(Press release from the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series)
When the Tri Track Open Modified Series rolls into Monadnock Speedway this Saturday, August 15, the race will be a battle between some of the Tri Track stars and Monadnock regulars. Monadnock runs a weekly Modified division as part of their NASCAR program, and multiple of the competitors will be jumping up to the Tri Track Series looking to defend their home-turf in the 100-lap feature.
Ben Byrne, who is a three-time winner in the NHSTRA Modified weekly division this year, has shown his strength multiple times in the past with Tri Track. Byrne was a frontrunner in the race last year, and on July 5, he charged to the front of the field, taking the lead on lap 33, and holding the top spot through a caution period on lap 64. Byrne would lose the lead but settle for a third-place finish after Les Hinckley and Craig Lutz got together racing for the lead in the final corner, with Lutz pushing to the win.
Byrne feels like he needs some redemption after showcasing the speed under the hood in the last few Tri Track races at Monadnock and not coming away with the checkered flag.
“We started running just for giggles to see how we would shape up against them,” Byrne, the driver of the No. 6, said. “We led a whole bunch of lap the first time but got tied up in a wreck, in the second one we led a bunch of it and we messed up the pit stop, and this last time we came back to finish third. We usually run the short races weekly… playing with the big boys is good experience for us.”
Brian Robie and Matt Kimball are also two Monadnock regulars who are no stranger to running with the Tri Track Open Modified Series. In July, Matt Kimball was fastest in the only practice session of the day, but struggled in his heat, and didn’t qualify through it. He would finish second in the consi race, advancing to the feature, and would eventually finish sixth.
It was a long day for Kimball, but well worth the sixth-place result driving the No. 50. Robie would lead all 15 laps in his heat race, start the feature up towards the front, and finish 12th in one of the most competitive fields Tri Track has ever assembled. Robie also currently leads the track point standings by a large margin over Byrne.
For Byrne, winning with the Tri Track Series would be the top moment in his career.
“We put a lot of homework into the new car we built this year,” Byrne said. “It’s really been paying off. To be running toe to toe with the Tri Track guys with a crate motor and 200 horsepower down, it means a lot to us. … I think we will probably have to burn the tires off it for a minute or two (if we win). It would be pretty close to a dream come true.”
Along with the Monadnock regulars, a stout field of Modified competitors is expected Saturday at Monadnock. Lutz and Hinckley could renew their battle for the win, while names like Chase Dowling, Ron Silk, Matt Swanson, Ronnie Williams, Woody Pitkat, Dave Sapienza and more are expected.
Teams will compete in heat racing, consi rounds, and the 100-lap feature as race three of the season takes the green flag.
Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets ahead of race day on the Monadnock website, with New Hampshire limiting grandstand capacity to just 50% because of COVID-19. Masks are recommended and social distancing will be enforced.
For more information on Monadnock Speedway, visit them at monadnockspeedway.com. For more information on the Tri Track Open Modified Series, visit tritrackmodifieds.com and follow the series on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The more drama the better. Nothing beats a good underdog story. Weather looks perfect once again too.
Hoping for another great race. Sometimes being underpowered can be a benefit, as these guys have shown in the past
On another front. Gov. Baker has rolled back reopening to phase 3 step 1. This limits outdoor gatherings to 50 people. Not looking good for Seekonk now. Bummer!!!
Kimball was at Star too, he was in a transfer spot on the last lap of his consi when I think it was DiMatteo that moved him in turn three.
No PPV? That’s a little disappointing.
Stan Mertz put a new motor in Pitkat’s 6 according to Facebook. Move up from the SK package?
Hopefully the Crate Gang is getting a weight break of some sort, maybe more left side weight percentage really helps even things out. Total weight is also good thing for the Crate Gang, 50 – 100 Lbs is really nice coming off the corners , easier on tire wear too. Hey good Luck to the Crate Gang, It adds a cool element to the competition…. Maybe put up some sort of BONUS MONEY for any Crate Gang member that can finish in the top 5…. Food for thought.. Kinda like back in the day.. Busch North had extra money for anyone who could win with a 9:1 Compression Engine. I Believe Radical Rick Martin took home the Win and extra bonus money at Seekonk years ago… Enjoy the Races any way you can…
Two things:
1.What is up with Todd Patnode? He is, like, a 6-time Monadnock mod champion; he also has an SK car that he runs at Stafford now, and yet, he was nowhere to be seen in the last Monadnock TriTrack race. I almost think he beat the MRS guys when they invaded the track in the past, also. So, I’m wondering why he doesn’t play.
