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Martinsville Speedway to Host 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Season Finale on Oct. 26, 2023

By: Martinsville Speedway

October 27, 2022

Motorsports

Martinsville Speedway expands 2023’s NASCAR Playoff Penultimate Race Weekend to host the season finale of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. This will be seventh time Martinsville will host the Whelen Modified Tour season finale and second consecutive season (1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 2022, 2023).

“For NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season, Martinsville Speedway will host the 2023 regular season finale of the competitive NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,” said Clay Campbell, Martinsville Speedway President. “For the second season in a row the season finale of the Mods will join the fifth consecutive season of penultimate races for the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series in the fall.”

Martinsville hosted a modified race in NASCAR’s inaugural season on July 4, 1948. The race was the third NASCAR sanctioned race in history in the Commonwealth of Virginia. NASCAR's National Modified Championship, the predecessor to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, competed at Martinsville from 1960-1984. The modern-day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour continued to race at the historic half-mile short track from 1985-2002, 2005-2010 and 2021-2022.

Racing Virginia legend Ray Hendrick, who is the career leader in wins at Martinsville with 20, is the all-time leader in modified wins at the track with 13. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans is second with 10. NASCAR Hall of Famer Mike Stefanik, one of the Modified Tour’s 10 greatest drivers of all-time, holds the modern-day record with five wins at Martinsville.

In 2021’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 Whelen Modified Tour race, Ryan Preece set the Martinsville Speedway track record with a 101.768 mph lap in qualifying. The previous record was set in qualifying for a 1986 modified event, Greg Sacks had a one-lap average of 101.014 mile-per-hour.

In the spring, Martinsville will host all three NASCAR national series featuring the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series on Friday, April 14, 2023, Xfinity Series on Saturday, April 15, 2023, and the Cup Series on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Martinsville has hosted April Cup races in 1952, 1958, 1960-1969, 1971- 2008, 2011-2013, 2016-2017 and 2021-2022. The track has hosted spring Xfinity Series races in 1982-1994 and 2021-2022. Martinsville has hosted spring CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races in 1999-2019 and 2022.

Racing Virginia will be active in the month of April as the Commonwealth will host two Cup Series races in the same month for the third consecutive season as Richmond Raceway will host the Toyota Owners 400 on April 2, 2023.

Martinsville will host the Whelen Modified Tour season finale on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 and penultimate races of the Xfinity Series in the Dead On Tools 250 on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 and the Cup Series for the fourth consecutive season in the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. In an intense short track battle that can only happen at Martinsville, the races will set the field for the respective series for the NASCAR Championships the following week at Phoenix Raceway.

Start times and television networks for the 2023 Cup Series, Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedules will be announced at a later date.

2023 NASCAR tickets are available for purchase via phone at 877-RACE-TIX or online at martinsvillespeedway.com. Fans can view the full 2023 NASCAR schedule and purchase tickets at www.nascar.com/2023schedule.

Stay connected to Martinsville Speedway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the NASCAR Tracks App.

NASCAR Playoff Race Weekend

As part of its 75th Anniversary season, Martinsville will host the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season finale in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 today at 8:00 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff practice and qualifying on Friday, Oct. 28 at 4:00 p.m., penultimate races of the Xfinity Series Playoffs in the Dead On Tools 250 on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 3:00 p.m. and the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2:00 p.m. In short track battles that can only happen at Martinsville, the fall races will crown the Whelen Modified Tour champion and set the field for the Xfinity and Cup Series championships the following week at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR tickets are available for purchase via phone at 877-RACE-TIX or online at martinsvillespeedway.com.

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The year has just about reached its end for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The conclusion to this wildly exciting season will come at the end of 200 laps around Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway on Thursday night, and nearly 40 teams and drivers have decided to make the trip to the historic half-mile.

