We are just over a third of the way through the regular season. A time to assess, a time to evaluate and a time to hand out some early Fantasy Live hardware. Without further ado, we present the 2019 Kraftys honoring the highs and lows of Fantasy Live through the first third of the season. Think the Dundies but unfortunately, Steve Carell is unavailable to host.
Stafford Motor Speedway has long been known for producing some of the best drivers the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour offers.
Five-time Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby is a graduate of Stafford, having won championships there before making the move to begin his quest to win at a higher level. The late Ted Christopher, who won 131 races at Stafford and one Whelen Modified Tour championship, used the Connecticut half-mile as his stomping ground for many years. Ryan Preece, Woody Pitkat and Rowan Pennink have won track titles at Stafford and multiple tour races in recent years.
Now, another graduate of the premiere NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified division is going to take his shot at moving up. Joey Cipriano, who picked up his first SK Modified win last June, will make his Whelen Modified Tour debut in the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford on April 28.
RELATED: STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONS | SPRING SIZZLER TICKETS
“It’s a tough track. Both ends are different, so it’s one of those places that has two different driving styles to each end. It’s where the best drivers race,” Cirpriano told NASCAR.com. “As far as the SK Modifieds go, they have the best competition. It’s a lot of fun, and it teaches you most as a driver to race against the guys that are the best.”
After years of trying for a victory in the SK Modifieds, Cipriano was finally able to break into Victory Lane last year after taking a few years off from full-time action to focus on life at home.
“To go there and finally get a win, after being so close so many times and losing it just about every way we could, to finally cross it off the board was a really good feeling,” he said.
Cipriano will team with Steve Greer to compete in the No. 19 Gunsmoke Stables Chevrolet in the second-longest race of the season for the Whelen Modified Tour. The NAPA Spring Sizzler is one of the most prestigious events on the series schedule each year — and the 48th annual will again put drivers chasing Stafford glory.
Cipriano drove for Greer last year in Stafford’s Open Modified events and in the Valenti Modified Racing Series, so he does have previous experience with the team.
“It just worked out, when we sat down over the winter with Steve, we put our heads together and we ended up deciding trying our hand at the Tour was something we were willing to give a shot. I can’t thank all of them enough for giving me a shot and having the faith in me to go at it with the best in the Modifieds,” Cipriano said. “I’m excited. For me, it’s a dream come true, when I was 15-years-old, and started running SK Light Modifieds, you want to get to that level.”
Cipriano also isn’t a complete stranger to the Whelen Modified Tour. Since the middle of last year, and specifically at the beginning of this year, he has been working with Kevin Stuart Motorsports and driver Ron Silk. In the last two races, Silk picked up a victory at South Boston Speedway and a second-place finish at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
“I’m ready to go. I’ve watched a lot of video and tried to learn as much as I can. I was lucky enough to be able to do some pit stops last year in the open shows at Stafford, so I have a little bit of experience, but it’s just one of those things where you just take it as it goes,” Cipriano said. “Two-hundred laps with multiple stops and racing against guys that have done this forever, it’s going to be a really good challenge. You get better by racing the guys that are the best.”
For Cipriano, making his debut at his home track will ultimately help him adjust to what is sure to be at least a slight learning curve. But making it to the end of a race where tire strategy is going to be a major factor is important.
“The biggest thing I want to do is finish on the lead lap, trying to stay on pace with the leaders,” Cipriano said. “Realistically, if we can run in the top 15, that’s going to be a good day. There are a lot of good cars on the Whelen Modified Tour. If we can run inside the top 10, that’d be exceeding our expectations.”
Stewart-Haas Racing revealed a glimpse of perhaps the comfiest paint scheme in NASCAR on Thursday. Yes, Kevin Harvick will again sport the Busch Flannel Ford Mustang next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
You wanted it. You got it! Flannel is back, baby! 🙌 @KevinHarvick will race the No. 4 #BUSCHHHHH Flannel Ford Mustang next weekend at @TalladegaSuperS. 💪 Who thinks we'll be spraying @BuschBeer in #GEICO500 victory lane? #4TheWin pic.twitter.com/cuhqVII786
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) April 18, 2019
Just looking at the car makes as feel all warm and fuzzy. Harvick won the Busch Pole Award with this paint scheme last year, and then finished fourth in the race — his best Talladega showing since 2010.