2. Back in July, the event took over 7 (yes, SEVEN) full hours to run. There was no rain delay or any other reason. So, this one starts at 6PM…..hmmmm, let’s see…1AM. I hope the track gets their act together, but I’m not counting on it.
7 hours is a bit long. Depends on how much racing there was,how many drivers were running in multiple divisions ECT.. I can remember times when it took over 2 hours to run a 40 lap SK race at Stafford. Given that, 7 hours ain’t too bad. More time to drink overpriced beer. I see your point though, especially if your travelling to the event. Takes about an hour and 45 minutes from my house but that’s all non highway roads, so a race ending at midnight puts me home about 2 am, and those back roads ain’t well lit. 7 hours isn’t great, but I’ve witnessed worse.
Patnode won the TT race at Star two years ago. Not sure why he skipped the last one at Monadnock.
Get Serious, the features start at 7:15 on Saturday and the TT 100 goes off last. The weekly mods are going 40 or 50 laps. I have the same concerns. Midnight, 1am might not be out of the question. For whatever reason, TT has this issue at most tracks they visit.
I’m sure the tracks are trying to cater to their weekly divisions, especially in this shortened season. However for the sake of the event time frame, it might be a good idea to give a couple of divisions the night off when a touring division is in town. They could easily compensate for that with double features for those divisions on one of their regular race nights. I know that has worked for getting home at a little little more reasonable time from the WMMP events and Stafford events I went to. And I still saw some good racing!
Should be good race, car counts growing. Think people are getting bit confused that all the local guys are running crate motors and are simply running two features in the same cars. Last race Byrne did run a crate but a different car, which was on a rail he dominated with his set up. The others Robie, Kimball, run tour cars with tour motors in these events. When Patnode won tri track and MRS races it was in a tour car. Agreed he could be competitive with a crate but don’t believe he still has tour car. Lots of guys in the field with lots of modified laps at that track should be exciting. Pulling for Byrne have not really seen much of him or know much about his racing but his efforts in tri track have been impressive and very fun to watch he drove wheels off his car, hung with the big names and raced clean.
NH issued an emergency order requiring masks be worn by everyone where crowds of 100 or more gather. This was in direct response to Sturgis and the upcoming NH bike week but obviously affects race fans. Enforcing it will be a different story but there it is.
Not just the motor cycle crowd.
“https://www.wmur.com/article/evangelist-to-bring-hundreds-to-new-ipswich-gathering-sparking-covid-19-concerns/33516522”
It would be prudent to not allow these huge events but $$$ talks and you know what walks. NH wants to make some cash so everybody put their masks on. Even NHMS didn’t make you wear a mask once seated. Bike week can wait a year like everything else. Don’t ever let people tell you it’s about safety. It’s always about money.
As for me, the NH Governor can kiss my … Good ole JD doesn’t wear a mask outside. Period! End of Story!
I just messaged the track for details. I will not be going if I have to wear a mask once seated. Not outside for 7 or 8 hours at 80 degrees. No way. I will update if I get a response.
Shawn, no BIG MONEY MATT @ Tri Track Saturday?
The Issue is that Tracks INSIST on having heats for Track Divisions, when a touring series comes in you should ONLY run features for track divisions, looking at Mad Dog results only the NHSTRA mods seems to have more than 20 cars weekly so why run heats for 5 support divisions with 10 -15 cars? that’s what drags it out to 7 plus hours TRI TRACK Feature should start at 9 AND no later
🌈JD 🌈 posted, “As for me, the NH Governor can kiss my … Good ole JD doesn’t wear a mask outside. Period! End of Story!”
JD, you thought so highly of your NH Governor, even said he would be President some day. What happened? 😆
So sad to see you think your life is only worth the price of admission to a track.
I did say that. I changed my mind at 10pm last night when our school board closed our school (zero cases) and this stupid Bike Week nonsense became a thing. They all gots to go now!!