2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Martinsville Speedway

Headlining the entry list is, of course, the two championship combatants of Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore. Silk, who is looking for his second NWMT championship, leads Bonsignore, who is fighting for his fourth title, by 13 points. Last year Silk finished 11th in the season finale at Martinsville, while Bonsignore fell out of the race early with a mechanical issue and finished 29th.

While all eyes will be on Silk and Bonsignore, there will be plenty to watch throughout the field with so many heavy-hitters entered.

We’ll start with NASCAR Cup Series driver, Ryan Preece. The 2013 NWMT champion has not made a start with the Modified Tour since this race one year ago. Even though Martinsville is the site of Preece’s very first NWMT victory, Martinsville was not kind to him one year ago. Preece battled handling issues all day long before falling out of the race just past the halfway mark.

Next, we’ll spotlight a man who needs no introduction, but we’ll give him one anyway. That man is “Big Money” Matt Hirschman from Northampton, Pennsylvania. Hirschman led 31 of 200 laps in last year’s race here before finishing second to Corey LaJoie. Hirschman has been on fire since coming back from the injury to his arm that he suffered in August, scoring multiple wins and multiple podiums across various series, including a historic win at North Wilkesboro Speedway last month.

Tonawanda, New York’s Andy Jankowiak is making a rare appearance with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this week. Jankowiak has only made seven previous NWMT starts, with the most recent coming at Oswego Speedway in September where he finished 13th. The ARCA Menards Series regular comes to Martinsville fresh off a win in SMART Modified Tour competition at South Boston Speedway last week.

Speaking of the SMART Modified Tour, seven full-time SMART drivers will be pulling double-duty this weekend at Martinsville Speedway on Thursday and at Orange County Speedway on Saturday. Those drivers include Burt Myers, Carson Loftin, Brandon Ward, Joey Coulter, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, and Jamie Tomaino. 

FloRacing will have more coverage to come for both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour finale at Martinsville Speedway on Thursday night, and the SMART Modified Tour finale at Orange County Speedway on Saturday night. Fans can subscribe to FloRacing, the new home for Modified racing, by clicking here .

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Martinsville Speedway Entry List

• Pavement Modifieds
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
• Martinsville Speedway

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NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to return to Martinsville in 2024

• Bulletin Staff Report
• Oct 26, 2023

Modifieds, led by Corey LaJoie (53), come around Turn 4 during last season’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Martinsville Speedway. The Tour announced this week it will return to Martinsville next fall for a third straight season.

A week before crowning the 2023 champion at Martinsville Speedway, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour announced its schedule for the 2024 season.

The Modified Tour plans to carry on a new schedule tradition by opening mere miles from the birthplace of NASCAR and finishing at one of its most historic tracks as the 16 race dates on the 2024 schedule were announced late last week.

Martinsville Speedway returned to hosting the Whelen Modified Tour’s season finale in 2022, and will carry on the new tradition for the third consecutive year in 2024. The race on the Virginia short track moves to a weekend date on Saturday, October 26, opening up a week of camping and activity for fans of the Virginia short track.

Following the modified race at Martinsville, NASCAR will then set the field for the Championship 4 in all three national series later that week. The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck will race on November 1, followed by the Xfinity Series and Cup Series over the following two days.

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For the third consecutive year, the Modified Tour will open at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida as part of the track’s “World Series of Asphalt Stock Cars Racing” during NASCAR’s Speedweeks, racing under the lights on February 10. The 66th running of the DAYTONA 500 at nearby Daytona International Speedway then takes place a week later to conclude the opening week of NASCAR action.

“We have seen over the past two seasons how exciting it has been for our fans and competitors to open at New Smyrna and finish at Martinsville,” Jimmy Wilson, Senior Director for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour said in a release. “The mix of tracks on the schedule pays tribute to the Tour’s roots and sets up a competitive season from start to finish, demonstrated by how once again this year our fans are going to see the Whelen Modified Tour title decided at the finale.”

