Champ Trail - April 18, 2016

  The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action April 30 for round #3 at Stafford (Connecticut) Motor Speedway. After two events Long Islander Timmy Solomito leads the series point standings with a four point lead over Rowan Pennink. Sitting third is sophomore sensation Max Zachem, 10 points out of the lead. Justin Bonsignore sits fourth, 17 points out with two points behind is Woody Pitkat in fifth spot.

  While it was quiet in New England while just about everyone celebrated the Easter Weekend racing action was alive and hot in North Carolina as ten-time Bowman Gray Stadium Modified Champion Tim Brown got his career-first Southern Modified Racing Series win on Friday night at the Caraway Speedway.
  Brown started on the pole position for the race, but fell back in the field opting to save his tires for the final run. A lap 96 caution sent everyone to the pits and Brown was third exiting pit road. He advanced to second and got the advantage on a lap 104 restart to take the lead and roll to the $3,000 win.
  Jason Myers looked to be tracking Brown down in the closing laps, but a slip off turn four a few laps from the end forced him to settle for second. Jeremy Gerstner led much of the way and settled for third. Bobby Measmer Jr. and Brandon Ward completed the top five.
  Saturday’s race wrapped of the five-race spring session for the SMRS; the tour returns on Saturday July 1 at Hickory Motor Speedway.

  The “Greatest Race in the History of Spring,” the 46th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler®, takes the green flag on April 29-30. Defending Whelen Modified Tour Series Champion Doug Coby hopes to regain his winning form. In somewhat of a slump so far this season, Coby has failed to record a top ten finish. With 3 career Sizzler victories to his credit, Coby is no stranger to what it takes to be the first car to see the checkered flag at the conclusion of 200 laps of racing. He has gone over several different scenarios and is well prepared for when the green flag falls as to what his race strategy will be.
  Timmy Solomito is looking to continue his good fortunes. Solomito and the #16 Starrett Tools team won the season opening race at Myrtle Beach and followed that up by sitting on the pole and finishing runner-up in the second event of 2017 at Thompson. Another threat to dominate at Stafford is Rowan Pennink who won a thriller at Thompson. Pennink is a seasoned veteran at Stafford and his car is without question, a seasoned winner. The Mighty No.3 of the Boehler family has been winning races at Stafford since it was paved in 1967, that’s 50 years!
  Ted Christopher is the Stafford's all-time winningest driver with 123 feature wins and is also the winningest driver in NAPA Spring Sizzler® history with 6 wins. Overall his lifetime total is 368.

  On the speedway stock market scene this week two of the three speedway stocks were down for the abbreviated week. The stock market was closed due to Good Friday. The International Speedway Corporation dropped 0.55 to 37.35 and Speedway Motorsports dropped 0.34 to 19.04 while Dover Entertainment went up 0.05 to 2.10. NASCAR cup sponsor Monster Beverage dropped 0.95 to 44.90, NASCAR fuel supplier Sunoco (Energy Transfer) dropped 0.79 to 35.56 and NASCAR tire supplier Goodyear dropped 1.04 to 34.14. In the home improvement sector, Home Depot dropped 1.22 to 145.91 and Lowes dropped 1.08 to 81.06. With the exception of Fedex which dropped 11.92 to 183.73, the big team sponsor’s stocks had a good week. McDonalds went up 0.80 to 130.76, Coca-Cola went up 2.87 to 202.18, Target went up 0.15 to 53.39 and Aarons Rentals went up 0.02 to 30.41.

  On the tube this week:

  Friday, April 21
11:30 AM, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bristol practice, FOX Sports 1
1:00 PM, NASCAR Xfinity Series Bristol practice, FS1
3:30 PM, NXS Bristol final practice, FS1
4:30 PM, MENCS Bristol qualifying, FS1
9:30 PM, MENCS Bristol qualifying re-air, FS1

  Saturday, April 22
3:30 AM, MENCS Bristol practice re-air, FS1
5:00 AM, NXS Bristol practice re-air, FS1
6:00 AM, NXS Bristol final practice re-air, FS1
8:30 AM, MENCS Bristol practice re-air, FS1
9:30 AM, NXS Bristol qualifying, FS1
11:00 AM, MENCS Bristol final practice, FS1
12:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub - Weekend Edition, FS1
12:30 PM, NASCAR RaceDay Xfinity, FS1
1:00 PM, NXS Bristol race, FS1

  Sunday, April 23
12:30 PM, NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
1:30 PM, MENCS Pre Race, FOX
2:00 PM, MENCS Bristol race, FOX
8:30 PM, NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1

  Monday, April 24
12:00 AM, MENCS Bristol race re-air, FS1
3:00 AM, NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1

   That’s about it for this week from 11 Gardner Drive, Westerly, and R.I.02891. Ring my chimes at 401-596-5467.
E-mail: smithpe_97_97@yahoo.com.

Phil Smith has been a columnist for Speedway Scene and various
other publications for over 3 decades.
 

Source: Phil Smith / Champ Trail
Posted: April 18, 2017