The Bush’s Beans 150 will spotlight the top drivers in the newly unified NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as they all chase the win in “Thunder Valley.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will continue the 2017 season on Wednesday night with the running of the Bush’s Beans 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Below is a statistical look at the race, including selected driver notes:
Bush’s Beans 150 Setup:
The 10th of 16 championship races on the season will take place on Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be the first and only stop at the 0.533-mile oval this season. Entering the race, Long Island driver Timmy Solomito holds a 10 point advantage in the championship standings over Rowan Pennink, while Ryan Preece sits 19 points back in third place. Preece has four victories so far this year, including the last two races. Preece and Solomito are the only two drivers to score multiple victories in the first nine races.
At Bristol Motor Speedway:
• Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.
• First NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 30, 1961; Jack Smith won the event (with relief from Johnny Allen).
• In the fall of 1969, the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-miles.
• The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
• The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
• The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
• The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.
• The track was resurfaced between races in 2007, and the turns were ground down in 2013 to eliminate part of the progressive banking.
Notebook:
• There have been eight prior NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at Bristol Motor Speedway; this will be the first under the unified tour between the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
• Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular Ryan Newman leads all active drivers with two career wins at Bristol in the eight races. He is the only multiple-time overall winner.
• There have been six different Coors Light Pole award winner’s at Bristol, led by Justin Bonsignore’s two. He is the only driver with more than one overall pole on the 0.533-mile oval.
• In the last two series events, Ryan Preece made a late charge to the front on fresh tires to score the win. Preece has four wins in 2017.
Bristol Data:
Race: #10 of 17 overall
Race Date: Wednesday, August 16 at 6:05 p.m. (approx.)
Track Layout: 0.533-mile banked concrete oval
Race Length: 150 laps (79.95 miles)
Qualifying/Race Data:
2016 Winner: Eric Goodale
2015 Pole Sitter: Todd Szegedy
1-lap Qualifying Record: 133.019 mph (Todd Szegedy, August 2016)
150-lap Race Record: 101.025 mph (Ryan Newman, August 2010)
Active Category Leaders at Bristol:
Wins
1. Ryan Newman … 2
2. Six other drivers tied with… 1
Poles
1. Justin Bonsignore … 2
2. Five others tied at … 1
Laps Led
1. Ted Christopher … 236
2. Todd Szegedy … 214
3. Donny Lia … 134
Selected Driver Highlights:
Doug Coby (No. 2 Mayhew Tools, Dunleavy Truck and Trailer Repair Chevrolet)
• Four-time NWMT champion has 22 wins, 70 top fives and 109 top 10s in 197 career series starts.
• In six starts at Bristol, Coby has two top fives and a best of fourth in 2014.
• Enters the race fourth in the championship standings, 30 from the lead after two straight top fives.
• Has not won yet this season, but had 12 wins in 2015 & 2016 combined.
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet)
• Enters the race sixth in the championship standings, 32 points from the lead.
• Has 12 wins, 51 top fives, 71 top 10s and 5 poles in 114 career series starts.
• In his career at Bristol, Bonsignore has three top five finishes and one pole in eight races.
• Has six top 10 finishes in nine races this season.
Timmy Solomito (No. 16 Starrett Racing Ford)
• Has seven wins, 21 top fives and 35 top 10s in 61 career series starts.
• Has three wins and seven top 10s in the nine races this season and is coming off a fourth place finish at Thompson.
• In three career Bristol starts, Solomito has a best finish of eighth.
Ron Silk (No. 85 Montanari Fuel, Stuarts Automotive Chevrolet)
• Has 10 wins, 59 top fives and 96 top 10s in 166 career Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Has four starts this season with just one top 10 finish while driving for two different teams.
• Former champion has one career Bristol victory in 2012, along with five top 10 finishes.
Matt Swanson (No. 89 Starrett Tools Chevrolet)
• Has two top fives and 11 top 10s in 31 career Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Enters Bristol 11th in the championship standings with three top 10 finishes so far this year.
• In one career start at Bristol, Swanson finished in 10th.
Rowan Pennink (No. 3 Cape Cod Copper/UNSE Chevrolet)
• Has three wins, 31 top fives and 74 top 10s in 150 career starts.
• Enters Bristol second in the championship standings, 10 points from the lead with one victory this season.
• In seven career Bristol starts, Pennink has just one top 10 finish.
Eric Goodale (No. 58 GAF Roofing Chevrolet)
• Has two wins, 18 top fives and 60 top 10s in 127 career series starts.
• Is the defending winner of the Bush’s Beans 150 at Bristol.
• This season, Goodale has six top 10s in nine races and sits fifth in the championship standings.
Chase Dowling (No. 11 Chevrolet)
• Enters the race paired with Rob Fuller and Eddie Harvey.
• Has six top fives and 17 top 10s in 37 career series starts.
• In two career Bristol starts, Dowling has a best finish of seventh.
Dave Sapienza (No. 36 Sapienza Enterprise Chevrolet)
• Has three top fives and eight top 10s in 40 career Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Has two top fives this season at Riverhead and New Hampshire.
• Has never started a race in his career at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Ryan Preece (No. 6 TS Haulers Chevrolet)
• Has won the last two Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford and Thompson.
• Has 19 wins, 65 top fives and 91 top 10s in 139 career starts.
• Has one win and six top 10 finishes in seven career Bristol starts.
Up To Speed:
• This is the 33rd season of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racing. The first event was held in 1985 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, won by Richie Evans.
• The 2017 schedule includes 16 points races at nine different tracks, across seven different states. It also includes two non-points events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Following the Bush’s Beans 150, the NWMT will return to action at Seekonk Speedway on August 26.
Source :http://hometracks.nascar.com
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