Richmond Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway return to the Modified schedule as companion events alongside NASCAR national series race weekend. Richmond will remain the second race of the season on March 29, while New Hampshire holds a mid-summer June 22 date.

Richmond began hosting Tour races in 1990 and has seen the likes of NASCAR Hall of Famer Mike Stefanik, current NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, and three-time Tour champion, and current title contender, Justin Bonsignore visit Victory Lane in their 13 races thus far.

North Wilkesboro Speedway joined the Tour’s schedule for the 2023 season and returns for the second straight year in 2024 with a race on October 5.

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, in Connecticut, will host a trio of marquee events during the 2024 season, starting off with an April 7 event during the 50th Icebreaker Weekend. The Tour will return for a Wednesday night mid-summer classic on August 14, before a third and final visit on October 13 during the World Series of Speedway Racing.

Another stalwart on the schedule, Riverhead Raceway, will host a pair of key races for the Whelen Modified Tour, starting with a May 18 race. The track will then host a September 14 event that will continue to pay tribute to late track owner and team owner Eddie Partridge.

Riverhead stands as the track that has been the longest continuous host of the Whelen Modified Tour since coming on board in 1985. Although scheduled to hold a race in 2020, the pandemic prevented the race from taking place.

Monadnock Speedway, in Winchester, New Hampshire, will continue to build upon their schedule of races under JDV Productions, as they are slated for three dates in 2024: May 4, July 20, and September 21.

“We’re proud this year’s schedule provides balance for our competitors and their teams, who themselves are managing jobs and families away from the track each week,” Wilson said. “And our fans will still continue to see the high-quality and exciting Whelen Modified Tour racing action they have come to love at their favorite facilities.”

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour concludes the 2023 season on Thursday in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway, where the Tour will crown a champion. Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore have battled atop the standings all season, and enter the race separated by 13 points for the title. Silk, the 2011 champion, holds the lead over three-time champion Bonsignore.

Below is the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. Schedule is subject to change. Race times and broadcast networks will be announced at a later date.

2024 NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR SCHEDULE

February 10—New Smyrna Speedway

March 29—Richmond Raceway

April 7—Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

May 4—Monadnock Speedway

May 18—Riverhead Raceway

June 1—Seekonk Speedway

June 22—New Hampshire Motor Speedway

July 20—Monadnock Speedway

August 3—Lancaster Motorplex

August 14—Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

August 31—Oswego Speedway

September 14—Riverhead Raceway

September 21—Monadnock Speedway

October 5—North Wilkesboro Speedway

October 13—Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

October 26—Martinsville Speedway

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Ron Silk Scores Second Whelen Modified Tour Title At Martinsville; Ryan Preece Wins Event

As is tradition for events at Martinsville Speedway, the winner’s trophy for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 Thursday was a grandfather clock. 

For much of the night on the track Thursday at Martinsville Speedway, Ron Silk was just hoping the minutes would click off faster to the end of the 2023 Whelen Modified Tour season. 

In the end, Silk was able to avoid disaster on multiple occasions and finish sixth in the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200. The finish was plenty good enough to clinch the 2023 Whelen Modified Tour championship for Silk.

It was the second series title for Silk, of Norwalk, who got his first title driving for late team owner Eddie Partridge in 2011. It was the first series title for the Haydt-Yannone Racing. The team, owned by Tyler Haydt and Joe Yannone, joined the series full-time before the 2022 season. 

“It’s great,” Silk said. “We’re super happy to win. It’s a long season. A lot of effort goes into this. I just can’t thank everyone enough that’s a part of this. I’m lucky to be a part of it. I’m the lucky guy that gets to drive it. But my car owners, Tyler Haydt and Joe Yannone, my crew chief Phil Moran … they do so much on these cars. It just feels good to reward the team with the championship. It’s satisfying for sure.” 

It was the seventh Whelen Modified Tour title as a crew chief for Moran. He won his first with Todd Szegedy in 2003. He won five with Doug Coby, grabbing four consecutive from 2014-2017 and another in 2019.

