Notes And Notables Heading Into Sunday’s Whelen Modified Tour Season Finale At Thompson Speedway

The 2013 season on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour comes to a close Sunday with the running of the Sunoco World Series 150 at the World Series of Speedway Racing at Thompson Speedway.

Ryan Preece goes into the event looking to clinch his first series championship. The 22-year old from Berlin is looking to become the youngest series champion since the inception of the division in 1985.

Doug Coby of Milford, the 2012 series champion, is 26 points behind Preece in the standings heading into the final race of the year.

Take a look below at some other fast facts compiled by NASCAR about this weekend’s event.

— If he wins the championship, Preece would become the sixth different first-time series champion in the last seven years and fourth in a row. He would also become the eight driver in the last nine years to win the title.

— Keith Rocco of Wallingford will be piloting the No. 46 Bob Katon owned ride normally driven by Eric Berndt of Cromwell.

Rocco was the 2012 Whelen Modified Tour Rookie of the Year driving for Boehler Racing Enterprises. Sunday will mark his first Whelen Modified Tour event of the season.

— Max Zachem of Preston will attempt to make his Whelen Modified Tour debut driving for car owner Mike Smeriglio in a Todd Szegedy backup car. Zachem, a regular on the Valenti Modified Racing Series, serves as a crew member for Szegedy, of Ridgefield.

— Szegedy is looking to keep alive a streak of seven consecutive seasons finishing in the top-five in the final standings for the division. Szegedy goes into Sunday’s event fifth in points, two points ahead of Rowan Pennink of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. Szegedy was 10th in the standings two races ago before a victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 21 and fourth place at Stafford Motor Speedway on Sept. 29.

— From the championship battle on down, numerous positions are up for grabs in the top-10 of the standings. In addition to Szegedy and Pennink fighting for fifth, Donny Lia of Jericho, N.Y. goes into the final race in third in the standings, one point ahead of fourth place Mike Stefanik of Coventry, R.I. Seventh place Justin Bonsginore (Holtsville, N.Y.), eighth place Ron Silk (Norwalk), ninth place Woody Pitkat (Stafford) and 10th place Ted Christopher (Plainville) are separated by six points.