OSWEGO, N.Y. – The advantage Patrick Emerling held in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings grew a little larger following Saturday’s Toyota Mod Classic 150 at Oswego Speedway.
Emerling passed reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Austin Beers, his closest championship competitor, early on before ultimately pulling away to a dominant victory. The triumph was Emerling’s fourth on the 2026 season and his second at Oswego in the past three years.
RELATED: Complete results from the Toyota Mod Classic 150
Oswego has been a significant track for Emerling throughout his career and he relished in being able to celebrate another NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory there. With his first series championship within his grasp, Saturday’s triumph may carry more significance for Emerling compared to the first in 2024.
“This is a race we were really excited to run all season,” Emerling said. “We knew we had a really good package here, but this is home race for us. [Oswego] is a track I grew up on, so this would be my home race on the Tour. I didn’t do a lot of work out there; it was [crew chief] Dale [Hedquist] making the car go fast. The thing was a missile today.”
Patrick Emerling dominates Oswego Speedway for the win! pic.twitter.com/gx0KpuA7eV
– NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) September 6, 2026
Jon McKennedy, this year’s New Hampshire winner, tried to make a run at Emerling during the closing stages but had to settle for second. Like Emerling, McKennedy entered the Toyota Mod Classic 150 with three victories on the season. Oswego had rarely been kind to him in the past, so he was more than happy to enjoy a trouble-free outing at Oswego and continue his strong season.
“All day we had a pretty good car,” McKennedy said. “In the race, loose in was my biggest issue. We made some changes at that pit stop, put two new rear tires on. The weird thing was the car got even looser. We’ll have to go home, spend some time and figure out why that was. Overall, a great day. A second place for me here is great.”
With McKennedy 25 points behind the championship lead prior to Oswego, he was not Emerling’s primary concern. The most pressing development for Emerling was Beers fading to sixth after he led the opening portion of the Toyota Mod Classic 150.
Patrick Emerling dominates Oswego Speedway for the win! pic.twitter.com/gx0KpuA7eV
– NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) September 6, 2026
Knowing his car was faster than Beers, Emerling utilized patience before proceeding to set sail for the lead. Emerling always anticipates a tough fight when it comes to Beers, which only added to the elation he experienced from his Oswego triumph.
“[Beers] started out a little bit snug, I started out neutral,” Emerling said. “I just wanted to try my hardest to get around him while I still could because his car could come in a little bit more. We just had a good car all night, had a little bit of track position, got the rears on and the car was perfect after that.”
Tyler Rypkema, making his 100th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start, scored a third-place finish for Ole Blue at Oswego Speedway Saturday night. He was followed in the running order by Stafford Speedway winner Teddy Hodgdon, with Mike Christopher Jr. rounding out the top five.
Only two races remain before the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season concludes. The penultimate race on the schedule is a return to Riverhead Raceway for the prestigious Eddie Partridge 206, which takes place on Saturday, September 19 at 8 p.m. ET. Fans unable to attend in person can watch the race live on FloRacing.