Silk became the seventh driver to win multiple series championships over the 39 years since the Whelen Modified Tour began. Silk joined Mike Stefanik (7), Doug Coby (6), Tony Hirschman (5), Justin Bonsignore (3), Donny Lia (2) and Jimmy Spencer (2) as a multi-time series champion. 

Silk came into the night holding a 13-point lead in the standings over Bonsignore. An eighth place finish or better would have clinched the title for Silk even if Bonsignore had won the event and collected the maximum bonus points. Bonsignore finished second. Silk ended the season with a nine point advantage over Bonsignore in the final standings. 

“It’s been a long season, kinda weird racing tonight knowing the scenario, you gotta finish eighth or better if he wins,” Silk said. “I tried to keep myself in a decent position most of the night, got turned around once on the backstretch but luckily didn’t hit anything. It feels great, lot goes into this and it’s really rewarding to get another one.”

It marked the end of one of the fiercest season-long battles for a title in the history of the Whelen Modified Tour. 

Silk, who kicked off the season with a victory in the series opener at New Smyrna Speedway in February, ended the season having been first or second in the standings after all 18 events this season. Bonsignore was third in the standings following the second and third races of the season. From the fourth race of the season to the finale Thursday at Martinsville, Silk and Bonsignore occupied the first and second place spots in the standings. Silk and Bonsignore ended the season having been first or second in the standings following 16 of the 18 events this year. Silk led the standings or was tied for the lead after 15 of 18 events this season.

Silk went into the penutlimate event of the season on Oct. 8 at Thompson Speedway trailing Bonsignore by two points in the standings. Silk won the event and Bonsignore was 13th, allowing Silk to take a healthy lead to the finale at Martinsville.

Silk closed out the championship season with five victories and 15 top-fives and 17 top-10’s in 18 starts. He only had one finish worse than eighth all season (a 12th place). 

“We want to try and keep this up and keep winning races,” Silk said. “It’s never easy. We’re going to work hard over the winter and try to be better next year than we were this year.” 

Ryan Preece, making his first Whelen Modified Tour start of the season, won the event. It was the 26th career series victory for Preece, who competes full-time for Stewart-Haas Racing on the NASCAR Cup Series. 

“Words really can’t describe it,” Preece said. “… The amount of effort that goes into this, and what a lot of people don’t get to see is really in this pit area. The passion for racing. … Our car was just so fast all night long.” 

Patrick Emerling was third. 

Despite having a 36-car field at Martinsville, the Whelen Modified Tour ended the season setting an all-time record low for overall participation during the season. The series had an average starting field of 25.1 cars in 2023. The number marked the lowest average starting field for a season in the 39 seasons since the series was started in 1985. The previous low for an average starting field for the season was 25.3 in 2021. 

The first caution of the event came out on the first lap for a pileup involving Ken Heagy, Kyle Ebersole, Andy Jankowiak and John-Michael Shennette. 

On the lap nine restart it was Preece going by pole-sitter Tyler Rypkema for the lead. 

The second caution of the event flew on lap 53 for the stopped car of Dave Sapienza on the frontstretch. Caution flew with Preece leading Rypkema and Emerling in third. Bonsignore was in sixth at the caution and Silk was eighth. 

With some of the field heading to pit road under caution, it put Emerling in the lead with Matt Hirschman in second. Bonsignore restarted eighth and Silk restarted 12th. 

On the lap 62 restart it was Emerling and Hirschman battling side-by-side for the lead while behind them Bonsignore went from eighth to fourth. 

Caution was back out on lap 64 for a pileup involving Austin Beers, Eric Berndt, Burt Myers, Dylan Slepian and Sapienza. At the time of the caution Bonsignore was fourth and Silk in 12th. 

