Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series Events Dominate In Recent Popularity Poll 

Dana DiMatteo celebrates victory in the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series event on Aug. 6 at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl (Photo: Jim DuPont/RaceDayCT)

It’s the often debated topic among the faithful of Tour Type Modified racing in the Northeast. 

It used to be that there was no argument when the topic of Tour Type Modified racing came up. There was the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and then anything else being judged was far far behind. 

But these days, with a whole slate of different choices for Tour Type Modified racing in the Northeast, it seems the winds of change have fallen to a new fan favorite in the category. 

A poll earlier this week on RaceDayCT asked readers what their favorite Tour Type Modified event has been in 2022 in New England. 

Three hundred and thirty three people weighed in with a resounding nod in the results toward events of the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series

Respondents were offered the choice of 14 different events to choose as their favorite. The group included all five Whelen Modified Tour events in New England thus far in 2022 and also all six Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series events in New England thus far this season. The choices also included two Open Modified events at Stafford Speedway and one Thompson Outlaw Open Modified event at Thompson Speedway. 

The results of the poll had five of the six Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series events in the top six of the voting results. 

The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series event on Aug. 6 at the New London-Waterford was the top vote-getter, garnering 68 votes (20.4 percent). The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series NAPA Fall Final at Stafford on Saturday was a close second in voting with 65 votes (19.5 percent).

The NAPA Spring Sizzler from April 24 at Stafford closed out the podium in voting with 45 votes (13.5 percent). 

The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series making its debut at Thunder Road in Barre, VT on May 29 was fourth in the polling with 37 votes (11.1 percent). The June 29 Open Wheel Wednesday for the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway got 26 votes (7.8 percent) to lock up fifth place in the voting. The July 23 Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series event at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H. was sixth in the voting with 21 votes (6.3 percent). 

The Aug. 18 event at Thompson Speedway was the top vote-getter for the Whelen Modified Tour, falling in at seventh place overall in the poll (20 votes, 6 percent). 

The July 16 Whelen Modified Tour event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was eighth in voting (13 votes, 3.9 percent). 

The other three Whelen Modified Tour events in New England in 2022 earned 11 votes in total among the group. The series event at Claremont (N.H.) Speedway on July 29 earned five votes, The Lee USA Speedway (Lee, N.H.) Whelen Modified Tour event on May 21 got four votes. The Whelen Modified Tour event at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. on June 19 got two votes. 

A poll on Sept. 21 asked respondents what they think is the best Northeast based Touring racing series. With 471 people voting, the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series received 255 votes (54.1 percent) to lead the voting. The Whelen Modified Tour was second in the voting with 80 votes (17 percent). The Northeast Midget Association was third in voting (66 votes, 14 percent). 

Comments

  1. Suitcase Jake says

    Well it’s clear…. Race Fans have spoken .. WE LOVE HEAT RACES……We enjoy watching heat races that set up drama for who is in and who is out.. It adds meaning to the consi- Races.. Drivers needing to get up on the wheel to make the show … they gotta go…. This is a big part of Tri-Track success ..
    Thompson is the BEST Venue for Modifieds.. The high banks just produce the higher speeds and quite a few passing opportunities ….enough said… We love Tri-Track and hoping for more races in 2023… Like to see a 10 or 12 Race Schedule .. Can’t wait for World Series and Haunted 100 at Seekonk..

  2. Robert Chisholm says

    I have always favored the Tri Track series since it’s inception. I love that its all green flag racing and I pay good money to see racing and not the yellow flag laps counting merry go round . I think that T T is open to any car is a big selling point to the fans , but sadly car counts are dropping and i want to see a full field of cars and not less than 28 for a feature

  3. Robert Chisolm,
    The Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series has averaged 33.5 cars through their first six events in 2022 and they have had more than 28 cars on the entry list for the last four events (32 at Seekonk, 29 at Star, 44 at Waterford and 46 at Stafford).

  4. Stuart A Fearn says

    Robert- are you talking about a different series or something? See Shawn’s comment above…

  5. Jake;
    I agree with your point of heat races and consi’s.
    But for that to work effectively to build drama, you need overflowing pits. Luckily, Tri Track gives us that. And as much as I’d like to see that on the tour, the car counts just don’t support the the concept of consi’s, to build that drama. No one goes home on the tour.

  6. Monaco Modified starting field is 26 cars.

  7. you guys are right. heat races are better than time trials. Having over a full field of cars is better than short fields. You dont get races in which a couple of cars are so far off the pace they are lapped before the lap counter hits double digits. There is nothing more frustrating than watching cars parade around under a yellow flag watching laps click off the total. Also there is something to having the vast majority of races within a tight geographic region not all over the east coast during an inflationary period of our economy. I know I am looking forward to hundred at Seekonk. Nice to see the tour back there next year too. Hopefully the Nascar mods scheule is a little more regional next season.

  8. I agree with all of the above! Always preferred TriTrack from its inception. Heats, consi’s sometimes a B-main, and a tire change if you want with only green flag laps definitely the way to go. Stafford Opens are also right at the top due to having their SK’s and SKL’s with them. Thompson Opens need more cars, although the racing itself has been pretty good.

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