PIT BOX: Monadnock Speedway welcomes back Whelen Modified Tour drivers for Duel at the Dog 200

Following another lengthy break after the most recent event at Richmond Raceway, the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season kicks into overdrive this Saturday evening with the running of the Duel at the Dog 200 at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway.

Saturday’s race marks the 15th time the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has visited the quarter-mile bullring located in Winchester, New Hampshire, and doubles as the first Tour race of the season in the Northeast. Ken Bouchard won the inaugural series event at the track in 1986, with future NASCAR star Jimmy Spencer picking up a victory the following season. Others to earn trips to Victory Lane at Monadnock include Mike Stefanik, Reggie Ruggiero, Jamie Tomaino, Ted Christopher, Todd Szegedy, Ryan Preece, Doug Coby and Timmy Solomito.

The winningest NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver at Monadnock is Justin Bonsignore, who has four victories at the track, including a victory during the 2022 season.

Saturday’s race is also the first race of JDV Productions’ Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, which will award $15,700 in bonuses to NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers who compete in the events at Monadnock, Lee USA Speedway (May 27) and Claremont Motorsports Park (July 29).

Below is everything you need to know about Saturday’s Duel at the Dog 200 at Monadnock Speedway.

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Duel at the Dog 200 at Monadnock Speedway

What to watch for:

After a quiet rookie season in 2022, Austin Beers is off to a fast start this year.

He opened the season at New Smyrna Speedway in February by leading 51 laps and finishing eighth before being shot out of a cannon at Richmond Raceway, where he won the pole, led 102 laps and won his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race.

Beers sits tied at the top of the series standings with Ron Silk, who won the opening race of the season at New Smyrna after going winless in 2022. Both should be considered potential contenders this weekend at Monadnock Speedway.

If either Beers or Silk hopes to win on Saturday, they’ll have to find a way to defeat the all-time Monadnock win leader Justin Bonsignore, who sits third in the Tour standings behind Beers and Silk after finishes of second at New Smyrna and fourth at Richmond.

No other driver has more than one victory at Monadnock and only one other previous winner at the track is entered in Saturday’s event. That honor belongs to six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby, who scored his lone Monadnock victory in 2015. Coby, who is wheeling Tommy Baldwin Jr.’s No. 7, is seeking his 35th career victory this Saturday.

After not competing with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2022, Woody Pitkat makes his return to Tour competition this weekend driving for Mertz Racing Enterprises. Matt Hirschman, who finished second last year at Monadnock, will look to rebound from a difficult run at Richmond with a strong performance Saturday. Defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Jon McKennedy, who is looking for his first top-five of the season, should also be considered a potential threat to win Saturday.

Two drivers – Jacob Perry and Sam Rameau – are making their season debuts Saturday at Monadnock. A third, Cory Plummer, is scheduled to make his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut.

Other notable entries include Jake Johnson, Tim Connolly, Patrick Emerling, Tommy Catalano, Eric Goodale, Craig Lutz and Anthony Nocella.

The complete entry for the Duel at the Dog 200 is available here.

RACE FACTS

Schedule: Saturday, May 6 … Final practice from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET … Race at 5 p.m. ET

Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Duel at the Dog 200 is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.

Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position.