NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR DRIVERS NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR DRIVERS

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1

PatrickEmerling

USNEPower

Date of birth: SEPT 19, 1992
Hometown: ORCHARD PARK, NY
Crew Chief: DALE HEDQUIST
Owner: DAVID MILLER
Driver Headshot for Patrick Emerling

Patrick Emerling captured his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2017. His best Tour season came in 2021, when he scored 11 top 10s and finished second in the standings. He's scored wins at tracks like New Smyrna, Thompson and Riverhead during his career.

02

JoeyCoulter

SRI PERFORMANCE

Date of birth: JUN 08, 1990
Hometown: MIAMI SPRINGS, FL
Crew Chief: HAROLD HOLLY JR.
Owner: SUSAN COULTER
Driver Headshot for Joey Coulter

Coutler, who has experience in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series, made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in the 2022 season-opener at Florida's New Smyrna Speedway. He earned a career-best fourth-place finish with the Modified Tour in 2025 at Martinsville.

2

JimmyBlewett

JOHN BLEWETT INC.

Date of birth: AUG 26, 1980
Hometown: HOWELL, NJ
Crew Chief: MIKE BOLOGNA
Owner: JOE BERTUCCIO
Driver Headshot for Jimmy Blewett

Jimmy Blewett is a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour veteran who has raced part-time on the circuit since 2001. He scored his first series win in 2006 and has since won seven total races with the series. After a series of health issues kept him sidelined, he returned to the series in 2026.

3

TylerRypkema

NORTHEAST DRILLING

Date of birth: SEP 3, 1997
Hometown: OWEGO, NY
Crew Chief: GREG FOURNIER
Owner: MICHAEL BOEHLER
Driver Headshot for Tyler Rypkema

Rypkema ran the full Tour season for the first time in 2020, winning the Rookie of the Year award. After racing with his family-owned team for several seasons, he joined Boehler Racing Enterprises late in 2024. He scored his first Tour win in thrilling fashion in 2025 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

4

RyanNewman

AGGRESSIVE HYDRAULICS

Date of birth: DEC 8, 1977
Hometown: SOUTH BEND, IN
Crew Chief: TIM CONNOLLY
Owner: TIM CONNOLLY
Driver Headshot for Ryan Newman

A veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series and the 2008 Daytona 500 winner, Ryan Newman is also a familiar face to NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour fans. He is a four-time series winner, with his last victory coming in 2011.

05

TeddyHodgdon

BUSINESS TIME MOTORSPORTS

Date of birth: JAN 13, 2001
Hometown: DANBURY, CT
Crew Chief: TED HODGDON
Owner: TED HODGDON
Driver Headshot for Teddy Hodgdon

A familiar face at Modified events throughout the Northeast, Hodgdon made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2025 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. He plans to contest the full schedule in 2026 in pursuit of the Rookie of the Year Award.

7

LukeBaldwin

BALDWIN AUTOMOTIVE

Date of birth: JUN 23, 2006
Hometown: MOORESVILLE, NC
Crew Chief: TOMMY BALDWIN JR.
Owner: TOMMY BALDWIN JR.
Driver Headshot for Luke Baldwin

A member of the Baldwin family that has a long history in Modified racing, Luke Baldwin made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2024 at the age of 18. Since then he's two poles and finished a career-best second in 2025 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

8

John-MichaelShenette

EIGHTY-TWO SERVICES

Date of birth: MAY 20, 1986
Hometown: THOMPSON, CT
Crew Chief: JOHN SHENETTE
Owner: JOHN-MICHAEL SHENETTE
Driver Headshot for John-Michael Shenette

Fulfilling a life-long dream, John-Michael Shenette made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2023 after previously racing late models up and down the East Coast. He's slowly expanded his schedule each year since and plans to compete in the full schedule in 2026.

16

RonSilk

BLUE MOUNTAIN MACHINE AND FUTURE HOMES

Date of birth: FEB 17, 1983
Hometown: NORWALK, CT
Crew Chief: PHILIP MORAN
Owner: HYR RACING
Driver Headshot for Ron Silk

Silk won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 2011, driving for Ed Partridge. In his first season driving for HYR Racing in 2022, Silk finished second in the standings despite failing to win a race. He followed that season with a five-win campaign in 2023 that allowed him to earn his second series championship.