RELATED: Shop the special scheme
Needless to say, we’re all excited for the encore.
This is Flantastic! pic.twitter.com/BCPondAM1v
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 18, 2019
Some people grow up in racing families and fall in love with the sport as young kids.
Others learn about and get into the sport at an older age, and learn to love it through experience.
The second is the case for Nick Rice, the new Director of Operations at Berlin Raceway, in Marne, Michigan. Rice was hired by the track in November for the newly created position at the 0.4375-mile asphalt oval after he got to know the owners through his dirt series, the American Ethanol Late Model Tour.
“In the offseason several times over the last decade Berlin has put clay down on the asphalt and held dirt races here,” Rice said. “We brought the dirt series that I was running here to the track so I started building a relationship with those guys that way.”
Rice admits he didn’t have a huge racing background, and his own time behind the wheel is limited.
“I shouldn’t say I’ve never raced,” he said. “We toyed around with some scramble stuff, some really low-end fairground type stuff when I was in my early 20s. But as far as being a racer I was not.”
Berlin Raceway | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
In 2015 he was working for an ethanol plant in Michigan, and through marketing and promotion he ended up running the American Ethanol Late Model Tour as a director and promoter. The series eventually added a modified tour the next year, and grew from being Michigan-based to a regional series by 2018.
“Building that series from the ground up, that was kind of my crash course in racing in general,” Rice said. “I didn’t really have any experience before that in 2015.”
Like most people who fall in love with racing later in life, Rice said, while he loves the racing aspect, it’s the people who have kept him coming back.
“Especially in the beginning it wasn’t so much the racing in general. The competition, yea it’s fun and exciting, but what I really enjoyed being in the position I was in, and even now, is just getting to meet the teams and the drivers and seeing their excitement,” he said. “See how all these things work and building those relationships.
“All the people that you’ll meet within the industry, you’ll meet so many good people. And just getting out there, people get to know who you are. I spent a lot of time really trying to build these relationships with people and just move things forward. I’ve always been a people person, I enjoy people. The racing part of it, the excitement is kind of secondary to me, but that’s something that I really focus on and what I really enjoy about it.”
Rice’s new position at Berlin had him working with marketing and the business side during the offseason. He also spent time trying to meet with race teams and drivers at their shops or over a drink. That way, he’ll have those relationships built and it isn’t such a crash course for him or them on opening night.
But when they open the year this Saturday night, his focus will turn to race direction, a new challenge for him, but one he’s excited to try.
“Everything else I’m pretty comfortable with. The only thing I haven’t really been involved with, with my dirt tours I always hired out all the officiating and race directing, so really the learning curve is the race directing portion of that,” he said. “Just being the guy on the mic and in the guys’ ears. I know how the races flow and everything. This is one of the only things that I don’t have any experience in yet.
“So just the flow of things. It’s also my job to keep the show moving, so just that fine balance of trying to get the show up and going but also keep things consistent the way I call a race. I’m really going to have to learn that.”
Berlin’s super late model program this season will feature several big events, including the 3rd annual Money in the Bank 150 on Monday, June 10. This weekend’s 8th annual Icebreaker opening night will feature a $4,000-to-win super late model show where the winner gets a starting provisional in the Money in the Bank event.
Berlin will also have modifieds, sportsman and 4-cylinders this Saturday night beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Fans across the world will get a chance to watch Berlin on a weekly basis through the live-streaming platform, FansChoice.tv
“As you can imagine how busy things are until that first opening night. And then things kind of, they don’t settle way down but it’s kind of more consistent,” Rice said. “We’ve got all the opening night stuff out of the way. But I am really excited for our super late model program this year.”
