(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
Donny Lia celebrates victory in the Whelen Modified Tour Fall Final 150 last year at Stafford Speedway (Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The penultimate race of the 2014 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season will take place on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway with the NAPA Fall Final 150. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the tour and selected drivers at the track:
NAPA Fall Final 150 Setup:
· Season points leader Doug Coby and third-place Bobby Santos have combined to win 11 of the last 18 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events at Stafford Motor Speedway, including the first two this season. Coby has six career Stafford wins, but none in the Fall Final, while Santos won the race in 2010 and 2012.
· Ted Christopher ranks second on the Whelen Modified Tour career wins list at Stafford with 12, including the Fall Final in 2001 and 2011. That 2011 triumph is his most recent tour victory.
· In addition to Christopher and Santos, the only other driver entered this weekend that has won the Fall Final before is Donny Lia, in 2009 and 2013. Mike Stefanik holds the event record with eight triumphs.
At Stafford Motor Speedway:
History
· The Stafford Springs Agricultural Park opened in 1870. The current race track was originally used for horse racing, which gave way to automobiles after World War II.
· Stafford Motor Speedway became a NASCAR-sanctioned track in 1959 and was paved in 1967.
· Stafford is one of nine tracks that have been a part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program in each of its 34 years of competition.
· The inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Stafford was held on April 14, 1985. Richie Evans won the 80-lap race as part of the 14th Annual Spring Sizzler weekend.
Notebook
· The NWMT has held 113 races at Stafford since 1985, a total second only to the 125 events at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
· There have been multiple races at Stafford in 29 of the tour’s 30 seasons. The lone exception was 1988, when there were no NWMT dates at the track.
· There have been 32 different race winners at Stafford, led by Mike Stefanik’s 20 victories.
· There have been 42 different pole winners at Stafford, led by Stefanik’s 17. Ryan Preece set the track qualifying in the 2012 Spring Sizzler.
· No driver has started all previous 113 races at Stafford. Jamie Tomaino has missed only one – the inaugural tour date.
· There have been seven races won in wire-to-wire fashion at Stafford, the last by Ron Silk in 2011.
· Ryan Preece was the youngest Stafford race winner at 18 years, 9 months and 14 days.
· Ted Christopher was the oldest Stafford victor at 53 years, 3 months and 28 days.
· The NAPA Fall Final 150 entry list features eight drivers that have previously won at the track: Christopher (12), Doug Coby and Bobby Santos (6), Donny Lia (4), Preece (2), Pitkat (1), Silk (1) and Tomaino (1).
Stafford Motor Speedway Data
Race #: 12 of 13 overall, 4 of 4 at Stafford
Track Layout: .5-mile asphalt oval
Race Length: 150 laps (75 miles)
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 9 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 7.5 degrees
Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Race Winner: Donny Lia, 77.743 mph, 57 mins. 53 secs.
2013 Pole Winner: Donny Lia, 98.388 mph, 18.295 secs.
Qualifying Record: Ryan Preece, Ford, 100.424 mph, 17.924 secs., 4/29/12
Active Category Leaders at Stafford:
Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 20
2. Ted Christopher … 12
3. Doug Coby … 6
Bobby Santos … 6
Poles
1. Mike Stefanik … 17
2. Donny Lia … 8
Bobby Santos … 8
Top Fives
1. Mike Stefanik … 50
2. Ted Christopher … 28
3. Jamie Tomaino … 12
Top 10s
1. Mike Stefanik … 74
2. Jamie Tomaino … 53
3. Ted Christopher … 49
Laps Led
1. Mike Stefanik … 2,165
2. Ted Christopher … 2,083
3. Todd Szegedy … 801
Laps Completed
1. Jamie Tomaino … 16,096
2. Mike Stefanik … 13,828
3. Ted Christopher … 12,335
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 112
2. Mike Stefanik … 96
3. Ted Christopher … 87
Select Driver Highlights:
Tommy Barrett Jr. (No. 22 Canto Paving/Ferguson Water Works Chevrolet)
· Has a win, a pole and five top 10s in 13 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
· Rookie sits 13th in points after 11 races with four top 10s, highlighted by a win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
· Has a pole (2014 Spring Sizzler) an average finish of 16th and a best result of 11th (`14 Sizzler) in four NWMT starts at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 chem3.com Chevrolet)
· Has six wins, five poles and 42 top 10s in 71 career starts.
· Ranks second in points, 26 tallies behind Doug Coby, on the strength of a career-high three wins.
· Has a pole (2010 Fall Final), 11 top 10s, an average finish of 12th and a best result of second (2013 Spring Sizzler, June `14) in 19 career starts at Stafford.
Ted Christopher (No. 13 Tick Free Organic Tick Control/CT&E Chevrolet)
· The 2008 NWMT champion has 42 wins, 24 poles and 191 top 10s in 346 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
· Is looking to end a 40-race winless drought. It’s his longest such streak since the start of his career when his first win came in his 94th race.
· Ranks third in points with top 10s in 10 of 11 races. Best result of the year came at Riverhead Raceway in June when he led 66 laps and finished as the runner-up.
· Has 12 wins, four poles, 49 top 10s, an average finish of 13th and 2,083 laps led in 87 career NWMT Stafford starts.
