04/10/07

FIVE TO WATCH

    As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers and teams prepare for their season-opening race April 15 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, here are five drivers to watch:

MIKE STEFANIK
Stefanik won last year’s Icebreaker, and then proceeded to post 15 top 10 finishes in 16 races en route to winning his seventh NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship. It was Stefanik’s ninth overall NASCAR title, tying him with the late Richie Evans. The Coventry, R.I. driver has been a model of consistency, with 24 top fives and 31 top 10s in 40 races over the past three seasons. It’s that reliability that makes Stefanik, 48, the odds-on favorite for his 10th championship.



TED CHRISTOPHER
The Plainville, Conn. has led the Modified Tour in wins in each of the past two seasons and has been in title contention late in the year only to fall short. He was second to Tony Hirschman by 18 points in 2005. Christoper wound up third last year after pulling to within 35 of Stefanik with five races to go following a runner-up finish at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. His 2006 was disrupted by an early-season ride change. But in his first full year with Ed Whelan, the 48-year-old Christopher is again expected to challenge for his first Modified Tour title.


TODD SZEGEDY
The 2002 Rookie of the Year and 2003 Whelen Modified Tour champion returned to run the full schedule last year. The 30-year-old from Ridgefield, Conn. had nine top 10s and two wins, including capturing the season-ending Carquest Fall Final at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. Szegedy finished fifth in points last season. He remains confident for a strong season despite the fact that he will race this year without longtime crew chief Phil Moran, who moved to North Carolina to work with Bill Davis Racing.



JAMES CIVALI
Civali showed remarkable maturity in his first full Whelen Modified Tour schedule. It paid off with his first career victory at Stafford – less than a month after nearly winning at New Hampshire International Speedway. The 23-year-old finished seventh in points and captured the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. The Meriden, Conn. driver had eight top 10s and five top fives in his breakout season and is poised to make a run at the championship.




DONNY LIA
Lia confirmed one of the biggest off season rumors when he showed up at practice for the Icebreaker with the Bob Garbarino-owned Mystic Missile. Lia, 28 from Jericho, N.Y., has showed flashes of promise in his Modified Tour career with five wins in four seasons. His victory in a side-by-side battle with Ed Flemke Jr. at the Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl was one of the best races of 2006. If he can fulfill some of his potential running for Garbarino, he may be the one to finally give the veteran car owner his first Modified Tour title.
 

Source: Jason Christley/NASCAR WMT PR
Posted:  April 10, 2007