(Press release from the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series)
The best of the best in Modified racing are heading to Star Speedway chasing a $6,000 winning prize on Saturday night. In the annual SBM 121, names like NASCAR Cup Series star Ryan Preece, Woody Pitkat, Ron Silk, Ronnie Williams, Matt Hirschman, Eric Goodale and Matt Swanson will compete against a field full of talent in the second race of the Tri Track Open Modified Series season.
The total purse for Star rises over $40,000, with heat and consi races also paying $300 to win courtesy of Pepsi and the Pepsi Challenge. A contingency program with select additional awards is also up for grabs. None of the purse has changed since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to COVID-19, and guidance from the state of New Hampshire, Star Speedway will run at 50% capacity for the event in the grandstands. Tri Track and Star officials will make sure all social distancing and safe health practices will be in place to keep teams, drivers, staff and fans safe in the pit area.
On July 5, Craig Lutz used a final lap bump to win the opener of 2020, delayed two months due to COVID-19. Lutz, and the man he bumped in the final corner, Les Hinckley, could be setting up for a rematch to the checkered flag at Star. Hinckley is no stranger to the track, having three second-place efforts in previous SBM events. The talented field will also include a host of Tri Track regulars and additional invaders looking to etch their name in SBM history.
The 9th annual SBM 121 will be a bit different than all the previous events — it will still take place at the Epping, New Hampshire, oval, but will 121 laps instead of the normal 125. This year’s SBM race is 121 laps in honor of Tim Webber – the son of track promoter Bobby Webber, who is turning 21 during the month of July. In the previous eight, Hirschman has four wins, Jon McKennedy has two, Todd Patnode has one, and so does Silk, the defending winner. Last year, Silk beat Williams and Swanson across the line at the finish.
Following Star, the remainder of the schedule remains in place – with stops at Monadnock (August 15) and Seekonk Speedway (August 26 & October 24) still in plans.
“The SBM is one of our favorite events of the year,” Wayne Darling, Managing Partner of the Tri Track Open Modified Series, said. “This field of drivers that will be assembled at Star on Saturday is going to include some of the best in all of Modified racing. We can’t wait to see who earns the checkered flag.”
Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets ahead through Venmo (@bwebber19), to make sure they get their seat. There are a limited amount of grandstand tickets remaining. There will be no pre-sales for pit passes.
Over eight years, 96 drivers have attempted to qualifying for SBM events. Silk, who earned the win last year for Bob Horn, managed to do it from the rear of the field after not qualifying through his heat race. The Norwalk, Connecticut, native has finishes of 4th (2015), 2nd (2018) and 1st (2019) in his last three SBM starts. Hirschman and Josh Cantara are the only two drivers in history to attempt to qualify for all eight previous SBM events.
It’s hard to forget about Preece, who is returning to his Modified roots on his off weekend from NASCAR Cup Series racing. Preece ran the first four SBM events, finishing inside the top-five three times. He has experience at Star and will practice the car the night before the race to try and get the upper hand. Names like rising Modified star Jacob Perry, former NASCAR National champion Bryan Narducci, Tommy Barrett, Andy Jankowiak, Richard Savary, Anthony Nocella and more are also expected.
Courtesy of Green Construction, the Hard Charger award will pay $500 to the driver who advances the most positions during the race. Along with the bonuses from Pepsi, there is also another bonus on the line for the driver who starts on the pole. Courtesy of Superior Refinishing and Ted Anderson, if the polesitter wins the race, he will earn an extra $400. If the polesitter doesn’t win, the next stop on the seires at Monadnock on August 15 will $600 to win from the pole.
Tri Track Open Modified Series teams can practice on Friday from 4-8 p.m. and can sign-up by contacting the track directly since spots are limited. On Saturday morning, the pit area opens for Tri Track teams at 10:45 a.m., while the first practice will go green from 1:15-1:55 p.m. There will be a second practice from 2:15-2:40 p.m., and a scuff session will take place from 3:05-3:15 p.m. Heat races begin for Star divisions at 3:30 p.m., followed by qualifying for the Tri Track Series.
For more information on the Tri Track Open Modified Series, visit tritrackmodifieds.com and follow the series on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
PURSE: TRI TRACK OPEN MODIFIED SERIES AT STAR SPEEDWAY: JULY 25:
1. $6,000
2. $3,250
3. $2,600
4. $2,200
5. $1,600
6. $1,500
7. $1,400
8. $1,300
9. $1,200
10. $1,190
11. $1,180
12. $1,170
13. $1,160
14. $1,150
15. $1,140
16. $1,130
17. $1,120
18. $1,110
19. $1,000
20. $1,000
21. $1,000
22. $1,000
23. $1,000
24. $1,000
25. $1,000
26. $1,000
I got Silk going back to back.
Good money up for grabs. Allot of elite drivers competing. Should be a great show. Even teams that don’t make the race get some money. The Tri Track Series is truly a class act.
Trivia
Why is the Carter Thermoquad carburetor called a Thermoquad?
The Thermoquad had the phenolic (plastic) main body. The phenolic has a very low thermal conductivity and hence supposedly did not heat the fuel as much as an aluminum or pot metal main body.
Chase Dowling and the Paige 00 should be in that headline group shouldn’t he? Guess he’s in the dog house.
The NWMT racing are always great but come on man. Opens are about unpredictability and this is about as entertaining as modified racing can get pandemic or not.
Doug,
Chase Dowling and the Jimmy Paige team are sitting out Saturday’s event. Dowling is also going to miss tomorrow night’s event at Stafford.
Good job Dareal. Although the phenolic body had a low thermal coefficient, it is also very fragile, and cracks easily which was the downfall of the Thermoquad. Plastics technology has come a long way over the past 50 years, and now the body is molded using a glass reinforced SMC (sheet molding compound). But, Thermoquad still sucks, and is very difficult to properly tune.
A friend of my wife died yesterday. She lived in New Hampshire. Cause of death: complications from Covid 19. Her death puts the number of friends my wife and I have lost to Covid at 8. Chances are that we all know at least 1 person who will die, or has died from the virus.
Please everyone, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands and stay home if you can. I’m sick of losing people to this disease. Hope your all safe strong and sane. Keep fighting, we will beat this.
Whew, that was close. Horrific hit by Preece at KC last night. He pops out of the car, puts on a mask, grabs his helmet and walks away.
He’s the guy earning the big pay check so if he rolls into Star and takes top money that may be hard to take for some regulars. Still that guy needs something good to happen stat.
The Thermoquad has the same genes as the QuadraJet, which also sucked. Carter did manufacturing for Rochester, hence the apparent interbreeding.
Doug;
Recorded the race last night, and still have not seen it. But you are right. That guy sure could use a good, or as good as he can get run, in a JTG car. It’s gettin a bit “long in the tooth” now
Jd,
Will be at Star tomorrow around 1:30. Stop by and have a drink with us. Look for the ez-up in the parking lot. Masks are not required at our tailgate.
Dareal;
Funny. Quadra jet vacuum secondaries. Mostly stock on all factory 396’s among others in the day. Our moniker? We used to call them “Quadra bogs”!
Bobf, yeah… the QuadraJet and relatives had tiny primaries and HUGE secondaries. The secondaries couldn’t open until the motor was ready (high RPM) for all that additional air. Even the versions with mechanical secondaries had a spring loaded air valve that looked like a choke on the secondaries that restricted the secondary airflow until the motor can handle it. The small primaries gave it some decent drivability, but getting the secondaries to work right was tough.