The race restarted on lap 71 with Emerling getting the jump on Hirschman. On lap 73 seventh place running Bryan Narducci turned up the track from the inside lane on the backstretch, collecting Kyle Bonsignore hard into the wall. When Silk tried to slow and go around wreck, Eric Goodale made slight contact with Silk, sending him spinning on the backstretch. Silk somehow avoided major contact with any car in the spin. 

The race restarted on lap 79 with Emerling getting the jump on Hirschman. Behind them Justin Bonsignore ran fourth and Silk was 13th. 

Caution was back out on lap 87 for the spinning car of Brandon Ward. At the caution Justin Bonsignore was running sixth and Silk was 12th. 

Under caution leader Emerling, second place Hirschman and fourth place Andy Seuss went to pit road. It put Preece back out front with Justin Bonsignore in second and Rypkema in third. Silk restarted the race in 10th. 

The sixth caution of the event flew for the stopped car of Sapienza on lap 112. Preece led at the caution with Justin Bonsignore in second. Silk was running 9th at the caution. Under caution most of the leaders headed back to pit road. 

Justin Bonsignore led the race off of pit road with Max McLaughlin coming off pit road second, Anthony Sesely third, Preece fourth and Silk fifth. 

The restart order had Tommy Catalano out front with Bobby Labonte in second, Emerling in third, Hirschman in fourth and Bonsignore fifth. 

Caution was right back on lap 120 for a wreck involving Anthony Sesely and Ed McCarthy that nearly collected Silk. 

Catalano held the lead for the lap 126 restart, but it was Emerling moving back to the front on lap 127. Justin Bonsignore followed Emerling into second with Preece moving to third. Behind them Silk was up to sixth place by lap 132. 

The caution flew for the eighth time on lap 134 for issues with Ward and Myers. The yellow flew with Emerling leading, Justin Bonsignore in second and Silk running sixth. 

Emerling held the top spot on the lap 138 restart with Preece moving by Justin Bonsignore for second. Preece then got by Emerling for the lead on lap 140. 

The ninth caution of the event flew on lap 148 with the car of Craig Lutz backed into the wall. The caution flew with Preece leading. Justin Bonsignore was second and Silk was in sixth. 

Preece held the top spot on the lap 156 restart. Behind him Silk ended up up in a fierce side-by-side battle four four laps for sixth place with McLaughlin. 

The 10th caution flew for a wreck involving Sapienza and Goodale on lap 176 bringing out the third red flag of the event. Preece led the race at the caution with Justin Bonsignore in second. Silk was seventh.

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Have to say rooting for Silk was a real nail biter. Missed opportunity in the interview not asking his feeling as he was spinning in the wreck or dodging cars in another dust up. Mr Cool seemed to be his steady self in victory lane but he must have had some emotional moments in that one seeing it slip away. Ah the old days of Preece and Mike Paquette experimenting with unique rear suspension setups or the McGunegal engine prepping a car for a pop in to a tour mod race. Or just being a driver like in Ole Blue he was the plucky outsider trying to pull an upset with his main focus on CUP. I do believe the Tour regulars just got big timed. Don’t get me wrong he deserves it for sure but that car was special. Likely had the best of everything in it. Preece mentioned the advantage himself. He does like to wait until late to take on tires then drive to the front. Didn’t need to do it with this version of the 40 that’s for sure. Is using the resources of SHR fair? I’m not buying Preece being all hands on for this one. Some hands for sure but I’d bet mostly other hands and hands attached to very talented people. Bringing a professional (I would assume) SHR pit crew to an amateur race is a bit uncool isn’t it? Was that an SHR engine guy as well? You tell me was this kosher be honest now. Sure he’s our man Preece, we love the guy, the wife, baby, connecting with every crew member was a treat to see for sure. But didn’t you just get the impression that the scales were tipped just a little too far in the 40’s favor and the regulars got big timed?