9pm is the very latest it should start. Monadnock isn’t centrally located to anywhere. 8-8:30 is ideal during the summer. Hopefully the WMT will have a live broadcast in two weeks so things move along better.
TT claims Money Matt will be at Monadnock.
I’d be a little surprised if Matt is at Monadnock. The ROC Tony/Tommy race is Saturday at Lake Erie, and he’s the defending champion. With or without him, it should still be a great event at Monadnock!
This is the reply that I received this afternoon.
Important Notice per Governor Sununu’s Updated Emergency Orders (8/11/20) – Face masks will be required for everyone under these guidelines: When entering & exiting the pit and main grandstand areas, when walking around the pit and main grandstand area, going to the concessions or using the restrooms. The only exception is when you are seated in the main grandstands following the social distance guidelines of groups of 10 or less being 6′ apart (the seats marked with green tape are seats available to sit in, if they are not marked it is
Race teams will not be required to wear face masks in their own pit stall however; when leaving the pit stall, team members must have them on when they cannot socially distance (including in the pit stands unless you can socially distance).
Upon arrival, please let the staff know if you have a medical condition and cannot wear a face mask.
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation so we can continue to offer racing at Monadnock Speedway.
🌈JD🌈 posted, “I did say that. I changed my mind at 10pm last night when our school board closed our school (zero cases) and this stupid Bike Week nonsense became a thing. They all gots to go now!!”
🌈JD 🌈, how stupid are you? Don’t you get it? Look what NY, NJ and CT were going through early on, they were the first states to deal with the #TrumpPandemic. During all that time, all other states should have been watching and LEARNING. But no, they didn’t learn, they did not lockdown, and left raw meat out in the open for the #TrumpPandemic coronavirus to hunt down and infect. There are schools that opened and then closed just a week later because they started outbreaks. 😷. Your school board apparently learned from that school system in Georgia that opened, triggered an outbreak in just a couple days, and has now closed. See how that works? NH is behaving quite liberal now, using science.
So 🌈JD🌈, you must have one of those tee shirts with the arrow that points up to your face and says, “I’M STUPID”. How many do you have?
🌈JD🌈, you were also adamant that college football was going open, damned the #TrumpPandemic, and set everyone straight. So far, PAC12, MAC, Ivy League, and many individual colleges have cancelled the season. How’s that for college football setting everyone else straight? College football is falling like dominoes.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Oh yeah, I was right again.
Looks like good ole NH Governor Sununu is a closeted science loving liberal.
I love science. It has the correct answers.
🧫 🧪 🧬
.
Read this carefully, have someone explain it to you:
“We appreciate everyone’s cooperation so we can continue to offer racing at Monadnock Speedway.”
Name calling? Wow! Been a long time since I was in third grade.
Sununu is still set up to be a player on the national scene. That still holds true. I just said he ticked me off and I will change my vote. I’m going to the track on Saturday and I’m going to make them enforce this rule. They shutdown all the tracks until July but 10O,000 bikers are welcome in August? The numbers in NH are great. This mask mandate is so NH doesn’t have to cancel bike week. Plain and simple. They’ve canceled every other event this year except the biggest event? Makes no sense. Can’t have 10 kids in a classroom but 25,000 bikers on a street block is fine? The decision to hold Bike Week this year goes against everything we have been told. Everything! All $$$ driven too. Sununu is a money driven hypocrite. Bike week will get ugly. You watch. The decision to have bike week is a ticket for the rest of us to do as we please moving forward.
The school board is under fire today. Over 80% of parents voted to open schools back up. It’s getting ugly. They had already voted yes to hybrid. This week’s vote was unscheduled. Oh well, that’s what elections are for. They all know now they are finished. Did I mention my town is virus free. As are my surrounding towns.
Last race EVER at Myrtle Beach this Saturday.
🌈JD🌈 posted, “Did I mention my town is virus free.”
Well, a little while ago you posted you had coronavirus a couple doors down. How’s that working out?
🌈JD🌈, just because other people do stupid does not justify you can do stupid. Stupid is still stupid.
We did have a family a few doors down have it. That was four months ago in April and that was the last cases in our town. Virus free since. He was a commercial pilot flying in and out of NY every week.
