(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)
For the first time in series history, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will visit New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway twice in a single season. It will happen when the Tour returns to the quarter-mile bullring Saturday for the inaugural running of the Winchester Fair (8 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
The 14th race of the 2023 Modified Tour season will double as the finale of the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup. The Cup’s originally scheduled finale at Claremont Motorsports Park was canceled due to inclement weather, setting the stage for Saturday’s showdown at Monadnock.
Saturday’s race will mark the 16th time the series has visited the Winchester, New Hampshire track dating back to 1986. Drivers to have visited Victory Lane at Monadnock include four-time winner Justin Bonsignore, two-time winner Doug Coby, Todd Szegedy, Jamie Tomaino, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Stefanik, Timmy Solomito, Reggie Ruggiero, Ryan Preece, Ted Christopher and Ken Bouchard.
Tickets to Saturday’s Winchester Fair are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the 14th race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
Winchester Fair at Monadnock Speedway
What to watch for:
At least for one weekend, Tommy Baldwin Racing and Doug Coby are back.
The team owned by Tommy Baldwin Jr. on Saturday will make its return to the series after missing the last two events following Baldwin’s announcement of a cancer diagnosis.
Coby and Baldwin return with one goal in mind: Win the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup and the $5,000 car owner bonus that comes with it.
The team enters the Winchester Fair as the leader in the three-race miniseries produced by event promoter JDV Productions. Coby won the Modified Tour’s most recent race at Monadnock earlier this year, making TBR’s crew the favorites to leave with the Cup.
Several drivers will look to dethrone Coby and Baldwin, including two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race winner Austin Beers, who sits only six points behind Coby for the Cup. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship points leader Ron Silk is also in contention, as he finds himself just seven points behind Coby.
MORE MONADNOCK: Watch live Saturday on FloRacing
Regional contender Sam Rameau is also in the hunt for the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, and he enters Saturday’s race nine points behind Coby. Justin Bonsignore will look to rebound from a rough race at Oswego Speedway with a strong run at Monadnock as he attempts to keep Silk within striking distance in the battle for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.
Anthony Nocella returns to the Tour in his family-owned No. 92, as does Woody Pitkat, who will once again be in the No. 6 owned by Stan Mertz. Craig Lutz, Kyle Bonsignore, Jake Johnson and Tyler Rypkema are among the other entrants. One driver, Nathan Wenzel, will be making his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut Saturday night.
The complete entry list for the Winchester Fair is available here.
RACE FACTS
| Race | Winchester Fair |
| Date | Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023 |
| Track | Monadnock Speedway |
| Layout | Quarter-mile paved oval |
| Location | Winchester, New Hampshire |
| Start Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Laps | 150 |
| Posted awards | $83,845 |
| Live stream | FloRacing (Live) |
Schedule: Saturday, Sept. 9 … Final practice from 2:55-3:55 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET … Winchester Fair at 8:30 p.m. ET (FloRacing).
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 inaugural Winchester Fair 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.
Never thought I’d see a day when 40 percent of the entry list for a Whelen Tour event would be MRS level teams. One more great series nascar destroyed.
Every Race, Every Entry List, different name, SAME MESSAGE, So Jake or how many other names, Tell me How NASCAR has destroyed another series? Did NASCAR break MH arm? Did Nascar make the 79 team stop?, Did Nascar make E. Goodale wanna help his son race? Did Nascar give TB Cancer, Did Nascar make Emerling buy INTO an Xfinity team? Yes NASCAR did fine Fortin for his actions, so blame NASCAR There. Did NASCAR MAKE the Catalanos stay closer to Home?
SO Monadnock is in New Hampshire Right? No long travel for allll those who complain about long distance races, Like LEE or Seekonk both IN NEW ENGLAND, Right? FOR the 1000th time, the landscape of Tour Type racing has changed in the 2020’s, 1985 aint comin back, 2000 aint comin back. Does NASCAR need to make some changes? Yes i would say so but blaming them for small fields when ALL series have smaller fields is DUMB! Wait til North Wilkesboro for the 40 car field and Complain then!
