Todd Szegedy Stepping Away From Kevin Stuart Motorsports Whelen Mod Tour Ride

Todd Szegedy (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team owner Kevin Stuart confirmed to RaceDayCT Saturday that Todd Szegedy left his team following Friday’s Stafford 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway.

“Todd told me he was resigning Stuart,” Stuart told RaceDayCT Saturday. “I guess he just doesn’t want to do it anymore.”

Szegedy was not immediately available for comment Saturday evening. Stuart teamed with car owner Bob Katon Jr. this year to field a team full-time for Szegedy.

Szegedy, the 2003 Whelen Modified Tour champion, left Friday’s Stafford 150 after 54 laps with overheating issues, finishing 24th of 28 cars.

He started seven of eight Whelen Modified Tour events this year and sat 21st in the series standings after Friday’s event. A 10th place finish in the Icebreaker 150 at Thompson Speedway in the second event of the season on April 9 marked his only finish better than 23rd this season.

Szegedy, of Ridgefield, has 19 career victories in 212 series starts dating back to 2000.

He first teamed with Stuart with the Valenti Modified Racing Series in 2014. He ran the 2015 season on the Whelen Modified Tour for team owner Bob Garbarino. Last year Szegedy ran just three of 17 Whelen Modified Tour events for Rob Fuller Motorsports. His last series victory came in July 2015 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Garbarino. From 2006 to 2013 Szegedy never finished worse than sixth in the series standings while driving for team owner Mike Smeriglio.

Stuart has a short turnaround in finding a driver to fill the seat. The Whelen Modified Tour returns to action Wednesday in the Budweiser 150 at Thompson Speedway. Stuart said he has a number of options for drivers the team is looking at to replace Szegedy.

Comments

  1. If it was easy everybody would be doing it ! I just can’t wait to hear from all the arm chair racers who never turned a wrench telling this guy who to put in the car .

  2. darealgoodfella says

    Well, before I recommend who to put in the car, I’d strongly recommend getting the car running in a reliable manner. I doubt many drivers that are available would consider the 85 given how it has been running this season. Perhaps a new crew chief is needed first. Then think about a driver.

  3. Funny, last year he was the hottest driver on the market. Track record at Bristol, 2nd at Stafford and fastest car in loudon before a wreck with the 85 car. Now he is on the couch. Funny how drivers roller coaster careers are a headline that will continue to amaze us. Ryan Preece just showed us all how important it is to pick the right team to race with. He will end up back in the 15. Chase will do what Tod did and leave that team for a full time ride then kick himself for leaving. That car is a rocket every time it shows up. Fuller will never run a full tour schedule though. Said it many times.

  4. darealgoodfella says

    I’m sure Todd will be back, but he’ll want to be in much better equipment. That is hard to come by nowadays.

    The 85 should have been better than what we’ve seen this year.

  5. The 85 couldn’t finish a race in the last 2years, a championship on the Valenti series and down hill since, don’t think it was the driver’s

  6. Tod ran second at Bristol as well last year Mark. The problem is to win races you have to have the whole package and that 15 car needs a pit crew. Every driver that’s been in that seat has come in leading and lost the race on pit road. Corey LaJoie, Ron Silk, Todd and now Chase. They need to fix the pit road issues before Chase leaves that ride. That’s why they lose drivers in my eyes. I’ve also heard Fuller isn’t the easiest guy to work with. That can’t help either. Car is always fast though. Can’t argue that.

  7. When the 85 ran the MRS, they had very little bad luck. The car never really wrecked or broke down. The car has been fast in most races the last two years, it has either gotten caught up in wrecks or broke down. Woody should have had quite a few top 5’s and got caught up in someone’s mess last year. In over 10 years of modified racing, all their bad luck has come in the last two years with the 85. It’s racing, you need things to fall your way and right now it’s not for them. It will turn

  8. Modified Guy says

    Steve O, you’re correct, the #15 needs a crew. I spoke with one of the crew members at Loudon and he said one of their tire changes has been out all this year do to surgery, the other tire changer lives in New York and can’t always make it so they grab whoever they can. The two tire carries are just young kids and they’ve used three different jackmen. He told me it’s hard finding anyone that wants to commit time to practice. As far as Chase leaving, based on the latest stories, it looks like Fuller and Harvey are teaming up for a complete season in 2018.

  9. It almost always still comes down to $. To have a great crew you still need to at least pay expenses for your crew guys due to all the lost work time and travel racing requires. Money isn’t everything as team chemistry is also important. Still, most of the successful teams are also the biggest spenders. Todd will be back as he has proven to be a great driver and needs to find the right team.

  10. Dowling already has a full time ride in 2018 on the WMT.
    The 15 WMT car and the Southern Modified team of Eddie Harvey #11 have teamed up to run the Full schedule in 2018 with Dowling as its driver. Seuss is already out of the #11. Dowling will run the #11 Modified at Bristol next week.

  11. i think its time for these car owners to stop playing ‘old timer racing’ they all are under the impression that the next veteran will win in there car its all BS! How about looking at the younger guys maybe you will find that they can do better then the pre- ma donna’s out there ! They might listen to there crew chiefs and do good with out all the drama. Just because they haven’t won 5 championships doesn’t mean they can not do it . here are a couple names for you Ronnie Williams Mike Christopher Jr, Dan Wessen and let me not forget the next BIG thing when someone will give him a chance Brian Narducci but hey maybe the 85 car should call Reggie or Iron Mike. WAKE UP tour owners !!!!

