Making The Call: Jake Johnson Tops Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series At White Mountain

On July 27, 2024 the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series made its first visit in series history to White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. 

On that day it was Jake Johnson using a strategy to skip a tire change which helped propel the Rehoboth, Mass. driver to victory. 

Going into Sunday’s series return to White Mountain, Johnson said the plan was to make a tire change. 

Ultimately though, it was Johnson playing crew chief from the driver’s seat, skipping the tire change and rolling to a dominating victory in the Monaco Modified 100 Sunday at White Mountain. 

“On the ride up today we decided we were going to pit,” Johnson said. “And then they told me to pit and I didn’t want to.” 

It was Johnson’s fourth career Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series victory and first since the White Mountain triumph in 2024. 

“I’ve just got to thank this awesome crew,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of people working on this thing behind the scenes. I just have the best crew in the pit area and it showed today so I’m really grateful for all of them.” 

Ron Silk of Norwalk, who won the first two Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series events of the season, was second. Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass., who came into the event at the series points leader, left in that spot after a third place finish. 

Pole-sitter Brett Meservey controlled at the front at the green flag. Behind him Stephen Kopcik moved past Silk for second on the opening lap. 

By lap seven Silk had fallen to ninth place. 

At lap 10 Meservey had opened a little more than a half second lead over Kopcik, with Ronnie Williams running in third. 

Caution flew on lap 14 for Silk, who got in the wall with a flat left rear tire. 

On the lap 14 restart, Williams got under Kopcik for second place. Johnson followed by Kopcik into third and Austin Beers got by Kopcik for fourth. On lap 18 Matt Hirschman got by Kopcik for fifth place. 

With Meservey ahead by nearly a second on lap 32, Johnson got by Williams to move into second. Within five laps, Williams fell back to seventh. 

After leading every lap up to that point, Meservey slowed and stopped in turn two on lap 45 with engine issues. It moved Johnson to the lead with Beers in second and Hirschman third. 

Johnson got the jump at the front on the lap 45 restart with Beers bettering Hirschman in the battle for second place. By lap 50 Silk was back up to seventh place. 

With Johnson controlling at the front of the field, Beers in second and Hirschman in third, caution flew on lap 67 for the spinning car of Luke Baldwin. Under caution, fourth place Kopcik, sixth place Silk and seventh place Teddy Hodgdon went to the pits.

Johnson once again controlled on the restart and left Beers to fight off Hirschman for second. 

On lap 71 McKennedy got by Hirschman to move into third. Caution returned on lap 74 for the spinning car of Baldwin. On the lap 74 restart Johnson continued to control at the front. By lap 82 Johnson had already opened more than a one second lead over second place Beers. 

With Kopcik working over the back bumper of Woody Pitkat for seventh place on lap 85, Matt Swanson went to the open low lane below Kopcik off of turn two. Kopcik then came down into Swanson, collecting Pitkat, Swanson and Chris Pasteryak in the backstretch melee. 

Johnson checked out again from the field following the lap 85 restart and not long after McKennedy was able to get by Beers for second place. On lap 97 Beers spun out of third place to bring out the caution. 

On the lap 97 restart, Johnson got away at the front with Silk moving by McKennedy for second.