The 8th Annual Ice Breaker has finally arrived. Are you ready?
Saturday, April 20 – 5:30 pm | Tickets $5 | 75-Lap Super Late Model Special | SLM, SS, MOD, SP, 4C | Pre-race music & ice carving@NASCARHomeTrack #experienceGR #PureMichigan pic.twitter.com/2tKvEUbaXO
— Berlin Raceway (@BerlinRaceway) April 18, 2019
Keith McGee, the first Alaskan to race in the K&N Pro Series, is planning to make his second career start next month at Tucson Speedway.
The Eagle River, Alaska native will be driving for Jefferson Pitts Racing and has partnered with the American Cancer Society for the Port of Tucson Twin 100s.
“In 2018 on the day of my very first professional race, I received word that my mother had been cleared of Stage 4 Follicular Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,” McGee said on his GoFundMe page. “It was the best news on the best day I could have received. In the same breath, I was notified that she now had Late Stage Breast Cancer. After several surgeries, her strong will and support, she is currently a winner and is cancer free. However, her fight is not over as well as millions of others as they continue with their fight or their loved ones battle.”
McGee has one prior start coming at Kern County Raceway Park last season. He was forced to retire after 16 laps.
Gateway Motorsports Park and World Wide Technology announced a long-term naming rights commitment Wednesday, shifting the motorsports facility’s moniker to “World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.”
WWT, founded and headquartered in the nearby St. Louis region, also becomes the official technology partner of the track and will use the venue to advance development programs for the company and its community outreach initiatives.
“The support of WWT will help ensure that our track will compete for North America’s most elite races and offer an innovative and exhilarating fan experience for years to come,” said Curtis Francois, CEO of Gateway Motorsports, in a track release. “The relationship with WWT will help us tremendously as we continue to grow World Wide Technology Raceway into one of the premier racing facilities in the country.”
The announcement was made during the 2019 Global Leadership Forum Summit taking place at WWT. The track plans to utilize the many advanced assets and knowledge that WWT and its partners are developing in an ever-evolving marketplace. From STEM initiatives, technological enhancements for fan experience or community outreach and diversity, the raceway will serve as a cutting-edge proving ground.
The new partnership furthers WWT’s tie to racing, as the company is the official Technology and Analytics Partner of Richard Petty Motorsports and a primary sponsor of the team’s No. 43 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. As part of the partnership, WWT provides data analytics, consulting and technology solutions to help improve performance for Bubba Wallace and his team.
The track will host the Gander Outdoors Truck Series on June 22 at 10 p.m. ET (FS1).
MORE: Buy tickets for Gateway
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (April 17, 2019) – For the fourth-consecutive year, Comcast, Pocono Raceway and Dover International Speedway are coming together to bring NASCAR to the city of Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15. The NASCAR Xfinity Series Philadelphia Takeover will bring 18 drivers to the city to greet fans and promote the upcoming Pocono Green 250 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons (June 1 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in the Philadelphia market.
“Comcast’s involvement in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is something we’re very proud of and this celebration is the perfect opportunity to showcase the partnership in a great race town like Philadelphia,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s Vice President for Brand Partnerships. “Xfinity is focused on giving awesome entertainment experiences and access to passionate fans and loyal Xfinity customers at the race track. This event will provide those same VIP experiences, all while introducing new people to the sport and driving awareness of the Pocono and Dover NASCAR race weekends.”
RELATED: Xfinity Series schedule | Latest Xfinity Series news
Festivities will kick off on Tuesday, May 14 with NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Justin Allgaier, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Philadelphia Phillies MLB game against the Milwaukee Brewers (7:05 p.m. ET). On Wednesday, May 15, events featuring the 18 NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will take place throughout the city with the Comcast Center Plaza acting as the hub for race fans.