The WMT races at WMMP were going to kill me too according to you guys. Never happened. Still virus free up north as well. If it’s safe to hold protests and Bike Week than it must be safe to go about my business the normal way. See you on Saturday.
🌈JD🌈 posted, “Can’t have 10 kids in a classroom but 25,000 bikers on a street block is fine?”
NH has some of the smallest class sizes in the country.
The official NH demographic data is that NH elementary schools have 20.4 students per class and 21.7 students per class at the high school level.
🌈JD🌈, schools tried opening already and caused infections. You really have a problem with that?
“I’m going to make them enforce the law”… And it’s people like you that make fighting this pandemic that much harder. Why not just wear a face covering? It’s not that hard. My wife has COPD, and yet still manages to wear one.
On another topic, Moderna, one of the companies entering phase 3 of human vaccine testing, has only managed to recruit about 6,000 of the 300,000 people needed for the phase 3 testing. People are scared to let someone inject them with an unknown substance. This will definitely delay the development of their vaccine, which at this time is 1 of only 2 U.S. made vaccines that gave made it to phase 3. A few others are still months away from phase 2 testing, and most are still in development, and nowhere near ready for even phase 1 testing. Trump’s claim if a vaccine being available by election day…Total BS. And the response from the White house “It is what it is”.
And as far as Voting by mail, good luck finding a mail box. The U S postal service has been very busy this week plucking those big blue mail boxes off the streets, with thousands being removed already. They are just as busy taking sorting machines offline. Hope your not expecting anything time sensitive, or important in your mail. Thank you Donald J. Trump.
We are quickly heading toward Authoritarian rule in this country. Don’t think so? Look around. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
It’s interesting seeing the reactions at the Speedbowl and Monadnock. It’s really very supportive on average. If you can’t follow the rules stay home seems to be the gist of the sum of the responses on Facebook.
Have to say when this deal started I thought for sure it was the one time we could all step up and support something together that would benefit us all together. Man did that not happen. Here we are months later with the plague still rolling over the country in waves and we still can’t all agree on the simplest little thing with the potential to starve the disease. One that means almost nothing if one person does it and could have a monumental affect if we all did it. But we won’t.
Doing something for the common good that doesn’t have a personal, clearly evident benefit just isn’t in fashion now. There’s little or no benefit to most people that wear a mask. We do it for the common good. Problem is for a very large percent of the population every behavior is transactional and there has to be a personal benefit to justify the effort.
My view Connecticut got it right first with Stafford. We’ve had months of racing with zero blow back. The Speedbowl and Thompson can thank Stafford for providing the successful model. I believe tonight’s race is honoring the state Senator that took the lead in making it all happen for the track. Make no mistake though the much scorned state government lead by Ned Lamont are to be thanked for their open mindedness as well where other states have stonewalled.
Pennsylvania and New Hampshire are pulling off races routinely with questionable sized crowds and many fans vacillating between grudging minimal compliance or active defiance. The pack the track event at Mahoning was interesting. My view it’s the measures taken in the rest of the Northeast to starve the virus in stores or any place with large amounts of humans that have reduced the risk for the petulant rebels. In return they thumb their noses at the benefit they are receiving in the way of reduced risk.
Last weekend at the two Stafford races I noticed a couple things. There was absolutely no reason for drivers in driver introductions to wear a mask. That is other then to show solidarity with fans being required to be safe and to set a good example. Eric Goodale who in not a big fan of face masks had one on. It said a lot he made the effort. The young guns that started up front on Saturday in the SK5K said screw it. Couldn’t be bothered. The exception Woody Pitkat.
Driver introductions were a reminder of how we aren’t all on the same page. Defiance, flaunting and mocking rules isn’t a local thing it’s nation wide and simply a symptom of the nation of cats we are at this particular time where we all have good reasons to do whatever the hell we want. Those that lean right politically have tended to grab attention as safety skeptics. It’s a little misleading. There are many apolitical young people, religious groups and others that have reasons to ignore safety as well so none of it is universal.
I remember when this first started breaking you JD reminded us of what Texas was doing opening making it seem our restrictions were over the top. In retrospect Texas proved not to be a model worth following.
