(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
Justin Bonsignore (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will open the 2016 season with the Icebreaker 150 on Sunday at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the tour and selected drivers at the track:
Icebreaker 150 Setup:
• Two-time defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour titlist Doug Coby recorded a season sweep of the 2015 events at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. This week he will look to become the first driver in tour history to win five consecutive races at the track.
• With wins in the last three events of 2015, Coby is also looking to become the first driver to win four straight races overall since Mike Stefanik in 1997.
• Icebreaker winners have gone on to capture the NWMT title that season eight times, including Coby last year.
• Of the 28 cars entered for the event, seven are new to the tour or have different drivers from the conclusion of 2015.
• Eric Goodale is set to extend the active NWMT consecutive starts streak to 100 races in this event.
At Thompson Speedway:
History
• Opened on May 26, 1940 as the largest and first entirely-asphalt track in New England at the time.
• An inaugural member track of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, now in its 35th season. Woody Pitkat is the defending track champion out of the track’s headlining Sunoco Modified division.
• Held NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 1951, 1969 and 1970, and 27 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East events from 1988-2009.
• Site of the inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event on March 31, 1985, a race won by the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans.
Notebook
• Thompson has played host to 130 NWMT races, the most in the tour’s 32 seasons.
• There have been 34 different race winners at Thompson, led by Mike Stefanik’s 15 victories.
• There have been 44 different pole winners at Thompson, led by Tony Hirschman’s 13.
• Jamie Tomaino is the only driver that has participated in all 130 previous NWMT Thompson races.
• There have only been three races won in wire-to-wire fashion at Thompson, the last by Rick Fuller in 1997.
• Bobby Santos was the youngest Thompson race winner at 22 years, 11 days in 2007.
• Stefanik was the oldest Thompson victor at 54 years, 10 months, 25 days in 2013.
Thompson Data
Race: #1 of 17 overall, #1 of 4 at Thompson
Track Layout: .625-mile asphalt oval
Banking/Turns: 26 degrees
Race Length: 150 laps (93.75 miles)
Qualifying/Race Data
2015 Race Winner: Doug Coby, 1 hr. 23 mins. 19 secs., 67.514 mph
2015 Pole Winner: Doug Coby, 18.679 secs., 120.456 mph
Qualifying Record: Bobby Santos, 18.237 seconds, 123.376 mph, April 10, 2011
Active Category Leaders at Thompson:
Wins
1. Ted Christopher … 13
2. Doug Coby … 5
3. Bobby Santos … 4
Ron Silk … 4
Poles
1. Ted Christopher … 7
2. Bobby Santos … 5
3. Donny Lia … 4
Ryan Preece … 4
Top Fives
1. Ted Christopher … 34
2. Jamie Tomaino … 20
3. Ron Silk … 16
Top 10s
1. Ted Christopher … 49
Jamie Tomaino … 49
3. Todd Szegedy … 27
Laps Led
1. Ted Christopher … 1,750
2. Doug Coby … 771
3. Donny Lia … 645
Laps Completed
1. Jamie Tomaino… 15,969
2. Ted Christopher … 11,837
3. Wade Cole … 9,461
Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 130
2. Ted Christopher … 89
3. Wade Cole … 84
Select Driver Highlights:
Jimmy Blewett (No. 4 Starrett Dodge)
• Has five wins, three poles and 36 top 10s in 106 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Last participated on the tour in 2013. Best career points finish was eighth in both 2007 and 2012.
• Has a pole (June 2006), nine top 10s, an average finish of 16th and a best result of second (Oct. 2006, April 2009) in 29 career NWMT starts at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has eight wins, five poles and 51 top 10s in 88 career NWMT starts.
• Has three wins, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 21 career starts at Thompson.
• Won the 2014 Icebreaker 150.
Doug Coby (No. 2 Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair Chevrolet)
• Three-time NWMT champion has 17 wins, 10 poles and 90 top 10s in 172 career starts.
• Has five wins, two poles, 26 top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 46 career Thompson NWMT starts. Also won the inaugural non-points UNOH Showdown in 2011.
• Is the defending Icebreaker 150 winner, which launched a season sweep of 2015 events at Thompson.
Chase Dowling (No. 9 S&S Asphalt Paving/Dunleavy’s Repair Chevrolet)
• The 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year recorded eight top 10s with a best finish of third (Aug. Riverhead Raceway) in 15 races.
• Recorded an average finish of 13.5 across his first four races at Thompson last year, including a ninth-place effort in the World Series.
Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing Chevrolet)
• Has a win, a pole and 44 top 10s in 101 career starts.
• Maintains the NWMT’s active lead for consecutive starts, now at 99 races.
• Has 12 top 10s, an average finish of 14th and a best result of third (Aug. 2013) in 24 starts at Thompson.
Donny Lia (No. 8 Sypher Construction/Bardahl Chevrolet)
• The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion has 17 wins, 21 poles and 87 top 10s in 169 career starts.
• Has three wins, four poles, 18 top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 39 career Thompson starts.
• Thompson wins have come in June, August and September events. Will look for his first Icebreaker 150 victory.
Rowan Pennink (No. 3 Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet)
• Has two wins and 58 top 10s in 124 career races.
• Has a win (2013 World Series), eight top 10s and an average finish of 12th in 33 career NWMT starts at Thompson.
Woody Pitkat (No. 85 Stuart’s Automotive Chevrolet)
• Has three wins, four poles and 55 top 10s in 106 career starts.
• Has three poles, 10 top 10s, an average finish of 15th and a best result of second (2014 & `15 Icebreakers, Aug. `15) in 29 NWMT Thompson starts.
• Was the Icebreaker 150 runner-up the last two years.
• Thompson’s 2006 and 2015 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion out of the Sunoco Modified division.
Ryan Preece (No. 6 TS Haulers/Riverhead Raceway Chevrolet)
• The 2013 NWMT champion has 15 wins, 14 poles, 40 podiums, 55 top fives and 78 top 10s in 123 career starts.
• Has a win (2014 World Series), four poles, 20 top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 32 NWMT Thompson races.
• Earned the 2012 and `14 Thompson NWAAS track titles in Sunoco Modifieds, where he has 18 career wins.
• Will head to Thompson from Texas Motor Speedway where he will compete Friday night in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race.
Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Corp./Dan Kelley/Curb Records Chevrolet)
• The 2010 NWMT champion has 13 wins, 16 poles and 58 top 10s in 107 career events.
• Has four wins, five poles, 19 top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 35 Thompson races.
• One of his Thompson triumphs came in the 2010 Icebreaker 150, which launched his championship campaign.
Ron Silk (No. 82 Horton Avenue Materials Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, nine poles and 86 top 10s in 145 career starts.
• Has four wins, 25 top 10s and an average finish of 11th in 40 NWMT Thompson races.
• Won the Icebreaker 150 in 2012 as the reigning NWMT champion.
Timmy Solomito (No. 16 Diversified Metals/R.B. Enterprises Ford)
• Has a pole and 17 top 10s in 35 career starts with a best finish of third at Riverhead in September 2013 and twice at Stafford in 2015 (June, Oct.).
• In 10 Thompson starts he’s posted average finish of 10th and a best result of third in the 2015 World Series.
Other Driver Notes:
• Andrew Krause is set to make his NWMT debut in this event. He’s the only driver entered with no prior starts at Thompson.
• Rob Summers will attempt to make his first NWMT start at Thompson since the 2010 World Series. He has an average finish of 22.5 in 27 career races there.
• Brendon Bock and Jeff Goodale both recorded top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour season opener at Caraway Speedway in March.
More Coby Notes:
• Can become the first driver to win four consecutive NWMT races overall since Mike Stefanik in 1997 (five straight) … only other driver to win at least four straight was Richie Evans (five, 1985).
• Can become the first driver since Ryan Preece in 2011-12 to capture four consecutive poles.
• Can extend his own all-time record for consecutive wins from the pole, currently at three.
• Can become the first driver to win the Icebreaker 150 in back-to-back seasons since Ted Christopher in 2004-05 … Jeff Fuller (1992-93) is the only other driver to accomplish the feat.
• Can become the first driver since Christopher in 2010-11 to record back-to-back wins in a season finale and the opener the following year … others are: Reggie Ruggiero (1987-88), Steve Park (1995-96), Rick Fuller (1999-2000), Christopher (2008-09).
• Can move into sole possession of 10th place on the NWMT career victories list with win No. 18.
• Will vie in 2016 to become the first driver in NWMT history to win three-straight championships.
Up To Speed:
• This is the 32nd season of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racing. The inaugural race was contested March 31, 1985 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
• The 2015 schedule features 17 points races at nine different tracks across four states.
• Following the Icebreaker 150 the NWMT will return to action on April 24 with the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Teddy leads every category it’s a shame he will not start.