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Teddy Hodgdon scores season-ending victory at Thompson; Patrick Emerling clinches 2026 Modified Tour championship

Brandon White

(Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)

THOMPSON, Conn. -- To cap off his Rookie of the Year campaign on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Teddy Hodgdon IV decided to play a minor spoiler on Patrick Emerling’s coronation as the 2026 champion.

Hodgdon relentlessly chased Emerling during the second half of Saturday’s World Series of Asphalt 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. With 33 laps remaining, Hodgdon found his way around the 2026 champion to score his second victory of the year during the season finale.

Besting the driver who won the Modified Tour title was a perfect note for Hodgdon to end his maiden full-time season with the series. With victories at prestigious tracks like Thompson and Stafford Motor Speedway to his name, Hodgdon is excited for what 2027 is going to bring.

“It was super similar to Stafford,” Hodgdon said. “We qualified OK, much better than Stafford, but I didn’t expect this thing to run green to checkered to be honest. Our car stayed the same, and everyone else kind of fell off. I just wanted to keep it respectful and clean the best I could because I know [Emerling was] fighting for a championship.

“We’re going to be a force next year. Watch out.”

RELATED: Complete results from the World Series 150

Hodgdon, who started ninth, had to be patient during the opening laps of the World Series 150. After gradually working his way through the field, Hodgdon watched as Emerling worked over polesitter Paulie Hartwig III.

Emerling initially held steady up front once he got around Hartwig, but a valiant defensive effort on Hodgdon ultimately came up short. By overtaking Emerling, Hodgdon became the fifth different driver to score multiple victories on the 2026 season, matching Stephen Kopcik and Matt Hirschman’s total with two.

Leading the way in the wins category this season was Emerling, who found Victory Lane on five different occasions as part of his dominant championship run. Emerling also tallied a season-high 11 top fives and led more laps than any other competitor, adding to that total at Thompson on Saturday evening.

Emerling, who has been part of the Modified Tour in some capacity since 2011, was relieved to finally join the long, prestigious list of drivers who have a title in the series.

The secret behind Emerling reaching that milestone was the cohesion he has built with his core team since they first came together in 2024.

“It’s really special,” Emerling said. “This USNE Power No. 1 team didn’t miss a beat all year. I’m speechless. I’ve been running Modifieds for quite a while, and we came pretty darn close a couple of times. We just had a little bit of tough luck for a few years, but finally we were able to get a season to go, for the most part, the way it should.”

While Emerling heads into the offseason atop the Modified Tour pedestal for the first time, Hodgdon is ready to figure out how he can improve upon his Rookie of the Year campaign.

Aside from the penultimate race of the year at Riverhead Raceway, Hodgdon never finished outside the top five in three of the last four races. Consistency was a hallmark of Hodgdon’s rookie season, but building upon everything that worked for him this year will be crucial if he wants to keep challenging Emerling and the elites of the Modified Tour.

“[We’re] a small, hometown team from Danbury,” Hodgdon said. “There’s a lot of big boys out there, so to come out here on the Modified Tour and become Rookie of the Year with all these guys is special. There’s a limited amount of names that can hold that honor, and I’m glad to be one of them.”

Hirschman ended 2026 with a runner-up finish between Hodgdon and Emerling. Mike Christopher Jr. came home in fourth, with Matt Swanson rounding out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 consisted of Eric Goodale, Austin Beers, Chase Dowling, Kopcik and Andrew Molleur.