On May 4 when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour made its first of three visits for the season to Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. it was Jake Johnson being celebrated in victory lane as a first time series winner.
Saturday, in the second trip of the season to Monadnock the first time winner theme became a streak.
Seventeen year old series rookie Trevor Catalano of Ontario, N.Y. held off the challenges of reigning series champion Ron Silk over the final 25 laps to win the Whelen Modified Tour Duel at the Dog 250 Saturday at Monadnock.
Trevor Catalano is the youngest of three Catalano brothers racing full-time on the series this year and is the first of the family score a victory on the Whelen Modified Tour. Twenty-six year old Tommy Catalano has been a series regular since 2018. Twenty year old Tyler Catalano is also in his first full-time season.
“This is awesome,” Trevor Catalano said. “My mom and dad, they give us everything they can to come out here and be competitive. They gave me everything and anything that I know. I just can’t thank my parents enough. … It’s a whole family operation. We all pick off of each other and try to give the best type of car we give and come out every week and be competitive. Man this thing was on rails. We took a call to stay out and try to take the track position. I don’t know how … I messed up a couple times and thought [Silk] was going to get me. He raced me clean and this is just awesome. I can’t believe this.”
Silk, the series points leader from Norwalk, held on for second.
“I probably just needed to turn the center [of the corners] a little bit better,” Silk said. “We were basically even. I didn’t want to knock him out of the way. He did a great job. He didn’t make any mistakes. I was hoping he would make one and I could get my nose under him. Congratulations to Trevor, he did a phenomenal job.”
Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. was third.
“We were the car to beat tonight,” Emerling said. “We about a tenth and a half on the field right at the end. Just on the last restart there was just a lot of oil on the top and it shuffled the whole [outside lane] back and there was no grip. Once we got filed out we were coming at the end, just a little too late there.”
Silk, who came into the event holding a two point lead over Justin Bonsignore in the series standings, extended that lead to eight points on Bonsignore, who was seventh. Johnson, who finished 14th, is 41 points behind Silk in the standings in third.
Craig Lutz held the top spot at the start with Matt Hirschman settling in to second place.
By lap 43 Silk was up to fourth with Lutz leading, Hirschman in second and Stephen Kopcik in third.
Not long after a lap 64 restart Silk got by Hirschman for second place. Silk stalked all over Lutz lap after lap before going by him for the lead on lap 101.
Caution flew on lap 130 for a frontstretch wreck involving Kopcik and Trevor Catalano.
Under caution all the leaders headed to the paddock for the cold pit stop.
On the ensuing restart Silk was able to hold the lead, with Patrick Emerling moving past Lutz for second with Hirschman following to third.
On lap 150 Emerling made the move to get by Silk for the lead. A lap later Hirschman followed by Silk to second place. Silk was able to grab second back on lap 154.
Silk challenged Emerling for the lead on lap 163 but Emerling defended the top spot.
Caution flew on lap 180 with Emerling leading, Silk in second and Hirschman in third.
The top four went to the pits under caution for cold pit stops, putting Kyle Bonsignore out front for the restart with Woody Pitkat in second and Trevor Catalano in third. Emerling restarted fourth.
On the restart it was Bonsignore holding the top spot with Silk quickly moving to third behind him. On lap 195 Trevor Catalano went by Kyle Bonsignore for the lead with Silk following to second place.
With 23 laps remaining Silk tried to get under Catalano for the top spot but got picked by a lapped car. Silk continued looking for a lane under Trevor Catalano in traffic over the final 20 laps but couldn’t find the room to challenge.
“I was just trying to drive as hard as I could without messing up,” Trevor Catalano said. “I twitched down in [turns] three and four a couple times and he got under me and I just had to keep him as tight as I could in [turns] one and two and hold him at bay. I can’t believe this.”
That was a very good race. That was a very good night up there. I didn’t get to Monadnock at all in 2023, glad I went there last night. Lots of improvements to the place and the repave looks great. Every division had close racing, but not sure I liked the demolition derby bowman gray style truck race
I agree with Jim, I thought it was a very good race. Congratulations to Trevor and the entire Catalano family, well deserved. Staying out on that last caution was definitely the right call!
On another note, I gained a ton of respect for Ron Silk last night. He could have rooted the 56 out of the way and won, but he wanted to do it the right way. I highly doubt the 51 would have raced Trevor the same way.
Amazing what a repave can do for a track and the racing.
Hey Thompson, you paying attention?