Stafford’s Fall Final
The UIG crew services the No. 90 machine. Notably, the car came to pit road in 16th position - and rejoined the race in 12th. Howie Hodge photo.
This past weekend NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour made its fourth and final visit to Stafford Motor Speedway (Stafford Springs, CT) for the 38th annual Carquest Fall Final event.
For the No. 90 team, an uneventful practice session took place on Saturday morning; with time trials taking place later in the afternoon.
The team began race day by participating in the ‘Carquest Belts & Hoses Pit Party.’ Following the meet and greet – which took place on Stafford’s front stretch – the team prepared the car for pre-race inspection.
As scheduled, the green flag waved for the 150-lap WMT event at 3:15 PM. After an initial caution the race went green for about 30 laps. While running somewhere in the top-20 the team opted to stay out before taking fresh rubber. When the caution waved on lap 101, the team brought the car to pit road.
“The guys busted out a great stop, getting us back out on to the track sitting just outside the top-10
From that point on, the race never went green for more than seven laps, as several hard wrecks happened throughout the field. During the melees the No. 90 team both lost and gained positions but crossed the line in the 12th spot when the final caution of the day waved on lap 143. Unfortunately, the car crossed the line with significant damage. Following an extended red flag, the car finally returned to pit road for repairs. With all the damage to the right rear, the team had a difficult time getting the wheel off the car – losing a lap in the pits.
“In the end, it was probably a good thing we went down that lap in the pits. With the rear bent, that axle probably would have snapped – and our day would have been significantly worse. All considered (the rear end was bent – as were three wheels – and the front end was way out) – I guess the finish wasn’t horrible – nor was it an indication of how our day was shaping up.”
In the final rundown, the team was credited with a 14th place finish. For those who were unable to make it out to the track, the event will air on Tuesday, October 5 at 7 PM EST on Versus.
With a two week break – and lots of work to do to the car to get it race-ready – the team will next be in action on Sunday, October 16-17 for the season-ending race at Thompson International Speedway (Thompson, CT).
Dupuis Livid Following Late Race Contact at NHMS
NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour made its second of two stops at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 18 for the F.W. Webb 100.
Practice and qualifying took place on Thursday afternoon.
Renee finds some quiet time prior to the start of Saturday's race. Jim Clune photo.
For the WMT – which ran as a support race for NASCAR’s headlining Sprint Cup event – the green flag waved at 12:45 PM. SPEED coverage of the event aired at 1 PM, on a 15 minute tape delay.
Starting from her 19th place qualifying position in the 35-car field – Dupuis faded a bit before a lap-30 pit stop. Shortly thereafter, following a series of cautions, the team decided to pit again along with most of the field for fresh rubber.
With a much improved car, the No. 90 UNION Insurance Group Chevrolet began moving up in the field. With eight laps to go she was running in about the 15th position when, entering turn one, the No. 46 car (George Brunnhoelzl III) plowed into her left rear sending her into the outside wall. Returning to pit road the team worked feverishly on the car in an attempt to pick up any positions possible. In the end they were relegated to a 23rd place finish.
“I am absolutely livid,” began Dupuis in an expletive-laced explanation. “To get wrecked with eight laps left – running as maybe a top-15 car is absolutely ridiculous. I could see if we were fighting for a top-10 – but we weren’t doing anything spectacular out there; we weren’t going anywhere with eight laps left. George came over after the race with an apology. I shook his hand and told him I appreciated the apology but I didn’t hold back in explaining why I was so pissed. We were running in a pack of three cars – and if you look at the situation the spot was literally worth $25 in purse money and 3 points. That’s it. We got wrecked for $25 and 3
She continued ranting: “The apology is a small measure of satisfaction – but in the end I almost feel like I might as well [use his apology as toilet paper]. Neither his family nor his car owner is going to write a check to pay for the thousands of dollars in damages to my car. And, once we pay for the parts – I’m pretty sure they’re not coming to the shop to help fix the car. The sport doesn’t work that way – I certainly know that – I’m just trying to make a point. I look at racing with an understanding that [expletive] is going to happen out there – I just have zero tolerance when it’s utterly avoidable. To make matters worse – he went on to finish 13th – passing us in the points. Perfect. That just icing on the [expletive] cake!”
To put the day in perspective, following the race Renee was informed that a group in search of autographs was waiting for her at the back of the team’s hauler. When Renee walked out she quickly realized it was a Make-A-Wish family. Spending some time with Matthew and his family – who traveled from Texas to meet Jeff Gordon – really put her version of a bad day in perspective.
With a weekend off, the WMT will return to action on Sunday, October 3 at Stafford Motor Speedway for the annual Fall Final 150-lap event.
SPEED set to Broadcast NHMS race on Saturday at 1 PM
This week NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour moves to New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s ‘magic mile’ for the running of the F.W. Webb 100.
The green flag will wave on Saturday, September 18 at 12:45 PM, with the SPEED telecast of the race set to begin on a 15-minute delay at 1 PM.
The WMT will be followed by the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Saturday’s race card, with NASCAR’s headlining Sprint Cup Series kicking off their 10-race ‘Chase for the Cup’ on Sunday afternoon. For a complete NHMS schedule, please click here.