18

KenHeagy

MERKEL RACING ENGINES

Date of birth: JUN 13, 1967
Hometown: CALVERTON, N.Y.
Crew Chief: GREG GORMAN
Owner: CHRISTOPHER FLEMING
Driver Headshot for Ken Heagy

Heagy is a veteran of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racing. Heagy has been on the track since 1987, and has more than 100 starts and more than 15,000 laps in his career.

19

AnthonySesely

FRANZOSA TRUCKING CO.

Date of birth: JUN 20, 1983
Hometown: MATAWAH, NJ
Crew Chief: JAMES ARCHIBALD
Owner: TOMMY WANICK
Driver Headshot for Anthony Sesely

Anthony Sesely has raced with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2005 and earned his first top-five finish during the 2023 season opener at New Smyrna Speedway. He would go on to score three more top-five finishes during a career-season with the series.

20

MaxZachem

LU-MAC'S PACKAGE STORE

Date of birth: NOV 22, 1992
Hometown: PRESTON, CT
Crew Chief: RYAN MORGAN
Owner: JOHN MORGAN
Driver Headshot for Max Zachem

Max Zachem has been a familiar face on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2013. He's mostly competed part-time with a few full seasons sprinkled in. He has two runner-up finishes in his career that came at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2016.

21

StephenKopcik

WANICK CONSTRUCTION

Date of birth: MAR 24, 1998
Hometown: NEWTOWN, CT
Crew Chief: NICK KOPCIK
Owner: TOMMY WANICK
Driver Headshot for Stephen Kopcik

Stephen Kopcik made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2021 at Stafford Speedway. He committed to the full schedule for the first time in 2025, earning a pair of runner-up finishes on his way to the Rookie of the Year Award.

22

KyleBonsignore

CHALEW PERFORMANCE

Date of birth: DEC 16, 1988
Hometown: BAY SHORE, NY
Crew Chief: CAM McDERMOTT
Owner: KYLE BONSIGNORE
Driver Headshot for Kyle Bonsignore

The cousin of Justin Bonsignore, Kyle got his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win in the 2018 NAPA Fall Final at Stafford. He added his second series victory five years later with a win at Virginia's Langley Speedway. He collected his third career win in 2025 at White Mountain Motorsports Park.

23

CarsonLoftin

L&R TRANSMISSIONS

Date of birth: MAR 28, 2008
Hometown: LEXINGTON, NC
Crew Chief: JUSTIN LINK
Owner: BRIAN LOFTIN
Driver Headshot for Carson Loftin

The son of veteran Modified driver Brian Loftin, Carson Loftin made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2023 at the age of 15 at North Carolina's North Wilkesboro Speedway.

24

AndrewKrause

SUPREME MFG. CO.

Date of birth: MAY 2, 1990
Hometown: HOLMDEL, NJ
Crew Chief: ROBERT HYER
Owner: DIANE KRAUSE
Driver Headshot for Andrew Krause

Andrew Krause has been racing part-time in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2016. In more than 50 series starts, he has earned a career-best finish of fourth on two occasions at New Jersey's Wall Stadium Speedway and Pennsylvania's Jennerstown Speedway.

25

BrianRobie

MAURICE ENTERPRISES

Date of birth: FEB 25, 1988
Hometown: SUNAPEE, NH
Crew Chief: CODY ROSE
Owner: SCOTT SPAULDING
Driver Headshot for Brian Robie

Brian Robie made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2022, competing in three events and earning a top-10 finish at Claremont Motorsports Park.

26

GaryMcDonald

LAKELAND LANDSCAPING

Date of birth: SEPT 24, 1957
Hometown: RONKONKOMA, NY
Crew Chief: CHAD McDONALD
Owner: SEAN McDONALD
Driver Headshot for Gary McDonald

Gary McDonald has been racing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2007 and has made more than 150 series starts.

28

DougCoby

TBA

Date of birth: JUN 23, 1982
Hometown: MILFORD, CT
Crew Chief: TBA
Owner: JETT MOTORSPORTS
Driver Headshot for Doug Coby

Doug Coby is a six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion (2012, 2014-17, 2019), and the only driver in the modern era to win four straight championships. He's tied for fifth on the all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win list alongside Tony Hirschman, both of whom have 35 victories.

