Motor Sports Weekly News

Story and photos by Drew Hierwarter

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour rolled into picturesque Martinsville Speedway on Sunday for their traditional fall stop at the scenic Virginia oval. For veteran competitor Mike Stefanik it was a record setting occasion. The most successful racer of the series, Stefanik notched his 70^th career win and a record fifth win at Martinsville.

Stefanik, from Coventry, RI, planned from the very beginning to use fuel conservation to eliminate the need for a lengthy pit stop. Right from the command to start engines, Stefanik started the car to make sure it would run, then shut it off again until the field was rolling. He also used high gear during caution periods to further stretch his fuel. “I was counting on a lot of yellow flag laps, and we got enough of those to make my strategy work”, Stefanik said.

Stefanik, who started sixth didn’t lead until lap 180 when he passed Todd Szegedy on the backstretch and going into turn three. Then he was able hold off Szegedy, and Ryan Preece through two late race restarts to take the win.

This race was a combination event with both the Whelen North and the Whelen South modified tours racing for separate points. By finishing fourth behind Stefanik, Szegedy, and Preece, Burt Myers became the highest finishing South Tour driver thus earning first place points in that division.

The battle for the championship in the North division is getting even tighter with only two races left in the season. Ted Christopher came into the Martinsville race leading the Whelen Modified Tour points, but engine troubles during the event forced him to settle for a 30th-place finish, 67 laps down. That combined with Donny Lia’s eighth place finish, closed Lia to within just one point of the championship lead. Ryan Preece is only 12 points behind Christopher, and Szegedy is fourth, 37 points out of first.

In the Southern tour, George Brunnhoelzl III, finished seventh on Sunday and increased his lead in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour standings to 140 points over Andy Seuss. Seuss finished 21^st, 20 laps off the pace.

Mike Stefanik, the winningest driver in tour history, is now the only driver, outside of the Sprint Cup series to rack up 70 wins in a single series.

The NASCAR Whelen Northern Modified Tour will run its second-to-last race on Sunday, Oct. 4 with the CARQUEST Fall Final at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut, while the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour holds its penultimate race with the Lighting Fast 150 at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., on Friday, Oct. 2.