My thoughts are as follows; 1 – Preece had all the bells and whistles bought for his car. 2 – He had his team practice changing those wide 5’s 3 – He used this as a team building exercise for him and his cup buddies. 4 – It is a horsepower track with tight turns. Brakes and horsepower. He put his money into that. He beat up on the little guys. He put together a new car last year. No need to build another. I like Ryan, but, he had an advantage. Unlimited resources compared to most of the teams. He is a great driver and watch his cup races. But I am not a huge fan of him coming in and taking away from the guys who did it all year. That spot in my book is reserved for Matt Hirshman. Hirshman is old school. He is the epitome of an outlaw. He plays by his own rules and races where and when he wants. I am glad Ronnie Silk won the championship! Another hard nosed racer.

So I guess he should have not entered and raced because he has resources now? What do you think Shawn. Poll question? I picked him to finish close to last in the pick 6, because imo, the guy always has great stuff, but tends to overdrive a bit, and has not enough at the end. It was nice to see I was totally wrong, and he ran and managed a good race. Yeah. Pit crew, unfair. But no rule against it. I have mixed emotions on this one.

Bobf, Every race in every division has some people that have more resources than others. That’s just racing. Justin Bonsignore’s team probably has a lot more resources than many other teams in the series. That’s just racing. Until there’s a spending cap or spending limits in place it’s all good.

I’d like to think if I was an acquaintance of Preece I could go right up to him after the race and say congratulations on the win, you big timed us right proper. It’s more busting shops then any kind of serious beef. So there have always been inequities in resources in racing you say. I’m pretty sure I have first hand knowledge of that. To all you future racers out there don’t let any engine guy tell you it’s the handling that wins races on a half mile track. You’re going to need a great engine to keep you even to get to the corner and make handling count. That rig of Massa’s is simply spectacular. For sure it indicates that on the components necessary to win races he will spare no expense and it’s paid of for sure. But at the end of the day and excepting the crew chief, Bonsignor, the crew members and even the truck driver have day jobs other then racing. Preece is welcome to use any resources he can to win races as long as NASCAR says it’s OK. And when Bonsignor can’t catch him because of those resources it just as fair as Calalano not being able to keep up with the 51 not able to match resources. I’m just busting chops here that’s all. But to me there is a dividing line between professional racers and amateurs as faint as it can get at times. From personnel to components to the expertise to set up the components the 40 car took full advantage of it’s favored position in the sport as a professional. All of which was completely different then him sitting in Ole Blue and driving for amateurs. I should never have used the word fair, there’s not much that is fair about motorsports racing. However, at the very least what the 40 car team did was different in a substantive way, fertile ground for some chops busting and “big timing” not whining in any sense.

As others have expressed , this race kinda left me feeling a little deprived. I would really like to look in comparison at lap times of significant cars throughout from Thursday night’s race and the last two Whelen races at Martinsville. Knowing that would help us see if Preece was lightning fast when it counted or did the race play out perfectly for his team’s strategy. At best I discount : at worst I completely dismiss the possibility that those crew guys from SHR cup team gave Preece any edge in prep or execution of the race plan over the other contenders other than maybe psychological and possibly brake technology. Is Preece the #1 car for SHR in cup or were them crew guys like 2nd or 3rd string team members? Even though Preece is an above average modified race car driver, betting odds would favor teams like 16, 51, 60, and maybe a few others every time against a one off of the aforementioned. I will concede that right now the cream at the top of Whelen modified racers is a pretty thin layer of cream. Heck, last year when the cream was a little thicker, LaJoie won, beating Preece and the others and we weren’t complaining about that. I don’t think it’s even debatable : Preece is a better modified racer than LaJoie. Seems like LaJoie did run over about half the field to get to the front last year, but maybe I am remembering wrong. Maybe I am remembering right and that’s why he didn’t come back this year.

Ryan Preece has too much funding & resources to race against Tour regulars………….

Ryan Newman, no problem because he didn’t win? Probably out paces Preece in Net worth significantly.

I don’t get the rationale sometimes…….

