After two weeks off, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams are back in action this weekend in Connecticut. The 48th annual NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 will take place on Sunday — but teams will practice and qualify on Saturday.

The Whelen Modified Tour helps begin another season of racing at the historic half-mile, as the five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions also open their schedule. The visit is the first of three for the Whelen Modified Tour this season.

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NAPA SPRING SIZZLER 200 AT STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Doug Coby may lead the championship standings after the first three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races, but the rest of the field isn’t far behind.

Over his 17 year past, Coby, who grew up racing at Stafford and won championships in the weekly series before moving to the Whelen Modified Tour, has taken that success and run with it. In 54 Whelen Modified Tour starts at Stafford, Coby has 11 victories and three of them in the NAPA Spring Sizzler — including top 10 runs in over 60 percent of his starts. He won six consecutive poles at Stafford from October 2015 through April ’17, and has started from the top spot in nine races.

WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR: 2019 Schedule | Race Center

Fresh off his first win of the season in his effort to repeat as champion, Justin Bonsignore is entering Stafford looking to turn his previous luck around. With a best finish of second in 34 previous starts, Bonsignore has yet to master the half-mile, but did win the pole there last September en route to clinching the series championship that day. With crew chief Ryan Stone, Bonsignore finished seventh, eighth and 12th in the three races there last year driving the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet, and he has admitted it’s one of the few tracks where he might need a bit of improvement.

With Burt Myers, who currently sits fourth in the standings, moving to the weekly Whelen All-American Series action at Bowman Gray Stadium, veteran Jeff Rocco returns to action driving the No. 1 Dunleavy Truck and Trailer Repair Chevrolet for Eddie Harvey.

Joey Cipriano, a regular in Stafford’s SK Modified division, will make his Whelen Modified Tour debut on Sunday, while Chase Dowling, who cut his teeth racing in Stafford’s Modified ranks, will return to action driving for Jamie Tomaino. Dowling finished second in the Whelen Modified Tour point standings last year.

RACE FACTS

RACE	NAPA Spring Sizzler 200
PLACE	Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
DATE	Sunday, April 28
TIME	3:30 p.m. (approx.)
TELEVISION	FansChoice.TV, 3:30 p.m. (live streaming)
TRACK LAYOUT	Half-mile paved asphalt oval
2018 WINNER	Ryan Preece
2018 POLE	Chase Dowling
EVENT SCHEDULE	SATURDAY: Garage Opens: 8:15 a.m., First Practice: 11-11:40 a.m., Final Practice: 12:20-1 p.m., Group Qualifying: 2:30 p.m., Garage Closes: 4 p.m. SUNDAY: Garage Opens: 9:30 a.m., Driver Autograph Session: 11-11:50 a.m., NAPA Spring Sizzler 200: 3:30 p.m. (approx.)
TWITTER	@StaffordSpeedwy, @NASCARHomeTrack
HASHTAG	#NWMT, #NAPASpringSizzler

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST |SCHEDULE & TICKETS

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: 

The starting field for the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 is limited to 33 starters, including provisional positions. The first 27 drivers will secure starting positions based on the group qualifying process. The remaining six positions will be awarded through the provisional process.

NASCAR group qualifying is in place for this event. Qualifying order will be determined by each vehicle‘s fastest single lap from the official practice sessions. The number of qualifying groups will be determined by NASCAR. Each group qualifying session will be five (5) minutes in duration and the fastest single lap speed of each vehicle will determine the first 27 starting positions.

Adjustments or repairs may not be made on a vehicle after the vehicle enters the track to begin the qualifying session. Vehicles may not return to the track to make any further qualifying laps unless directed to do so by a NASCAR Official or in the event of a caution. Once a vehicle‘s qualifying attempt is complete, the vehicle must proceed directly to the designated impound area once it enters pit road. In the event of a caution, all vehicles must exit the track.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eleven (11) tires per team. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. The tire change is four (4) tires, any position.

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MEDIA CENTER

NASCAR.com: Joey Cipriano Going From Stafford Victory Lane to Whelen Modified Tour Debut | Ryan Preece Returning To Whelen Modified Tour Action at Thompson

RacedayCT.com: Doug Coby Leads Whelen Modified Tour To NAPA Spring Sizzler at Stafford | Woody Pitkat Looking Forward Following Two Podium Runs at Thompson Icebreaker

Speed51.com: Historic Amount of Modified Racing at Riverhead | Mike Christopher Jr. Carrying on the Christopher Legacy

Short Track Scene: Bowman Gray Season-Opener Postponed by Rain | Woody Pitkat Running Sunoco Modifieds and Late Models in 2019

ICYMI: The 1981 Spring Sizzler Champion Bob Polverari, to serve as Grand Marshall of Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler

Full story ud83dudc49 https://t.co/acuunte9wS#NAPASpringSizzler #BobPolverari #Mods #Nascar #Stafford #History pic.twitter.com/sEHMndQJoC

— Stafford Speedway (@StaffordSpeedwy) April 21, 2019

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.”