  12. Tickmike, out of all the drivers out there those are your top guys. Open your eyes. How bout hirshman or Barrett. Proven winners. Not two kids that won one race in the limited late models or sk lite. I’d put mike Christopher sr in before jr.

  13. I’m reminded of Richie Evans one time he was rained out at his regular track so he trekked to Stafford for a regular Friday night show. Having missed the heats they started him scratch and and he simply methodically move to the front past all the great names that raced at Stafford at the time. It was a sight to behold. Preece reminded me of that. Racing smooth, knocking off cars as he moved to the front a couple times and a car that was spectacular.

  14. Still not buying the full time ride for 15 next year. The key to that deals success is getting Fuller to ALL the races. I have seen the 15 car run when he’s not there and it ain’t pretty. He has way too much going on to commit to the full tour I promise that. If he doesn’t commit they are wasting time. Intelligent people are not spending all their weekends in a modified garage. Just a opinion. Chase was a mid pack tour driver last year. Now the dude the fastest car on the tour when they show up. I was at Thompson and Stafford for the first races and that kid was flying. I have to side with Steve O o this one. Fuller can’t get help because he is very tough on crew guys. Fact. I worked with the guy in NC at Hickory and you would have thought we were racing the Daytona 500. Pretty intense. If you get him committed my daughter would win the championship in that car. With a good crew that is!

  15. wmass01013 says

    Ok Brian the 15 is combining with the 11 south team of Ed Harvey to form a full time ride for Dowling in 2018

  16. I’m with you Franky,time for tickmike to get out of the sun

  17. I understand what is being said on the merger but if you believe the 11 Harvey car will run without Fuller at the track your nuts. It will run like every other southern car runs against a northern team. Last. All y’all are talking about MRS drivers and SK drivers? Come on. None of these guys can run on the tour where rules apply. Hirchman can never win a tour race which is why he doesn’t show up. When he does he struggles to run top 5. The Nascar tour is the benchmark. Not SKs and MRS. Still saying Chase will leave for a full time ride with north team. Garbarino is saving his equipment for a reason.

  18. Hey Franky- elect the point went over both of your heads you sarcastic little boys. . I said hear are a few names these are young drivers that might i say MIGHT do a good job. I should have asked who you both thought were the drivers but i dont know your names. i do not hide behind a fake name unless im using Tony Cockalota I think a young man at 16 got a chance to drive the 3 car named Preece how did he make out ? Both of you make fun of limited late models etc. but it doesnt mean they cant drive. winning 27 legends car races in a season is pretty impresive i dont think Sr. did that. and Sr was great to. We need youth in the tour divisions the guys are getting older and Teddy can only drive one car.

  19. Hey Elect you sound like a real fool tick mike must be out in the sun to long what a moron

  20. wmass01013 says

    I hate when northern FANS just totally brush off southern teams! I think the Harvey team is well established and with Dowling as the driver will run good whether Fuller is at the track or not, if Burt Myers team ran full schedule I think would compete for wins, yes the NORTH guys would still dominate most of the time with history and teams but to just say any new team has no shot is bogus!!

  21. Brian, the 4v could have had Chase this year if that was a thought. I don’t think it was myself. Dowling was a top shoe last year. He got everything out of the equipment he was in and then some. The talent was obvious just from the grandstands. He is kicking butt at Stafford on Fridays and continuing to run strong on the tour this year

    You guys need to open your eyes. The youth movement is already in full progress. Dowling, Solomito(s), Justin B, Emerling, Bock, Zachem etc. Plenty of good young talent. Santos and Coby aren’t that old either. Look at the points. We are going to have a first time champion in 2018. Preece is missing another race so he will be out of it.

    Full time rides are overrated. Plenty of guys doing good things on a part time schedule. Care counts are better than any of the other tours. Things are working out.

    I would love to see the Myers up here in Sept/Oct. How bout Junior Miller fresh off a victory at BG last week?

  22. Wmass if you think Burt can run up north for wins I am wasting my time typing. I live in NC btw.

  23. darealgoodfella says

    Didn’t somebody say the southern guys wouldn’t drive across the street to race?

  24. D. Trickle says

    Ron silk maybe?

  25. wmass01013 says

    Brian I do think he could with the experience of northern tracks, didn’t say would be easy but YES, we see the flack that Matt Hirschman gets winning open shows and NOT TOUR shows, winning WMT not easy for any outsider without laps at THOMPSON, STAFFORD, SEEKONK. OSWEGO.

  26. Matt runs Star once a year and wins by a mile every year. Same with Seekonk. Why can’t a southern team do the same?

    Also, Coby won Oswego last year. He had never laid eyes on it until the day of the race.

  27. darealgoodfella says

    NH Mark, just about anyone at Oswego last year was there for the first time, or rarely ran there, so it might as well have been the first time there. It was anybody’s race.

  28. tickmike – you’re telling tour owners to “wake up” but you also said that the next “BIG thing” is Brian Narducci. I wouldn’t call someone who has a few Limited Late Model wins anywhere near the next big thing. Brian already gets enough press by being teammates with the Arute boys. I don’t think any tour owners will be listening to your advice any time soon. Maybe you could take a risk and fund his ride in a tour car instead. Hopefully he won’t wreck anyone else this year and get put back on probation.

  29. darealgoodfella says

    Let’s see how Silk does, or if he walks away.

    Who is the crew chief?

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