Whelen Modified Tour Statistical Advance: Sunoco 100 At NHMS

(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)

Sunoco WMT 100The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sunoco 100 and the inaugural non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout. Below is a statistical look at the performance of tour and selected drivers at the track:

New Hampshire Race Setup:
· Saturday’s Sunoco 100, the 60th all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, will be preceded on Friday by the inaugural non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout.
· Doug Coby will take a seven-point lead in the season standings on Bobby Santos to Loudon. Coby has won two of the last three races at NHMS while Santos will look for his first career “Magic Mile” victory.
· Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher enter the week tied for the NHMS track wins record with 10 apiece. Stefanik has eight in NWMT action and two from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East while Christopher’s are divided equally between the two series.
· The Sunoco 100 is set to feature four drivers from the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, including New Hampshire native and season points leader Andy Seuss.

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
History
· Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.
· The 1.058-mile oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England.
· The official opening was June 5, 1990 and the first NASCAR event was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on July 15, 1990 in which NASCAR K&N Pro Series East drivers competed in combination.
· Speedway Motorsports Inc., agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on Jan. 11, 2008 and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Notebook
· The first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race was held on Sept. 2, 1990. The NWMT has raced there each year since and there have been 59 all-time NWMT races at NHMS, the most of any facility outside of Connecticut.
· There have been 18 different race winners, led by Mike Stefanik with eight.
· There have been 24 different pole winners, led by Jan Leaty’s six.
· Chuck Hossfeld was the youngest NHMS race winner at 25 years, eight months, 11 days, set in 2002.
· In 2012, Mike Stefanik became the oldest NHMS winner at 54 years, one month, 24 days.
· Thirteen times the pole winner has won at NHMS, but never in wire-to-wire fashion.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Race: #6 of 14
Track Layout: 1.058-mile asphalt oval
· Race Length: 100 laps (105.8 miles)
· Banking/Corners: 2-7 degrees

Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Pole Winner: Jimmy Blewett
2013 Race Winner: Doug Coby
Qualifying Record: Mike Ewanitsko (132.743 mph, 28.693 seconds, 7/20/01)

Active Category Leaders At NHMS:
Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 8
2. Ted Christopher … 5
3. Chuck Hossfeld … 3
Todd Szegedy … 3
5. four drivers with … 2

Poles
1. Ted Christopher … 5
2. Ryan Newman … 4
3. Ron Silk … 2
Mike Stefanik … 2
5. five drivers with … 1

Top Fives
1. Mike Stefanik … 24
2. Ted Christopher … 19
3. Todd Szegedy … 11
4. Ron Silk … 9
5. Donny Lia … 8

Top 10s
1. Mike Stefanik … 32
2. Ted Christopher … 27
3. Todd Szegedy … 16
4. Ron Silk … 13
5. Jamie Tomaino … 12

Laps Led
1. Ted Christopher … 809
2. Mike Stefanik … 595
3. Ron Silk … 248
4. Todd Szegedy … 231
5. Donny Lia … 183

Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 59
2. Wade Cole … 52
3. Mike Stefanik … 51
4. Ted Christopher … 49
5. Todd Szegedy … 23

Selected Driver Highlights:
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 chem3.com Chevrolet)
· Has four wins, three poles and 37 top 10s in 65 career starts.

· Won the 2014 opener at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Had top-five finishes in the first four races this year and ranks third in points.

· Has two top fives, an average finish of 20th and a best result of third (Sept. 2011) in nine career starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Ted Christopher (No. 13 J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates Chevrolet)
· The 2008 NWMT champion has 42 wins, 24 poles and 186 top 10s in 340 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
· Is looking to end a 34-race winless drought. It’s his longest such streak since the start of his career when his first win came in his 94th race.
· Has top 10s in all five races this year with his new team, including podiums the last two times out.
· Has five wins, five poles, 27 top 10s, a record 809 laps led and an average finish of 14th in 49 career NHMS NWMT starts.
· His five NWMT wins, combined with five NASCAR K&N Pro Series East victories, has him tied for the NHMS track record at 10 with Mike Stefanik.
· Has also made five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at NHMS.

Doug Coby (No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet)
· The 2012 NWMT champion has 10 wins, four poles and 71 top 10s in 148 career starts.
· Is the season points leader by seven tallies on Bobby Santos. Won the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway in February and recorded podiums in the first three regular season races, including a win at Stafford Motor Speedway in June.
· Has two wins (Sept. 2012, July 2013), a pole, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 21 career starts at NHMS.

Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet)
· Has a win, a pole and 30 top 10s in 78 career NWMT starts.
· Inherited the NWMT’s active starts streak lead, now at 76 races, when Ed Flemke Jr. did not run the 2014 opener.
· Ranks eighth in points after five events. His first career victory was earned last time out at Riverhead Raceway.
· Has four top 10s, an average finish of 15th and a best result of seventh (Sept. 2013) in 11 career NHMS starts.

Matt Hirschman (No. 52 Furnace & Duct Supply/Seekonk Grand Prix Chevrolet)
· Has two wins, three poles and 42 top 10s in 82 career NWMT starts.
· Ranks 11th in points with a pair of top 10s, highlighted by a third-place effort last time out at Riverhead.
· Has five top 10s, an average finish of 13th and a best result of third (July 2011) in 10 career NHMS starts.
· Finished fourth at NHMS in the Sept. 2008 NKNPS East race for Gillett-Evernham Motorsports.

Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Racing Dodge)
· The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion has 17 wins, 19 poles and 74 top 10s in 146 career starts.
· Ranks 12th in points with a pair of top 10s and a best result of second at Waterford Speedbowl.
· Owner of two wins, a pole, eight top fives and an average finish of 13th in 18 career NHMS starts. Both of his wins came in the summer events of his championship-winning seasons.
· Has a best finish of 12th (Sept. 2010) in three career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at NHMS.

Ryan Newman (No. 7 Menards/Wix Filters Chevrolet)
· Has four wins, four poles and eight top fives in 14 career NWMT starts.
· Has a pair of wins (June & Sept. 2010), all four of those poles, five top fives and an average finish of 13th in 10 career NHMS NWMT starts.
· Has three wins, seven poles and 15 top 10s in 24 career NSCS starts at NHMS, and set the series’ track qualifying record last September.

Woody Pitkat (No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet)
· Has a pole and 38 top 10s in 83 career starts. Best career finish is second, recorded three times: August 2011 Loudon, 2012 Stafford Fall Final and 2014 Thompson Icebreaker.
· Ranks fifth in points this year with top 10s in the first four races and a best result of second in the Thompson opener.
· Has eight top 10s, an average finish of 13.5 and a best result of second in 14 career NHMS races.

Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
· The 2013 NWMT champion has nine wins, 12 poles, 25 podiums, 43 top fives and 58 top 10s in 100 career starts.
· Ranks ninth in points after five races with a best result of fourth last time out at Riverhead.
· Has seven top 10s, an average finish of 12th and a best result of third (four times) in 15 career NHMS starts.
· Will also compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at NHMS this week. Finished 24th in that race last year.

Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet)
· The 2010 NWMT champion has 12 wins, 14 poles and 47 top 10s in 85 career starts.
· Ranks second in points with a tour-high two wins (Stafford Spring Sizzler, Waterford) and an additional podium (June Stafford).
· Has six top 10s, an average finish of 16.5 and a best result of fourth (three times) in 15 career NHMS races.

Andy Seuss (No. 70 Rockingham Boat Chevrolet)
· Has six top 10s in 30 career NWMT starts.
· In 12 starts at NHMS he has three top 10s, an average finish of 20th and a career-best result of fourth (July 2013).
· Primarily competes in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour where he is the current season points leader. Has 18 wins, 11 poles and 65 top 10s in 85 career NWSMT starts.

Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
· The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, eight poles and 76 top 10s in 130 career starts.
· Earned the NWAAS modified division title in the New Smyrna Speedway World Series in February.
· Ranks sixth in points with four top 10s in five outings, highlighted by a sixth-place finish at Stafford in June.
· Has two wins (Sept. 2009, Sept. 2011), 13 top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 20 career NHMS races.

Timmy Solomito (No. 75 Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet)
· Has a pole and five top 10s in 12 career starts with a best finish of third at Riverhead in September 2013.
· The Sunoco Rookie of the Race in four of the first five 2014 events, he ranks seventh in the overall standings with a best result of fourth in the Thompson opener.
· This will be his first appearance at NHMS.

Mike Stefanik (No. 1 Cady’s Tavern Ford)
· Seven-time champion has 74 wins, 48 poles, 223 top fives and 300 top 10s – all NWMT records – in 450 starts.
· This will be just his second appearance of 2014 following a DNF in the Thompson opener.
· Holds NHMS all-time NWMT records for wins (8), top fives (24) and top 10s (32) with a pair of poles and an average finish of 11th in 51 starts.
· Has a pair of wins and 12 top 10s in 36 career NKNPS East starts at NHMS. Also made five NNS starts and one NCWTS race at NHMS from 1992-99.

Todd Szegedy (No. 15 15-40 Connection Chevrolet)
· The 2003 NWMT champion has 18 wins, 10 poles and 113 top 10s in 182 career starts.
· This will be his second appearance of 2014 following a DNF in the last race at Riverhead.
· Has three wins (Sept. 2007, July 2011, Sept. 2013), a pole, 16 top 10s and an average finish of ninth in 23 career NWMT starts at NHMS.

Up To Speed:
· The 2014 season is the 30th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

· The 2014 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.

· The competition season opened with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18. Ryan Preece was the polesitter and Doug Coby took the checkered flag.

· Justin Bonsignore passed first-time pole winner Woody Pitkat with nine laps to go to win the points season opener at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 6.

· Rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. captured his first pole and Bobby Santos earned his sixth Stafford Motor Speedway victory on April 27.

· After two rainouts, the third race of the season finally got in the books on June 6 when Doug Coby took the checkered flag at Stafford. Santos earned the pole on the original May 23 race date.

· The first bullring race of the year saw a battle between polesitter Donny Lia and Bobby Santos on June 21 at Waterford Speedbowl, and Santos eventually won out for his 12th career victory.

· Eric Goodale earned his first career win and John Beatty Jr. his first pole on June 28 at Riverhead Raceway.

· Following this week’s Sunoco 100, the NWMT will return to New Hampshire on Saturday, July 19 for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Monadnock Speedway in rural Winchester.

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