The 602 Modifieds were a new division added to the lineup this year at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, with three races scheduled for the week.
The division ran Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with Wall Stadium regular Carsten DiGiantomasso winning on Sunday and Tuesday and Newtown’s Anthony Bello scoring victory for Connecticut team owner Paul French on Monday.
Wall Stadium regular Paul Hartwig Jr. helped to organize the division coming to New Smyrna and also drove in the features, but he wasn’t very happy with French and his team.
We talked with both Hartwig and French about the issues over the week and how the division played at the World Series on Episode 87 of Unmuffled.
Episode 87 of Unmuffled is presented by our Patreon marketing partners from New England Racing Fuel, Swanson Buick/GMC, LifeCare Family Chiropractic, SAFCO Foam, Mid-State Site Development, TFR Distribution, Draco Racing Springs, Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair, Tri-Track Open Modified Series, Compressed Air USA, Hoosier Tire East, MidState Compressor, Casagrande Builders, Falmouth Ready Mix, Wheelers Auto, Rent A Race Car New England, Sign Pro, North End Auto Parts, Magna Steel Sales, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Riverhead Raceway, Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway.
What I noticed
-Paul French has had no success at Stafford, goes to New Smyrna and has success. If it boils down to hard work as he said why did the Florida hard work pay off when the Stafford hard work hasn’t?
-Hartwig organizes it, gets the teams to go down, has a laundry list of grievances to air that sound valid but in the end it came down to one thing. French deprived him of winning.
-Hartwig wants the event to flourish at New Smyrna but does not seem particularly engaged in finding ways to get Staffords vast array of teams plugged in as far as rules are concerned. Actually being a little defeatist about it.
That’s racing!!!