Chase Dowling
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Chase Dowling has never even walked into Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Friday he’ll not only get the chance to walk into the place for the first time, he’ll be on track in competition.
Dowling, of Roxbury, will make his K&N Pro Series East debut in the Dover 125 Friday at Dover International Speedway.
The 18-year old Dowling will run for Old Lyme team owner Ted Marsh with sponsorship from S&S Asphalt Paving of Southbury.
“I talked to [S&S Asphalt Paving owner Kevin Starchack and Don Stitt] and I told them they wanted to put me in the car and asked if they would sponsor me for the race,” Dowling told RaceDayCT. “They’ve really helped me out a lot this year and in my whole racing career and they said to go for it.
“It’s kind of a short notice deal, but it kind of all fell together good. I couldn’t be more grateful for Ted and that whole team for letting me drive the car this weekend.”
Dowling is in his second year running full-time with the Whelen Modified Tour. He has two top-five finishes and six top-10’s in 15 starts this year for team owner Bob Katon Jr. and is currently ninth in the standings. He finished ninth in the Whelen Modified Tour standings and won the division’s Rookie of the Year title in 2015 driving a car for longtime series veteran Jamie Tomaino.
Dowling was the Rookie of the Year in the SK Light Modified division at Stafford Speedway in 2013 after scoring seven victories that season. He won one race in the SK Modified division at Stafford in 2014 and secured Rookie of the Year honors in that division.
“You see a lot of young kids that are in [the national divisions of NASCAR] and they used the [K&N Pro Series East] as their first steppingstone to get in,” Dowling said. “It’s a great opportunity that I’m grateful and appreciative for. Hopefully for this one race we can keep the car in one piece and have a good result and hopefully it will open an opportunity for the future for me.”
Dowling said he has been doing his homework on Dover in preparation.
“I’ve watched some tapes this whole week and studied the place,” Dowling said. “It’s a very fast track. People say it’s like a faster, bigger Bristol [Motor Speedway]. There’s definitely going to be a learning curve for me. I’m going to need a lot of laps around there before I get the hang of it. I just want to do the best I can and give it all I’ve got for Marsh Racing.”
The Dover event will be a one-day show at Dover with practice and qualifying also scheduled for Friday. Dowling is scheduled to qualify Saturday at Stafford Motor Speedway for the Sunday’s Whelen Modified Tour NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final 150. Should the Dover event get moved to Saturday because of weather Keith Rocco of Wallingford will qualifying Dowling’s Whelen Modified Tour car at Stafford.
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Very nice sponsor