· Is an eight-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Stafford in SK Modifieds, where his 101 triumphs are more than double second place on the division’s wins list. Has a record 122 overall career victories at the track entering this week’s events.
Doug Coby (No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet)
· The 2012 NWMT champion has 10 wins, four poles and 77 top 10s in 154 career starts.
· Won the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona International Speedway in February.
· Points leader has recorded top fives in nine of 11 races, highlighted by a win at Stafford Motor Speedway in June.
· Has six wins, two poles, 21 top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 39 career Stafford NWMT starts.
· Has 18 career NWAAS victories at Stafford, including five in SK Modifieds.
Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet)
· Has a win, a pole and 33 top 10s in 84 career NWMT starts. The win came at Riverhead in June.
· Maintains the NWMT’s active starts streak lead, now at 82 races.
· Ranks ninth in points this year with five top 10s in 11 outings.
· Has five top 10s, an average finish of 15th and a best result of fifth (Aug. 2014) in 24 career Stafford appearances.
Matt Hirschman (No. 52 Furnace & Duct Supply/Seekonk GP Chevrolet)
· Has two wins, three poles and 45 top 10s in 88 career NWMT starts.
· Sits 10th in points with five top 10s across 11 races and a best result of second at Thompson in August.
· Has 10 top 10s, an average finish of ninth and a best result of second (2008 Fall Final) in 22 Stafford starts.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Racing Dodge)
· The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion has 17 wins, 20 poles and 76 top 10s in 152 career starts.
· Ranks 12th in points with three top 10s and a best result of second at Waterford Speedbowl.
· Owner of four wins, eight poles, 24 top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 39 career Stafford starts.
Woody Pitkat (No. 88 East West Marine/Elbow East Chevrolet)
· Has two wins, a pole and 40 top 10s in 89 career starts. The first victory was earned at Stafford in August.
· Ranks ninth in points with six top 10s in 11 races. A second win came last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· Has 14 top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 25 NWMT Stafford starts.
· Is the defending Stafford NWAAS track champion out of the SK Modified division, where he has 27 career wins. He has 72 overall career victories at the track, which is tied with Bugs Stevens for second all-time behind Ted Christopher.
Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
· The 2013 NWMT champion has nine wins, 12 poles, 26 podiums, 46 top fives and 62 top 10s in 106 career starts.
· Ranks sixth in points after 11 races with eight top 10s and a best result of second at Monadnock Speedway.
· Has two wins (Aug. 2009, June 2013), three poles, 15 top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 29 Stafford races.
· Earned the 2011 NWAAS Stafford track title in SK Modifieds, where he has 21 career wins.
Keith Rocco (No. 48 Wheelers Auto/Mr. Rooter Chevrolet)
· Has eight top 10s in 20 career NWMT starts with a best finish of third in the 2012 Spring Sizzler.
· Participated in six of 11 this year with a best finish of eighth at Waterford.
· Has an average finish of 18th in seven career NWMT races at Stafford.
· The 2008 and 2010 NWAAS track champ at Stafford in SK Modifieds, where he ranks third on the division’s career wins list with 39. His 48 total career Stafford triumphs rank sixth all-time.
Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet)
· The 2010 NWMT champion has 13 wins, 15 poles and 49 top 10s in 90 career starts.
· Ranks fourth in points with three wins and seven top 10s.
· Has six wins, eight poles, 15 top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 23 career Stafford appearances.
Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
· The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, eight poles and 82 top 10s in 135 career starts.
· Ranks fifth in points with nine top 10s in 11 races and a best result of second in August at Stafford.
· Has a win (May 2011), two poles (Aug. 2010, May `11), 18 top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 36 Stafford races.
Timmy Solomito (No. 75 Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet)
· Has a pole and seven top 10s in 18 career starts with a best finish of third at Riverhead in September 2013.
· The Sunoco Rookie of the Race in six of 11 2014 events, he ranks eighth in the overall standings with five top 10s and a best result of fourth in the Thompson opener.
· Has an average finish of 16th and a best result of eighth (2014 Spring Sizzler) in five Stafford starts.
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.
· Ron Silk earned his first pole of 2014 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 12 and Santos made a last-lap pass to record his first Loudon victory. Ryan Newman won the non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout the day before.
· Justin Bonsignore took the checkered flag from the pole on July 19 at Monadnock Speedway to become the first multi-race winner in NWMT history at the New Hampshire bullring.
· Woody Pitkat earned his first career victory on Aug. 8 at Stafford. Santos was the event’s polesitter.
· Bonsignore took the checkered flag at Thompson on Aug. 14. Lia was the top qualifier.
· After Bonsignore captured the pole, Barrett claimed his first checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway in the annual combination race with the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour on Aug. 20.
· The Riverhead 200 was scheduled to be contested on Sept. 13 at Riverhead, but was cancelled due to rain.
· Pitkat powered to his second win of the season when he held off Szegedy for the checkered flag at NHMS on Sept. 20. Newman earned his fifth tour pole prior to the event.
· Following this week’s NAPA Fall Final 150, the NWMT will close out the season with the Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart on Oct. 19 at Thompson.
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