’s right Carroll. Stash will have an impact.
Alright Doug my picks 16-2-6-58-51
And good luck Chris
RaceDayNH, why bring Hirschman into this convo? What does he have to do with Chris coming back to the WMT? What does Matt’s 2 wins in 93 NWMT races over 11 years have to do with that? Does 2 wins over 11 years and 93 races really impress you?
And over 30 Career NWMT races, Chris has an average finish of 14.6, and finished on the lead lap for only 20 of those races, and DNQ’d 7 times. No wins. Should be a solid mid-pack car on the NWMT.
Back to back post CASE PROVEN!!!!!!!!!!
Hirschman does impress me
Dareal on the pennink article:
“I liked what I saw with the BRE/Pennink Team last season. They’ll always be a favorite”
How can pennink be a favorite. Only 3 wins in 157 starts over 11 years. I can type stats too
I brought hirschman into the conversation to show your history of discounting anything outside NWMT… you think matt can’t drive, so obviously you think Chris can’t… have fun obsessing over a tour that runs half its races at two tracks
Doug, I’m in for 16-51-2-58-6, and despite some peoples opinions, I think Chris Pasteryak will be right there with these guys. Hopefully he’ll do well enough to only miss one race and do to both NHMS events. I’ve been watching them on the other tours (which also have some great racing by the way) and the team certainly has the skills and knowledge. I think the last time on the tour, they lacked the budget more than anything. Chris has come a long way since then as a driver.
RaceDayNH, I’m a stalwart fan of the #3, Ole Blue. A team that builds their own stuff, and yet they are competitive against the teams with the YUGE BIGLY budgets and the best cookie cutter cars money can buy.
When Pennink ran his own team, he had some great equipment and motors, but an inferior crew chief. That car never ran as good as it should have, we all knew that. Then there was the unceremonious replacement of the crew chief and Pennink has been doing better. Pennink in the 3 has been pretty good. Many engine failures took the team out. Pennink does rather well in the SK.
Pasteryak will not be close enough to read the rear body panel of the 3. I don’t see how running the MTS, MRS, KOMA, etc. will get a team ready to competitively run the NWMT. But then, maybe he doesn’t plan on competing, just running.
Chris said, “A lot of the stuff that I used to complain about, like being at the track at 5 a.m. to run a race at midnight, they kind of fixed and they’ve gotten it a lot better.”
Seriously? He ran so good that being there early and late was a big problem? Is this guy a racer or hobbyist? He needs to understand that the reason a raceday runs as long as it does is to pack in other series so the track will be financially viable. To reduce multi-day events, it all has to be crammed into one day. Consider an imaginary track that runs a single tour mod series exclusively so hobbyists like Chris can get there as late possible and out of there as soon as possible. How many of those tracks are there? List please…
And I still demand that my track wings and hot dogs are served with linen doilies.
Good picks Bill and Eddie. If Preece makes 14 of the events as he’s said he hopes to I’m out to lunch leaving him out. As much as I love seeing him race any modified in any venue I’m counting on his success in Xfinity and a greater demand for his time. I know it’s not a popular opinion but that 6 is just a great car and wish it had a totally committed driver for the entire schedule.
When will you all learn that because dareal said it, it is gospel. Don’t you recognize greatness when it speaks? Come on, a standing ovation is in order here for the man, the myth and a legend in his own mind……….
I’m happy to see another team come out and run the NWMT.Love to see Hirschman also.That said it is extremely difficult to win on this tour.I think I’m going to retire my crystal ball and just wait to enjoy how this season plays out.It’s almost here boys and girls.
Doug, I believe showtime Jimmy Blewett will be filling for Ryan in the 6 in his absence. That was last I heard.
I never realized there were so many uncommitted drivers.
Hey humphry, he probably drives a 78 ford Fairmont station wagon with dented fenders but he can criticize everyone else when it’s pretty clear he doesn’t have a clue THE LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND
It’s nice seeing Doug and DaReal agreeing on the 16 being the 2018 champ. Two peas in a pod you two. LOL
NH Mark, I never called for Stolimoto!!! It looks like Stolimoto will be Mark Martin… always a groomsman. Still not sure, waiting to see who else shows up. Might be a surprise or three in the works. But it is tough to win in this Tour. It’s all about being mistake-free, having good luck, no bad luck, and having the best flux capacitor to get the car away from trouble. Tough to predict what teams will be the luckiest and mistake-free.
But I do think that NASCAR will continue to clamp down on the flux capacitors. Last season was some of the closest racing in the SPEC engine era. Perhaps there will be some parity someday.
Look out NH, now you got him all riled up. Don’t forget you are in the presence of greatness and its high time we all acknowledge it.
Racedayct got the story first humphry on the super sub.
https://racedayct.com/2018/01/ryan-preece-expecting-to-run-bulk-of-2018-whelen-mod-tour-schedule-jimmy-blewett-to-serve-as-fill-in/
Jimmy is driving for three different teams the first three races. The 6, 11 and 76 family team. Then back in 6 in the fall when Burt Myers returns after BG and Preece is racing fendered cars. I think I got that right.