I’m not really that committed to defending a minor chop busting but since there’s interest I’ll try to hold up my end. Check out the SMART results for the last couple races. Maybe the SMART guys did get big timed by Sadler/Stanley racing. SHR a multi divisional, multi car team competing up to the CUP level. Sadler/Stanley formed specifically for the SMART tour and I believe out of the PSR shop. Apples and oranges. No we don’t have lap times do we? Or do we?

Martinsville 2022 qualifying: 60-18.733, 7ny-18.738, 50-18.792 Martinsville 2023 qualifying: 32-18.653, 40-18.673, 07-18.753

Faster this year obviously but with track conditions changing who knows. We all know that one lap speed is an indicator but not definitive. The ability of a car to stay consistently fast with changing tire wear and track conditions not easy to define but critical. See eye test in last paragraph. Did LaJoie and Curb Records big time the NWMT boys last year? If I said it last year would that make this year more valid? Agree the pit crew who had to wrestle those deep modified tires did not provide an advantage. In fact I believe they cost the 40 the lead at one point. How the observation can be made that all the shop resources of a CUP team are not an advantage doesn’t seem logical but I can’t prove it otherwise. Believe what your eyes saw. A car competing in it’s first race of the year and without any issues qualifying on the front row, rallying to the front fast after pit stops and smoking the best funded, highly motivated 51 at the end. Then again the eye test is not quantifiable so forget it.

What happened with the 01?

Only 4 laps?????

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Mayhew Tools to sponsor NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Pole Award for 2024 season

T his award honors the driver and crew who achieves the fastest time in qualifying. Through this sponsorship, Mayhew Tools will reward each pole-winning driver with a $1,000 check and present the team’s crew chief with a newly released 14-piece Micro Hand Tool Set. This set consists of Mayhew’s most popular micro hand tools, including pry bars, hooks, picks and screwdrivers. Each tool has an ergonomic Nylon 6 handle and alloy steel blade that is heat treated and tempered for hardness and ductility. All tools in this set are made in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty.

The 2024 Modified Tour season began Feb. 10 at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, where Ron Silk started the year with a victory. The season will span 16 races throughout the Northeast, ending at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 26.

“Being able to have a consistent presence in the NASCAR community through sponsoring the Whelen Modified Tour Pole Award is an opportunity that we at Mayhew Tools are very proud of,” said John Lawless, President of Mayhew Tools. “We value the chance to support the drivers, crew chiefs and teams that devote their skills to competing in the Whelen Modified Tour, and we look forward to a successful 2024 race season.”

The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule consists of the following races:

• Saturday, Feb. 10: New Smyrna Speedway (FL)
• Friday, March 29: Richmond Raceway (VA)
• Sunday, April 7: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (CT)
• Saturday, May 4: Monadnock Speedway (NH)
• Saturday, May 18: Riverhead Raceway (NY)
• Saturday, June 1: Seekonk Speedway (MA)
• Saturday, June 22: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NH)
• Saturday, July 20: Monadnock Speedway (NH)
• Saturday, Aug. 3: Lancaster Motorplex (NY)
• Wednesday, Aug. 14: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (CT)
• Saturday, Aug. 31: Oswego Speedway (NY)
• Saturday, Sept. 14: Riverhead Raceway (NY)
• Saturday, Sept. 21: Monadnock Speedway (NH)
• Saturday, Oct. 5: North Wilkesboro Speedway (NC)
• Sunday, Oct. 13: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (CT)
• Saturday, Oct. 26: Martinsville Speedway (VA)

Founded in 1856, Mayhew Tools is renowned for its professional-grade hand tools, which exemplify quality and performance. These tools are sold through an extensive network of distributors worldwide.

The company offers a broad range of tools, including punches, chisels, pry bars, pneumatic tools, drives, bits, inspection tools, screwdrivers and more. For further information about these tools, their availability, and other details, visit mayhew.com or call 800.872.0037.