I don’t blame you JD for being skeptical and questioning any rule or guideline. For whatever reason there are tens of millions of skeptics still even now. Skeptics where unless it can be proven they will get a direct benefit from joining in the minimally inconvenient behavior of wearing a mask they simply won’t do it unless they are made to. Soooooooo since masks scientifically speaking do not have a strong individual benefit and this is not a police state the skeptics can basically continue to do what they like.
I wish we all could agree on masks. It really is an itsy bitsy little sacrifice. Certainly nothing like fighting in a war or even being subject to a draft. Real personal sacrifice that’s a part of the countries history. It’s not happening.
The popular activity is to blame the current president for the lack of cohesion in accepting safety protocols to fight the virus. There was a point early on where that had merit but we’re way past that now. The proof is right in front of everyone’s eyes and the skeptics and rebels are still tens of millions strong. The problem is us. We’re just not built these days to be team players. We’re not built as a nation of individuals to make a personal sacrifice without a clearly defined personal benefit. JD who is interpreting everything in terms of his own personal interest, his neighborhood, schools and convenience is neither stupid, unpatriotic or any other nasty name you can think of. He’s an American individual that is conducting himself in a very American way that is to think of what is best for himself and those he cares about first.
The current president is a blame magnet and it misses the point. He didn’t invent the dissatisfaction and unrest in the voting public he took the dissatisfaction and unrest and focused it’s energy. He wouldn’t even have been the party nominee if there weren’t fundamental dissatisfaction prior to his arrival in politics. The virus isn’t Trumps, it ours. The failure to beat it down by adhering to universal safety practices isn’t Trumps it’s our failure. History called with a big challenge and for whatever reason we just weren’t equipped to deal with it as a nation.
The University of Texas projects that with universal mask usage the infection rate nationally going into the fall will decrease. Without it the infection rate will rise gaining momentum in October the lead up to the election.
I’m guessing since the president says the virus is dying that a push to adapt universal mask and safety protocol acceptance won’t be forthcoming going into the fall. If you believe him then everything should work out fine and you’re skepticism justified.
I now this is too long and mostly not on point but you JD just really hit home with a lot of what you say.. I don’t agree with your position on pretty much anything Covid19 and haven’t from the start but I don’t have to to appreciate it and respect it. You express your skepticism with various rules and put them in context with the current environment better then anyone here in my view so thank you for that.
.
Rob p., the vaccine program under Trump is a joke. It is rife with corruption and selling empty promises. Many are speaking out against it already. I was just reading a report about a “coverup” and “abysmal failure”.
I don’t trust any vaccine developed under this Administration.
I wear a mask indoors when I am required too. NH passed this emergency order not for safety, but so they could have Bike Week. The safety measures in place before this week were working just fine. This is a money grab by the state of NH
I don’t believe the media about any of this, good or bad. The internet ruined journalism. The news changes from channel to channel. Who the hell knows what is true and what is not.
In a hybrid format, classes would be 8-10. That’s what most towns are doing.
Dareal,
I don’t trust any vaccine from anyone. It is my understanding that to be approved a vaccine only needs a 60% success rate. That means for every 1,000,000 people that get the vaccine 400,000 could still possibly get sick. Those are not great numbers. On top of that, how many fools out there think they are going to get the vaccine and think everything is over. When there is a vaccine numbers are going to skyrocket because of stupid people that think they are safe. Everyone just needs to accept the fact that coronavirus is here to stay. It will never be gone in my lifetime, my children’s lifetime, or their children’s lifetime. Anyone who thinks otherwise is only kidding themselves.
Ed J,
Please provide a link to any reputable source that indicates that a vaccine approval only depends on a 60 percent success rate.
Yeah, I’d be interested in seeing that information.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/06/30/coronavirus-vaccine-approval-fda/
We all know that Trump is the showman. I’m looking forward to the day he does a publicity stunt and gets his COVID-19 vaccine live on TV. BTW, Trump is an anti-vaxxer. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 And after he get the COVID-19 vaccine, anyone is allowed near him, no more mandatory testing for him a couple times day and everyone that might get near him. Looking forward to seeing that.
Trump is going for herd immunity, that is everyone else gets it, the weak ones die off, and he’s then protected.