On Tap: Whelen Modified Tour Heads North With Season Quickly Fading

The action in the chase for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship heads north this weekend with the running of the F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Ryan Preece goes to Loudon looking for his first victory at the track and to put a stranglehold on the series standings as he looks to grab his first Tour title.

In Connecticut, Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson International Speedway are both dark, but the regular season rolls on at the Waterford Speedbowl, where the track hosts a Whelen All-American Series card on Saturday.

Where: Waterford Speedbowl
What: NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event
When: Saturday
Schedule: 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified, 30-lap Late Model, 25-lap SK Light Modified, 25-lap Street Stock, 25-lap Mini Stock and 20-lap Legends. Grandstands open: 3 p.m.; Qualifying: 5:30 p.m.; Features: 7 p.m.
More: The 22nd event of the season at the shoreline oval. … Last week, Frank Mucciacciaro led every lap to win the SK Modified feature, his first feature victory at the track since 206. … Keith Rocco leads all drivers in the division with eight victories this season. With three events remaining this season, Rocco holds a 69-point lead over second place Todd Ceravolo in the standings. Tyler Chadwick is 136 points behind in third place. … Rocco, Chadwick and Kyle James are the only multi-time winners this year in the SK Modified division. Chadwick has four victories, James has three victories. Other winners this year include Ceravolo, Diego Monahan Jeff Rocco, Joey Gada and Rob Janovic Jr. … Last week it was Keith Rocco winning for the ninth time this season in the Late Model division. Rocco holds a 118-point lead over Jason Palmer in the division’s standings.

Where: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
What: NASCAR Whelen Modified FW Webb 100
When: Saturday, 12:15 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports 2
Qualifying: Friday, 5 p.m.
More: The 12th of 14 Whelen Modified Tour events this year and second of two at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. … Series points leader Ryan Preece rolls into Loudon riding the momentum of his fourth victory of the season, which came Saturday at Riverehead (N.Y.) Raceway. Preece has never won on the Modified Tour at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Preece’s best career finish in a Modified Tour event at New Hampshire is third, which he has accomplished four times, including in the last event at the track on July 13. … Preece holds a 39-point lead over 2012 series champion Doug Coby, who is second in the standings with three events remaining. A strong finish in Loudon for Preece will put him in position to likely clinch the series title in the division’s penultimate event of the year on Sept. 29 at Stafford Motor Speedway … Coby won on July 13 at Loudon and also won the division’s Sept. Loudon event in 2012. Coby is looking to join Reggie Ruggiero, Mike Stefanik, Tony Hirschman and Ted Christopher as the only drivers to win three consecutive Whelen Modified Tour events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Ruggier and Christopher are the only drivers to win four consecutive events at the track. … Coby has two victories this season. Stefanik and Bobby Santos also have two victories each in 2013. Justin Bosnigore is the only other winner this year. … Stefanik won the July 2012 series event at Loudon. … The Saturday schedule this weekend in Loudon also includes the K&N Pro Series East North American Power 100, the 50-lap Bond Auto American-Canadian Tour Invitational and the Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream 25 for the Legends cars on the track’s mini oval. … Qualifying for the Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300, the second event of the Chase for the Championship, is on Friday. The race is Sunday at 2 p.m.