29

MikeMarshall

MLM DIAGNOSTICS

Date of birth: DEC 22, 1979
Hometown: HUDSON, NH
Crew Chief: DOUG TISDELL
Owner: TAYLOR CHARBONNIER
Driver Headshot for Mike Marshall

Mike Marshall made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2024 and competed in most of the events on the 2025 schedule. He has a career-best finish of 15th prior to the 2026 season.

31

MikeChristopher Jr.

ELITE TOWING

Date of birth: APR 6, 1999
Hometown: WOLCOTT, CT
Crew Chief: EUGENE ORLANDO
Owner: ALAN DERLING
Driver Headshot for Mike Christopher Jr.

The nephew of late NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher, Mike Christopher Jr. grew up around Modifieds. He made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2021 and one season later scored his first win with the series at Jennerstown Speedway. In 2026 he'll drive the Elite Towing No. 31 during his first full season with the series.

36

DaveSapienza

SAPIENZA ENTERPRISES

Date of birth: MAY 11, 1965
Hometown: RIVERHEAD, NY
Crew Chief: GREG KLEILA
Owner: JUDY THILBURG
Driver Headshot for Dave Sapienza

Dave Sapienza has been a familiar face in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour garage since 2014 He's earned nine top-five finishes since then, including two runner-up finishes at New York's Riverhead Raceway and Pennsylvania's Jennerstown Speedway.

38

BobbyLabonte

COOK-OUT

Date of birth: MAY 8, 1964
Hometown: CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS
Crew Chief: PHIL STEFANELLI
Owner: PHIL STEFANELLI
Driver Headshot for Bobby Labonte

A NASCAR Hall of Famer, Bobby Labonte captured the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2000 to go along with the 1991 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series title. Following his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series, Labonte returned to grassroots racing and began racing Modifieds. He made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2021 and continues to race occasionally with the series.

40

RyanPreece

RACECHOICE.COM

Date of birth: OCT 25, 1990
Hometown: BERLIN, CT
Crew Chief: JEFF PREECE
Owner: JEFF PREECE
Driver Headshot for Ryan Preece

Ryan Preece has competed in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2007, claiming the 2013 series championship. He also has experience in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series and is currently a full-time driver for RFK Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.

46

CraigLutz

RIVERHEAD BUILDING SUPPLY

Date of birth: JUL 27, 1994
Hometown: MILLER PLACE, NY
Crew Chief: DOUG OGIEJKO
Owner: RUSSELL GOODALE
Driver Headshot for Craig Lutz

Craig Lutz has been a familiar face with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since he made his series debut at 19 years old in 2014. He's scored six victories during his career. He reunited with the Goodie Racing team in 2024 and in 2025 scored two wins en route to a third-place championship finish.

51

JustinBonsignore

PHOENIX COMMUNICATIONS INC.

Date of birth: FEB 3, 1988
Hometown: HOLTSVILLE, NY
Crew Chief: RYAN STONE
Owner: KEN MASSA
Driver Headshot for Justin Bonsignore

Justin Bonsignore is the 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion. He drives the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Modified for Ken Massa, the same car owner for whom he's driven since joining the tour full-time in 2010. He ranks second on the all-time Whelen Modified Tour win list with 48 wins as of early 2026.

54

TommyCatalano

FX CAPRARA

Date of birth: MAR 13, 1998
Hometown: ONTARIO, NY
Crew Chief: RICK KLUTH
Owner: DAVID CATALANO
Driver Headshot for Tommy Catalano

Tommy Catalano won the Rookie of the Year on the Whelen Modified Tour in 2018. He is a successful modified racer from New York. Improving over the last few years, Catalano has multiple top-10 runs on NASCAR's oldest touring series. He scored his first series win in 2025 in a photo finish at Monadnock Speedway.

55

JeremyGerstner

GMP LAWN CARE

Date of birth: DEC 1, 1972
Hometown: WESLEY CHAPEL, FL
Crew Chief: STANLEY BUTORA
Owner: DAWN GERTSNER
Driver Headshot for Jeremy Gerstner

Jeremy Gerstner is a long-time Modified competitor who has enjoyed success at a variety of tracks, including North Carolina's Bowman Gray Stadium. He made his Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2017 has made occasional starts each year since.

