(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
Following another lengthy break after the most recent event at Richmond Raceway, the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season kicks into overdrive this Saturday evening with the running of the Duel at the Dog 200 at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway.
Saturday’s race marks the 15th time the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has visited the quarter-mile bullring located in Winchester, New Hampshire, and doubles as the first Tour race of the season in the Northeast. Ken Bouchard won the inaugural series event at the track in 1986, with future NASCAR star Jimmy Spencer picking up a victory the following season. Others to earn trips to Victory Lane at Monadnock include Mike Stefanik, Reggie Ruggiero, Jamie Tomaino, Ted Christopher, Todd Szegedy, Ryan Preece, Doug Coby and Timmy Solomito.
The winningest NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver at Monadnock is Justin Bonsignore, who has four victories at the track, including a victory during the 2022 season.
Saturday’s race is also the first race of JDV Productions’ Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, which will award $15,700 in bonuses to NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers who compete in the events at Monadnock, Lee USA Speedway (May 27) and Claremont Motorsports Park (July 29).
Below is everything you need to know about Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 200 at Monadnock Speedway.
MORE MONADNOCK: Tickets | Streaming
Duel at the Dog 200 at Monadnock Speedway
What to watch for:
After a quiet rookie season in 2022, Austin Beers is off to a fast start this year.
He opened the season at New Smyrna Speedway in February by leading 51 laps and finishing eighth before being shot out of a cannon at Richmond Raceway, where he won the pole, led 102 laps and won his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race.
Beers sits tied at the top of the series standings with Ron Silk, who won the opening race of the season at New Smyrna after going winless in 2022. Both should be considered potential contenders this weekend at Monadnock Speedway.
If either Beers or Silk hopes to win on Saturday, they’ll have to find a way to defeat the all-time Monadnock win leader Justin Bonsignore, who sits third in the Tour standings behind Beers and Silk after finishes of second at New Smyrna and fourth at Richmond.
No other driver has more than one victory at Monadnock and only one other previous winner at the track is entered in Saturday’s event. That honor belongs to six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby, who scored his lone Monadnock victory in 2015. Coby, who is wheeling Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s No. 7, is seeking his 35th career victory this Saturday.
After not competing with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2022, Woody Pitkat makes his return to Tour competition this weekend driving for Mertz Racing Enterprises. Matt Hirschman, who finished second last year at Monadnock, will look to rebound from a difficult run at Richmond with a strong performance Saturday. Defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Jon McKennedy, who is looking for his first top-five of the season, should also be considered a potential threat to win Saturday.
Two drivers – Jacob Perry and Sam Rameau – are making their season debuts Saturday at Monadnock. A third, Cory Plummer, is scheduled to make his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut.
Other notable entries include Jake Johnson, Tim Connolly, Patrick Emerling, Tommy Catalano, Eric Goodale, Craig Lutz and Anthony Nocella.
The complete entry for the Duel at the Dog 200 is available here.
RACE FACTS
| Race | Duel at the Dog 200 |
| Date | Saturday, May 6, 2023 |
| Track | Monadnock Speedway |
| Layout | Quarter-mile paved oval |
| Location | Winchester, New Hampshire |
| Start Time | 5 p.m. ET |
| Laps | 200 |
| Posted awards | $83,450 |
| Live stream | FloRacing (Live) |
Schedule: Saturday, May 6 … Final practice from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET … Race at 5 p.m. ET
Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Duel at the Dog 200 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.
Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position.
$45 for a general admission ticket!!
Nice to see that many cars on the entry list, hope they all show up
Weather is looking good.
Pro 4, NWMT, and NEMA Lites… indeed looking like a great day at the track!!!
I get the sticker shock race fan, but if we want good car counts, it has to pay for these drivers to come to a race! So it’s a balancing act I am sure every track owner has to deal with. How do I get the dollars to pay a good purse, without scaring away too many people. Remeber, today;s $50 is yesterday’s $20
Ken L wrote, “Remeber, today;s $50 is yesterday’s $20”
Yeah, the ATM gives out $50s now, instead of $20s.
50 is the new 20. My grocery bill seems to be higher than ever…..and I havent put on a bunch of weight from eating more than normal. If anything I am eating less because the packaging contains less. Monadnock doesnt have a lot of seats, to make it work with 83k purse they need a high grand stand ticket price. I imagine they are getting to a price point where some people are going to skip these more expenseive shows in favor of other entertainment options but I have thought that for a few years now. Hopefully, it works out for them.
The weather looks promising for this weekend. Seekonk and Waterford get going this weekend as well. I might try to get to a race this weekend. I will probably go to Seekonk. Sunday works better for me this weekend, its the closest and I like the racing there. If only they ran a division of modifieds. We will see what happens.. Wherever you go, have fun and enjoy the races.
$45 ?? No, really? For no-heats, 200 laps of single-file racing, NEMA “lites”, and Pro-Fours? Wow
For comparison, the Sizzler is $35
“Seekonk and Waterford get going this weekend as well.”
Don’t forget Riverhead!
It would be more worth the price if the NHSTRA Mods ran on the same day as the WMT. With the NHMS grandstands in turns 3 & 4, there are plenty of seats available, but I suspect many will be empty due to the $$.
These same people pay 165 bucks to 350 bucks to see the Patsies play and some even more depending on ticket prices and 75 bucks to park and 12 dollar drinks and you never hear the complaints…. FREE parking and 45 bucks with reasonable drink and food prices … They complain … People people it’s great entertainment… Open the wallets and support the folks who are trying to put together a great weekend of racing …. !!! These same people will be CRYING THE LOUDEST when we lose another track due to lack of FAN SUPPORT !!!! Those unable to attend… Sign up for FLO RACING and RACING AMERICA and support the SPORT WE LOVE … If we the racing fans don’t step up now it could go away like covid times… This is an important year for Racetracks in NE… Will we support these tracks or watch them disappear and complain like Hell when it’s too LATE…. One track left in Massachusetts….1 Rhode Island … 0 NH … 6 or 8 ? Maine .. 4 or 5 ?Vermont 2 or 3 ?? Connecticut 4 or 5 ??
It’s going to be interesting to see if the fans skip Monadnock and save their money and go to the Spring Sizzler instead. The way money is nowadays it’s going to be hard spending $100.00 or more for back to back weekends just for admission. I also understand what the tracks have to do so they can payout a decent purse unfortunately I think the fans aren’t going to be able to afford both.
With the reduction of NWMT races at Stafford and Thompson, these off-Broadway tracks can now charge premiums. That’s just the way it is.
I’m with you on that Suitcase, regardless of my commeint about ticket $$. If not for a family function I’d be there!!
power to them, they can charge whatever they want. It’s just strange to me that they are charging $45 for a ticket that includes pure stocks, dwarf cars, and pro-4 modifieds while stafford is charging $35 for the Spring Sizzler