Has Tommy Baldwin announced a schedule yet with McKennedy. I know they were headed to MB next week. Entry list must be out by now. There were rumors of more races for them.
On March 13, 2017 leading up to the opener at Myrtle Beach the entry list was released. On March 14th Speed 51 released a run down of the NWMT teams and their plans. Hopefully that sort of thing will be repeated in the next few days.
I’m glad to see CCP and Chris joining the NWMT. There’s always good racing going on mid-pack, he should make that a little more exciting.
The Myrtle Beach entry list is out… 29 cars, would have been 30 with the #3. No 44, no Ron Silk. We can hope that Rocco will come up with an engine and goes racing with the #3.
http://racing-reference.info/entrylist/2018-01/N/E
Boys! Can’t we all get along? You all need to have a drink to take the edge off and calm down…
Mid pack racer? And your qualifications to determine that are? Modified race car driver, owner, crew chief, mechanic? Ever raced against him, never raced against him? All the above, none of the above? Give the kid a break, first year back on the tour, more experience, let’s see what he does before you condem him.
humphry, all you have to do is look at the results, watch the races. So I’d say eyesight is about all that is needed to be qualified. Chris left the NWMT and went running on the off-Broadway series. And it still wasn’t like he was Richie Evans on these off-Broadway series. He didn’t rule these series.
So all competitive teams have abandoned the 18º motor because it can’t compete, but Chris thinks he’s going to show up with an 18º motor and compete. This is the equivalent of “Hey! Watch this!!!!” and “Hold my beer!”
How am I qualified? Same way everybody else is when they discuss the 01 performance. Again, one does not need to be a racer, driver, owner, mechanic, crew chief, etc. to know that the 01 will go down a lap after just a couple laps as it consistently has.
Dareal, why don’t you read the article a little closer before you shove your foot down your throat a little further and choke on it. Chris said; “The spec motor has been there for a few years and they’ve got a lot of the kinks ironed out with that. How Max Zachem ran when he ran his 18-degree motor, which he was competitive. So they’ve got their rules a little bit closer there if we put our 18-degree motor in”. Key words “So they’ve got their rules a little bit closer there if we put our 18-degree motor in”. Again “if”. They are saying they have options captain obvious. So, what else do they have for power they are not telling anyone about. So instead of coming out throwing rocks and looking like the daidiot you are read things a little closer.
Humphry, have you given any thought to going to the New England Racing Expo show at the Crystal Mall? I know you don’t get anything for this except gratitude but it sure would be nice to get one of your reports is its of interest to you.
For the record, I believe CCP has two VMRS championships. They may not have “ruled”, but they certainly have done well in that series which always has at least a few WMT regulars racing at any event.
Yes, CCP has two VMRS championships. And as I said before, showing up on the VMRS gets you most of the way to a championship. Only a couple cars actually run the whole season, and that is the most important factor in being a champion on the VMRS. It’s a ‘series’ of transients, part-timers, hobbyists. The VMRS is at best a loosely organized open show tour. There is little commitment among participants.
As far as “WMT regulars”, I think that applies to drivers, not the cars. And a quick review of the 2017 MRS drivers show the only WMT regular was Rowan Pennink. There were former WMT drivers, but they are no longer WMT regulars. Last I knew, SPEC motors are not allowed on the MRS. Furthermore, I doubt CCP owns a SPEC motor, and have no plans on switching to SPEC power since it appears they are only putting their toe back in the water, they have not committed to two of the biggest races on the Tour. Unless they have more money than brains, they aren’t switching over to a SPEC to conditionally run the Tour. CONVERTING a car to a SPEC is far more expensive and extensive than just the engine.
I can’t wait to see how much egg you are going to end up with on your face if they show up a spec engine in the 75 car. Trust me, I will find out and be the first to call you out.
Egg on his face. Good one. Keep banging your head against that stone wall and see who lasts longer. Some people never learn.
Shawn, please have your fine staff post photos of the 75 CCP engine from Myrtle Beach.
Fella – your are an idiot WADR. Chris will do fine on the tour and may even win a race. Money will win one too if he races the whole season
Don’t worry welding, I already know the answer to the question, just prolonging the agony lol 😂. This is going to be priceless!
humphry, very impressive. That you finally learned to use emojis!!! What a big boy!!!
I will closely watch the 75 to learn what engine should be used at what track. 🤣
Humphry, I doubt the Tour competitors are quaking in their boots over Chris running the Tour, regardless of engine. Nice to see another car though.
Egg on his face. Hows he know which face it’s even on. You’re wasting your time.
To take a page out of your play book, Dareal wrote; “Furthermore, I doubt CCP owns a SPEC motor, and have no plans on switching to SPEC power since it appears they are only putting their toe back in the water, they have not committed to two of the biggest races on the Tour”. Well guess what, there was a spec engine in the 75 at Myrtle Beach. I have a nice extra-large, double yoke egg ready for you. Take it like a man or boy, whichever, bottom line you misfired on this one.