STAFFORD – It’s a battle to the season finale like none ever seen before for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
After two consecutive events of major standings shakeups – first at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Sunday at Stafford Motor Speedway – the Whelen Modified Tour heads to its season ending Sunoco World Series 150 on Oct. 18 with two drivers tied in the standings and a third four points behind in third.
With victories in the last two event Doug Coby – the reigning and 2012 series champion – erased a 25-point deficit in the standings between himself and the top. Coby and 2013 series champion Ryan Preece – the second place finisher Sunday at Stafford – go to the Thompson finale tied in the standings.
Woody Pitkat, who went to Stafford Sunday at the top of the standings – with an eight point lead over Preece and 11 points on Coby – goes to Thompson four points behind the leaders after a wreck at Stafford relegated him to a 12th place finish.
After it was remarked that Coby has won all three events at Thompson Speedway this season, Preece said sternly said: “I think I want to change that.”
Though he has been exceptionally dominant in all three events at Thompson this year, Coby wasn’t exactly embracing any declaration of him being the odds on favorite.
“I’m not going there thinking we’ve got this in the bag,” Coby said. “We have to be on our game and we have been on our game so far. But certainly Woody has been extraordinarily fast there. Even though we won he’s been right with us for two of those three wins. Ryan won the race last year and I know they’re going to go there really well prepared. I’m certainly not taking it for granted and saying we’re going to go there and win the thing. The World Series is crazy. … Anybody can win.”
Preece has finished fifth, sixth and seventh in events at Thompson this year.
“We’re going to do some homework this week,” Preece said. “That seems to be a track where we’ve been struggling a little bit. But, I’ve got all the faith in the world in [my crew chief Tommy Grasso]. I know we’re going to do everything we can to show up and be one of the fastest cars there. That’s what it’s going to come down to. It’s not about finishing anymore, it’s about winning that race. We’re going to see who’s willing to drive the hardest and win this race.”
Pitkat has two second place finishes and a fifth place finish at Thompson this year.
“We’ve just got to go there and do the best we can, go there and get the pole and lead the most laps and win the race, that’s all we can really do,” Pitkat said “Obviously [Sunday’s crash] hurts, but we know we’re capable of going there and doing that.”
Just wondering if anyone else saw this, I believe when Preece pitted after the incident on the back stretch, he did so before the pits opened. If a driver pits before the pits open, the rule book states that the driver will be scored one lap down. I could be wrong, but that is what I recall.
Not one lap down, just end of longest line like all other touring series.
I believe that if they go in before the pits are open they must start at the end of the longest line, Behind the lapped cars. I’ve never heard of a lap penalty for that offence. I am often wrong though.
And Preece was penalized to the end of the longest line for too many men over the wall. It dropped him to 16th on the next restart.
He should of been penalized one lap for passing the pace car that’s in the rule book!
Wasn’t all of that during the red flag period
I did hear the announcer state when the 88 was driving around at the back of the field waiting to pit, you cannot just drive up past everyone and pit, that would result in a penalty. The 6 car did not do that, he went right into pits, I guess that would be a question for WMT director, Jimmy Wilson.
Glad to see you bring your rule book to the track. I don’t like Preece either but c’mon.
Why is Ray Graham Jr. driving the 15 instead of R. Silk?
Silk is driving a backup car from the 6 team, as an enforcer/protector for the 6 car.
😉