The NASACR Whelen
Modified Tour will travel to the tight confines of the ¼ mile Riverhead
Raceway in Riverhead, N.Y. on Saturday June 4, for the Miller Lite 150.
The 150 lap length
is significant as every race at Riverhead since 1992 has been contested
at a distance of 200 or 201 laps. Rick Fuller, a two time winner at
Riverhead, thinks the new race distance will affect strategy.
“It will definitely
be a different kind of race.” said Fuller. “Drivers won’t be saving
their tires as much. You will see hard racing for every lap.”
The races at
Riverhead always feature a battle between the starts of NASCAR’s oldest
open wheeled touring series and the “Riverhead Regulars” who call the
Long Island oval their home every Saturday night. Those drivers compete
in NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series modified racing each week at Riverhead.
“I really enjoy
racing at Riverhead”, said Fuller. “I always have and we always seem to
run pretty good there.”
Fuller, the 1993
Whelen Modified Tour champion currently, sits seventh in the series
standings after two events behind the wheel of the Polar Beverages
Pontiac.
“We’ve been happy
with the way the car has run so far, said Fuller. “We just need a little
luck to go our way.”
The last time the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour raced a 150 lap distance at Riverhead was
1991. That event was actually 151 laps. The winner was Rick Fuller and
it was the first of his two series wins at Riverhead.
The Miller Lite
150 is scheduled to get the green at approximately 8:30. A filed of 28
cars is scheduled to start the event.
RIVERHEAD 200 NOTES
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Bud Pole
Qualifying is scheduled for 5:45 on June 4. The fastest 23 cars
will earn a starting position.
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Five
provisional starting positions (Two based on 2004 NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour owner points, two on driver points and one past champion) will
bring the starting field to 28 cars.
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The Miller
Lite 150 is scheduled to start at approximately 8:30 p.m. Posted Awards
are $71,195
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The
qualifying record at Riverhead is 11.562 secondsØ
(77.949 mph) set by Chuck Steuer on 6/10/00.
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The Miller
Lite 150 is the first of two series appearances for the Whelen Modified
Tour at Riverhead in 2005.
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The
following current series drivers have wins at Riverhead: John Blewett,
III (1), Ted Christopher (1), Tommy Cravenho (1), Eddie
Flemke (1), Rick Fuller (2), Donny Lia (2) Jerry Marquis (2), Reggie
Ruggiero (2) and Mike Stefanik (6)
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Ed
Brunnhoelzl, Don Howe, Dan Jivanelli, Donny Lia and Bob Park all
scored their first Whelen Modified Tour victories at Riverhead.
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Jerry
Marquis is the defending champion of this event.