Any rumors on who may fill the 46 seat?
I love the Tour, been involved and watching since it started , Glad we still have the Tour around, Great to see the records and History keep rolling on..Look forward to events I can attend and also watching the ones on FLO Racing that I can’t be at…WE all knew it was going to be a MIGHTY challenge this year with all the traveling and such…The Championship should be a great one with the 64, 16 , 51 … Battling down to the Last race… The racing has been real STRONG in the top 5 and should continue to the end of the Season… By the way Jake , is not Suitcase Jake so let’s get that straight.. He is stating His opinion … as we all state ours…
40 at north wilkesboro? The tour has 13-14 regular teams now and they fill in spots by the track they go to. Tell us the 25 teams that don’t race regularly that are going to north wilkesboro? You’re going to get a few a part time tour teams and probably Newman, Labonte and Burt Meyers. Most teams that race the smart tour ain’t showing up unless nascar has decided to cancel tech for the race.
40 cars at North Wilksboro????
Yeah, all those mothballed cars are getting dusted off right now.
To the FOOLS THAT MOCKED ME ABOUT 40 CARS AT North Wilkesboro i say **** U
wmass01013,
I know you want to celebrate and all, but it isn’t what you said it would be.
Your exact quote was: “Wait til North Wilkesboro for the 40 car field and Complain then!”
There’s 39 cars on the entry list. You said it would be 40. If you had bet that it would be 40 you would have lost the bet.
That said, it’s good to see a healthy entry list, albeit for a very special event. I think it would be a lot better if there was 39 cars on the entry list for the World Series, but I think that will probably be more like 25-30.
In closing, I’d say wait to celebrate the number when practice starts at North Wilkesboro because there might be some ghosts.
Still 10 days away and the list can still grow!!!!!!!! I still stand behind my comment to those that mocked me. I dont forsee any Ghost like u seem too.
As far as Northern Numbers i also wish list were bigger, NASCAR does have to look at the landscape of Tour Type Racing and make some changes, will they?
Unlike Crudbus who thinks My Series IS WMT, i like all Tour Type Racing, i was sad that the events that took Place at Star this past weekend, i had hoped that Doucette would bring the MRS back to its early sucess, that was Not the way to do it.
i see the Racing guys are already at work for races in 2024, can Tour Type racing Flourish with so many races by so many???
BRAVO! BRAVO!! 👏 🙌 🎉 🤩 🎊
wmASS01013, good call. Close enough. A couple more cars might show up on the entry list, and a couple might withdraw.
There’s way more cars than I expected, for sure. Especially at this time of the season when most of those cars have NOTHING to gain. Surprised to see the 7NY on the list.
How many cars will be allowed to start? With 39 cars, some might not make the cut.
Kinda interesting to see the entry list out so early.
Does the exact number at North Wilkesboro really make a whole lot of difference? It’s a lot of cars in any event.
Inside the top line number it looks like they’re coming out of the woodwork from all over for this one. Sapienza is taking a break from fishing, Tomaino’s packing up his walker and fiber will be there. SMART, smartly represented.
So what’s that mean?
Fewer tour mod events and bigger shows add up to great fields. It’s not about the points any more each event is an island. Perhaps some connected with rickety bridges (points) but still islands.
The MMTTS Fall final a big show and has a big field. Haunted Hundred likely to have more at Creepy Bruce’s reputationally challenged Speedbowl.
Space them out, find the way to make yours special, pay good and teams get jazzed up to be part of it. Pack the races together, make them look a lot alike, milk them for profit choosing quantity over quality and you end up with meh shows.
The North Wilkesboro REVIVAL ….
“come back to life
Revival literally means “come back to life.” An ER doctor might perform a revival of someone whose heart has stopped. We usually use it to mean “returned to glory, importance, or strength.” Fresh paint and new flowerbeds might mean your neighborhood is experiencing a revival.
Everyone wants to put their name in the Record Books at this grand ole
track that has so much Nascar HISTORY ….. Great Job Saving this Track..
that is the REAL draw……
Rockingham should be NEXT FOR MODS as well as Cup