56

TrevorCatalano

CATALANO MOTORSPORTS

Date of birth: AUG 1, 2006
Hometown: ONTARIO, NY
Crew Chief: DAVID CATALANO
Owner: AMY CATALANO
Driver Headshot for Trevor Catalano

Trevor Catalano is part of the racing Catalano family that includes his three brothers, Tommy, Tyler and Timmy, and his mother, Amy. All five have raced in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He made his series debut in 2024 at New Smyrna Speedway and earned his first series victory later that year at Monadnock Speedway.

58

EricGoodale

GAF ROOFING

Date of birth: SEP 3, 1985
Hometown: RIVERHEAD, N.Y.
Crew Chief: ROB HYER
Owner: EDGAR GOODALE
Driver Headshot for Eric Goodale

Goodale scored his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in 2014 at Riverhead Raceway. In 2017, He captured arguably the biggest win of his career in the NAPA Fall Final at Stafford, and entered the season-finale at Thompson as one of six drivers eligible to leave with the championship. He enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022, earning one victory and finishing third in the Tour standings.

60

MattHirschman

PEE DEE MOTORSPORTS

Date of birth: NOV 29, 1982
Hometown: NORTHAMPTON, PA.
Crew Chief: MICHAEL STEIN
Owner: ROY HALL
Driver Headshot for Matt Hirschman

Hirschman is one of the most successful Modified drivers in New England every year. That success has spilled into the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he has 10 series victories, including a career-best three wins in 2023.

64

AustinBeers

DELL ELECTRIC

Date of birth: MARCH 23, 2003
Hometown: NORTHAMPTON, PA
Crew Chief: RON YUHAS JR.
Owner: MIKE MURPHY
Driver Headshot for Austin Beers

Austin Beers made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2021 and ran his first full season in 2022. He captured his first series victory at 2023 at Richmond Raceway, adding a second win at Lancaster Motorplex later that same season. In 2025 he made history by becoming the youngest champion in the history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

66

TimmySolomito

USNEPower

Date of birth: JUN 23, 1982
Hometown: ISLIP, NY
Crew Chief: JERRY SOLOMITO JR.
Owner: TIMMY SOLOMITO
Driver Headshot for Timmy Solomito

Solomito scored his first career win at Thompson in 2016, and followed it up with three more wins that season. Before racing on the Whelen Modified Tour, Solomito began racing modifieds at Riverhead Raceway in New York. More recently, Solomito has shifted to a part-time schedule.

71

JimmyZacharias

KEVO MOTORSPORTS

Date of birth: MAY 9, 1991
Hometown: CANDOR, NY
Crew Chief: AUSTIN KOCHENASH
Owner: TERRY ZACHARIAS
Driver Headshot for Jimmy Zacharias

Jimmy Zacharias is a veteran Modified competitor who races part-time with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He has three career top-10 finishes, including a sixth-place effort at Oswego Speedway.

73

PaulieHartwig III

JERSEY SHORE CONTRACTING

Date of birth: FEB 21, 2011
Hometown: GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, NJ
Crew Chief: ROBERT GEIGER
Owner: PAUL HARTWIG JR.
Driver Headshot for Paulie Hartwig III

A rising Modified star from New Jersey, Paulie Hartwig III has been turning heads for several seasons. He won the pole for the Islip 300 at Riverhead Raceway when he was 12 years old and won a Modified event at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2025. He'll make his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2026.

79

JonMcKennedy

STUART'S AUTOMOTIVE

Date of birth: APRIL 15, 1987
Hometown: CHELMSFORD, MA
Crew Chief: PATRICK WALSH
Owner: JON MCKENNEDY
Driver Headshot for Jon McKennedy

In only his second full season with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Jon McKennedy captured the Tour championship in 2022. His championship included his second career victory, which came at Claremont Motorsports Park in New Hampshire.

81

MarkStewart

CROMER'S MARKET

Date of birth: DEC 27, 1997
Hometown: RIVERHEAD, NY
Crew Chief: CHRIS TURBUSH
Owner: CHRIS TURBUSH
Driver Headshot for Mark Stewart

Born into a racing family, Mark Stewart is a familiar face at New York's Riverhead Raceway. He competes occasionally with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he earned a runner-up finish at Riverhead during the Eddie Partridge 256 in 2023.