Defender: Mike Stefanik Looking To Bounce Back From Whelen Mod Tour Motor Issues At NHMS

LOUDON, N.H. – Maybe the wardrobe choice for Mike Stefanik Friday morning proved to be premonition.

Mike Stefanik’s crew works to switch out motors during Whelen Modified Tour practice Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

“I usually come up here with shorts on,” Stefanik said. “This morning I said ‘Maybe I’ll wear long pants, maybe I’ll have to work.’”

And while his counterparts on the Whelen Modified Tour were finishing up their hour and 45 minute practice session Friday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in preparation for Saturday’s Town Fair Tire 100, Stefanik was helping his team work on his car in the pits.

Stefanik, the defending champion of the Town Fair Tire 100, blew a motor in practice and was helping his team prepare the car for a motor swap from the team’s backup car.

Despite the issues, the seven-time Whelen Modified Tour champion had hardly lost optimism.

“We lost pretty much all of our practice time,” Stefanik said. “We waited a little bit to go out because of all the debris from the rally cars. We went out there on some old tires to shake the car down and we didn’t really learn anything on them. So we came in and put stickers and we made like a lap, a lap and a half maybe. So we don’t really know anything. That’s the worst part.

“But I’ve got so much confidence in [crew chief Brad Lafontaine] and this team. We won this race last year, if he can give me anything close to that I’ll be a happy boy and hopefully I can sit back and enjoy the show. Everybody has different hurdles to climb and this is on of those hurdles for our team to climb this weekend.”

Stefanik was one of three drivers to have motor issues during the practice. Series points leader Ryan Preece and Justin Bonsignore also had motor problems.