Renee chats with Ralph Sheheen - Versus' pit road reporter. Hodge photo.

On Friday, NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour competed at Stafford Motor Speedway (Stafford Springs, CT) for the 20th annual Town Fair Tire 150. Friday’s race marked the third of four visits to the .5-mile speedway during the 2010 season.

As customary, the teams in attendance began the day with a 90-minute practice session, followed by qualifying.

Following the WMT’s standard autograph session on Stafford’s midway, the green flag waved at about 9:40 PM.

The UNION Insurance Group Chevrolet started deep in the field, but steadily worked forward. When the first caution waved on lap 48, the team pitted for fresh rubber along with most of the field. The race resumed on lap 57, but was followed by a string of cautions – during which the team was awarded the Lucky Dog pass. During one of several cautions the team decided to pit for chassis adjustments. By about the lap 100 mark, the team restarted in a race-high of 11^th place. When the checkered flag fell 50 laps later, Renee crossed the line in 13^th. With the finish, the team remains 17^th in points.

“The guys did a great job in the pits and after the stops, the car was much better. It’s probably the best we’ve run at Stafford all season. But, I think that’s more a reflection on getting our brake situation finally solved,” offered Renee. I’m glad we’re leaving here in one piece – it’ll make this week a little easier.”

For those who weren’t able to make it out to the track, the Stafford race will be televised on Wednesday, August 11 at 7 PM ET on Versus.

As Renee alluded to, the team faces another tight turn around as they head to Thompson International Speedway (Thompson, CT) on Thursday, August 12 for another 150-lap feature. The Thompson event marks the third of four races in a span of 18 days.

“I’m looking forward to Thompson. It’s my favorite track and we ran really well in this race a year ago.”