With Donny Lia, the 2007 champion, having moved on
to the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series, a host of drivers have
lined up to take his place as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
champion in 2008.
Nearly six months of offseason preparation will be
put to the test this coming weekend as the 24th season of the
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – and 61st of NASCAR Modified racing
overall – commences with the Icebreaker at Thompson (Conn.)
International Speedway on Sunday, April 6.
Todd Szegedy, who was tabbed the media favorite in a
preseason poll last week, leads a pack of strong title
contenders in 2008. Szegedy, who won the championship in 2003,
was the runner-up to Lia last year, and has finished in the
top-five in more than one-third of his career starts — with one
win every eight outings.
With 27 career wins, and top-five points finishes in
six straight seasons, Ted Christopher is a title contender
year-in and year-out. Christopher finished third in preseason
balloting behind Matt Hirschman, son of five-time NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour Champion Tony Hirschman, and the third-place
finisher in the 2007 standings.
In just 39 career starts, the younger Hirschman has
already compiled 18 top-10s, and leads a strong contingent of
20-somethings that are poised to run up front in 2008.
The 2008 season will be special for fans and race
teams, both on and off the track. NASCAR will celebrate ‘60
Years of Modified Champions’ throughout the season as it
recognizes the many accomplishments of its past champion. There
is no better example of past and present success than Mike
Stefanik, who will look to contend for his eighth NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour title in 2008.
Stefanik, who has also won two NASCAR Camping World
Series East titles, is searching for his NASCAR-record 10th
championship. One more championship would break the tie Stefanik
has with nine-time NASCAR Modified champion Richie Evans.
Stefanik also holds the tour record with 68 wins,
including the season finale last year at Stafford (Conn.)
Motor Speedway.
The Icebreaker, a 150-lap race, is scheduled to go
green this Sunday at approximately 3:15 p.m., following a
pre-race show that will include the honoring of past NASCAR
Modified champions Evans, Lia and Frankie Schneider. For ticket
information, please visit Thompson’s official Web Site (thompsonspeedway.com).
Source: Jason
Cunningham/NWMT PR
Posted:
March 31, 2008
