‘A dream come true’: Stephen Kopcik carries momentum and confidence into Saturday’s Modified Tour race at Oxford Plains

The list of drivers to win NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events is among the most exclusive clubs in motorsports. Entering 2026, through 40 seasons and 756 races, only 81 drivers had managed to win a Modified Tour race. Of those 81, only 53 drivers had managed to win two or more. This year, in the span of 15 days, Stephen Kopcik became not just the 82nd driver to win a Modified Tour event, but also 54th driver to win two or more after scoring wins at Martinsville Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. “The way it’s been the last three races is like a dream come true,” said Kopcik, who holds a seven-point lead in the Modified Tour standings entering Saturday’s All States Materials Group 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway (6:15 p.m. ET on FloRacing). “I didn’t expect it. I wasn’t down on confidence or anything, but I wasn’t expecting to come out and win two big shows right off the bat.” RELATED: Entry list for Saturday at Oxford Plains Driving for team owner Tommy Wanick, Kopcik embarked upon his first full Modified Tour season in 2025. He earned a pair of runner-up finishes and finished the year ranked sixth in the series standings, enough for Kopcik to claim the Rookie of the Year award. Despite what was a strong rookie season in the Wanick Motorsports No. 21, Kopcik felt there were opportunities left on the table. He and the Wanick Motorsports team spent the offseason working on not just their equipment, but also their pit crew. [caption id="attachment_509280" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Stephen Kopcik has won the last two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events driving the No. 21 Wanick Motorsports Modified. (Photo: Andrew Stein/NASCAR)[/caption] The effort has led to immediate results. Kopcik dominated the event at Martinsville, leading a race-high 100 laps on his way to his first series victory. He backed that up by winning at Thompson thanks in large part to his pit crew, who got him the lead during a round of late pit stops. “We had fast cars all of last year, too, and had a lot of other things go wrong,” Kopcik explained. “Over the winter, we corrected what we could. We’ve got a good team. We practiced pit stops all winter. “We struggled a lot last year on the pit stops. We’d be running good and have good track position and qualify well, but we’d usually lose some spots in the pits. Everyone is so damn close on the Tour that it’s hard to recover from that. So we corrected that and cleaned it up. It definitely has made a big difference.” Kopcik’s victories at Martinsville and Thompson not only have put him on top of the Modified Tour standings for the first time in his career, but they’ve also put in him rarified air. In the history of the Modified Tour, only two drivers have won their first and second event in consecutive races. The first was Rick Fuller, who did so in 1988 when he scored his first and second wins in consecutive events at Orange County Speedway and Thompson. The 28-year-old Kopcik joined Fuller on that unique list with his wins at Martinsville and Thompson. [caption id="attachment_509281" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Stephen Kopcik leads the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events through three races this year. (Photo: Rachel O’Driscoll/NASCAR)[/caption] “You start talking about names like Rick Fuller and in 1988 specifically, who was racing then? Some of the most badass guys to ever race Modifieds,” Kopcik said. “To have a stat that matches something that he has is something that’s special to me. “It was my 23rd start at Martinsville and my 24th at Thompson. I hope we can keep it rolling. There are people who have raced for many more years and many more starts and have won a handful times, but two wins in 24 races is special, and I hope it’s just the start of many more.” A chance at history awaits Kopcik this weekend at Oxford Plains Speedway, where a win would make him the first driver in series history to win his first three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events in three consecutive races. RELATED: How to watch Saturday's race from Oxford Plains To do that, Kopcik will need to win at a race track he’s never seen. He’s not alone, as most of the Modified Tour field has never competed at Oxford Plains Speedway. Based on his performance so far this year, Kopcik certainly can’t be counted out. On the contrary, he must be considered one of the favorites to win Saturday’s All States Materials Group 150. “I don’t know what to expect,” Kopcik said. “I think it’s going to be a decent race for the Modifieds. I also don’t believe it’s going to be a three or four lane track like it is when the supers (late models) are there. I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect. “It’s definitely a unique place. It’s a lot different than anywhere else we go. I’m not going to underestimate it. We’re just going to go there as prepared as we can be and be ready to make changes to try and put us above everyone else.”