Beginning at 10:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 15, the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, will welcome fans to a special event on the Comcast Center Plaza with executives from Pocono, Dover, NASCAR and Comcast. Immediately following the opening remarks, a military appreciation ceremony will take place in front of friends, family, fans and NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers before the fan autograph session prior to the start of the parade. Interactive fan displays will also be setup at the Comcast Center Plaza for the public to enjoy.
A group of NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will also branch off to explore “The City of Brotherly Love” through various events including the Franklin Institute for a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)-focused Q&A session and Geno’s Steaks in South Philadelphia to enjoy an authentic Philly cheesesteak experience.
BUY TICKETS: Dover races | Pocono races
The highlight of the day will come starting at 12 p.m. ET as some of the drivers will strap into their 700hp race cars for a parade and “smoke show burnout” on JFK Boulevard around Philadelphia City Hall to Market Street, returning to the Comcast Center.
“What Comcast does for our series is really second to none,” said Justin Allgaier. “The time and effort that they, along with Dover and Pocono, put in to make the Philadelphia Takeover happen is incredible and it just keeps getting better every year. The energy and excitement of everyone in the city when we drive through the streets is insane. It’s just a fun event. I can’t wait to get back there next month.”
The 18 NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers scheduled to be in attendance are: Justin Allgaier, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Brandon Brown, Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Chad Finchum, Joey Gase, Gray Gaulding, Noah Gragson, Kaz Grala, Justin Haley, Brandon Jones, Vinnie Miller, Matt Mills, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick and Zane Smith.
Ryan Preece is making his return to the New England racing scene this season.
While he continues his full-time effort with JTG Daughtery Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Preece confirmed via Twitter Wednesday that he will be competing during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in June.
No @BGSRacing this weekend, due to a few reasons.
We will be looking forward to our next Modified show at @ThompsonSpdwy in June.
— Ryan Preece (@RyanPreece_) April 17, 2019
Preece, the 2013 Whelen Modified Tour champion, has three victories in 44 starts at Thompson. He won two of the four events at the Connecticut oval in 2017, and has finished fourth or better in four of his last six starts. He has 22 career Whelen Modified Tour wins over 12 years of competition.
At Thompson specifically, Preece has two career Sunoco Modified championships (’12 & ’14) running in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
In his first nine races with JTG this season in the Cup Series, Preece has a best finish of eighth, which came in the 61st annual running of the Daytona 500.
The June Whelen Modified Tour race at Thompson will be the second of four appearances at the .625-mile oval this season. Justin Bonsignore won the Icebreaker 150 on April 7.
See you on June 5.
Maybe bring along a Sunoco Modified with you as well? ud83cudfc1 https://t.co/AdIKpO79Fx
— Thompson Speedway (@ThompsonSpdwy) April 17, 2019
NASCAR docked the No. 2 team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for one lug nut not safe and secure following Friday’s race at Richmond Raceway.
The team’s crew chief, Randall Burnett, was fined $5,000.
Tyler Reddick drove the No. 2 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing to a fourth-place finish in a race won by Cole Custer. Reddick is one of four drivers eligible for the Dash 4 Cash prize in the series’ next race on April 27 at Talladega Superspeedway (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
When the season kicks off at Bowman Gray Stadium this weekend, one family of racers will suit up with a combined 120 wins among them.
And all three drivers will race against one another in the same division for the first time.
The Clifton family — Ronnie, Michael, and Zack — will all race in Bowman Gray’s modifieds division this season. Michael has seen the most success in the track’s highest NASCAR Whelen All-American Series division, with 22 modifieds wins.
But his success at the track overall is unmatched to his brother, Ronnie, who has 73 career victories, all in the sportsman division, where he won eight straight championships in the early 2000s. Ronnie has been racing modifieds for the last eight years, and this year he’s made it a goal to pick up his first win there.
But he’ll have some stiff competition, none closer to him than his son Zack, who also found success at Bowman Gray in the sportsman division, winning 22 races and one championship. Zack will move up to the modifieds division for the first time this season.
“We’ve never all three of us been on the race track at the same time,” Michael said.
Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter-mile flat asphalt oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that is NASCAR’s first and longest running weekly race track, will open its 71st season on Saturday with the Hayes Jewelers 200 presented by Q104.1 for the Division I Modifieds. The opening night will also include a 40-lap Sportsman feature as well as street stock and stadium stock division races.
Bowman Gray Stadium | Facebook | Twitter
This week will be the first race back for Ronnie and Michael, who both took last season off. Ronnie took the time to help Zack get a car ready for Martinsville Speedway’s year-end late model race. He wasn’t planning to come back this season, but some crew members came to him wanting to help him get back on the track, so he decided to give it one last go-round.
Michael also felt burnt out from racing and decided to sit out 2018, but after racing at The Stadium for more than 30 years, it didn’t take long for him to get the itch to get back on the track.
“We went camping and took the boat out, and on the weekends I would be like, ‘Why aren’t I at the racetrack?’” Michael said. “Because I missed it.
“I thought I’d come back this year and see how things worked out.”
During Ronnie’s year off, Zack decided to take his dad’s modified for a test drive, and instantly fell in love with the extra horsepower. Ronnie said his son moving up a division came as a surprise, but it should help with getting more sponsors. The brothers went to New York to get Zack’s new car this offseason, and he’s put in the hours to make sure he’s ready for Saturday.
“We brought it to the shop and we had to replace pretty much everything on it,” Zack said. “Me and my guys, we worked on it and got it to the way we want it with all of our stuff on it. I’ve learned a lot about the modifieds. I still have a whole lot to learn about them. We’ve been to practices and I really wish there was a lot more practices so we can know what this car likes and doesn’t like, but we’ll just have to figure it out one week at a time.”
Zack Clifton Racing Facebook | Twitter
Ronnie moved up to the modifieds division when Zack started racing sportsmen at Bowman Gray, so the father and son have never actually raced against each other. Zack and Michael have only raced once, but Zack wrecked early and didn’t get a chance to get near his uncle.
While Ronnie and Michael have been racing together for nearly a decade, this weekend will be a new experience for all of them.
“We pick at each other all the time but when it comes down to it we help each as much as we can,” Ronnie said. “I’ve always enjoyed racing against Michael. When we were younger we were really competitive against each other, but the older we get the more we help each other and cheer for each other. If one of us is not running well we try to help the other one out. I think it’ll be about the same with Zack. We’re gonna try to help Zack out as much as we can. He adapts well to everything we tell him.”
“I’ve already made up my mind that we’re probably going to qualify right near each other,” Zack said. “We’ll probably qualify within one or two spots of each other I feel like. I’m just interested to see how it’ll all play out.
“I’m really excited to be able to run against him and hopefully benefit from it and not the other way around.”
“We’ve got a lot of respect for one another,” Michael said. “I feel like we’ll show a lot of respect for each other. I feel like if something goes down with one of us we’ve got each other’s back. I just feel like we’ll look after each other.”
Ronnie Clifton Racing Facebook
All three Clifton’s have something they’re racing for this season. Ronnie is hoping to get that first modified victory before hanging up his firesuit for good. After that, he’ll get to not only help Zack, but watch him every week.
“I’ll probably be nervous racing with him,” Ronnie said. “But he’s a good driver. He’s adapted well to the modified, better than most people do. He’s a pretty smooth driver. I think he’ll hold his own pretty good. I’ll try to help him out as much as I can. If he needs any help I’ll help him out. If he needs my car I’ll give him my car. I’m just there for him more or less to help him transition to the modifieds.”
Zack, too, is looking for a win of his own.
“I get to run for rookie of the year again,” he said. “So I’m up there every weekend to try to at least win a race this year. If not, I would be happy to get rookie of the year.”
“Everything I’ve learned in the past I can just throw away and have to start fresh because the modifieds is a whole different ball game.”
While Michael doesn’t have any specific goals, racing again will be enough for him.
“I’m just looking forward to getting out there and having fun and just enjoying it,” he said. “I hope that we have good nights and don’t tear up a whole lot.”