Claremont Modified 100 – Claremont Speedway (NH) – 8/18/18
Last updated: August 20, 2018 at 9:02 am
(Updated throughout the day – Be sure to refresh this page frequently)
Ron Silk kept Les Hinckley and Todd Patnode at bay for the win at Claremont. (Speed51.com photo)
What Won the Race: A restart with 19 laps to go gave Ron Silk a long awaited chance to challenge Les Hinckley for the lead, which he did. Silk snagged the lead while Hinckley battled a tight racecar on the first laps of the restart. Hinckley’s car did come back in the final laps, as he hounded Silk with some bumper taps over the final three laps. But Silk was stout enough to hold on and claim the $5,000 check in his fourth win overall in 2018.
The Finish:
| 1 | 50S | Ron Silk | |
| 2 | 06 | Les Hinckley | |
| 3 | 24 | Todd Patnode | |
| 4 | 25 | Chase Dowling | |
| 5 | 88 | Russ Hersey | |
| 6 | 9 | Tommy Barrett | |
| 7 | 14 | Dana Smith | |
| 8 | 25NH | Brian Robie | |
| 9 | 3 | Jeff Murray | |
| 10 | 43 | Kirk Alexander | |
| 11 | 76 | Matt Galko | -1 |
| 12 | 71 | Josh Cantara | -1 |
| 13 | 176 | Dana DiMatteo | -8 |
| 14 | 60 | Matt Hirschman | -14 |
| 15 | 26 | Tyler Alati | -20 |
| 16 | 23 | Mike Douglas Jr. | -31 |
| 17 | 50 | Carl Medeiros Jr. | -82 |
The Skinny: After Hinckley marched to the front and seized control through the middle portion of the 100-lap feature, Ron Silk was able to settle into second, shadowing Hinckley over a long green flag run, and a threat of precipitation in the air.
A yellow flag with 81 laps complete was the opportunity for lead lap car to take their one fresh tire on a hot pit road. But confusion ensued when a late signal to open the pits saw Hinckley staying on track while most on the lead lap made pitstops, with Hinckley pitting one lap later. Further, there was some confusion with drivers on where to rejoin the track. The decision was then made by officials to line up all cars that pitted in the same order before the pits opened, with cars not pitting going to the front.
That handed the lead to Todd Patnode who had stayed out.
Trouble ensued on the first restart, with a stack up causing Matt Hirschman to be tapped from behind and spun by Chase Dowling, with the spin being called a racing incident.
Hinckley and Silk both made quick work of Patnode, and one lap later Silk made his inside move past Hinckley. In the end, Silk held his ground over Hinckley to claim the win, with Patnode holding off Dowling and Russ Hersey for third on old tires.
Winning Quote: “I thought Les and I were pretty equal. We were a little free towards the end, but that’s why we were able to get Les because he was a little tight after the restart. I figured whichever one of us got to the lead first would probably win and it worked out for us tonight.” – Ron Silk
On the Move: Hinckley’s charge to the front was the most impressive of the night, going from 15th to finish 2nd.
Biggest Loser: A promising start to night for polesitter Dana DiMatteo went away with DiMatteo finishing 13th and eight laps down.
Feature Notebook:
-Top five in each heat race drew for the top ten starting spots for the 100-lap feature. Dana DiMatteo got the draw for P1.
Pre-Feature Notebook:
-No practice issues for any of the Modifieds.
-Matt Hirschman and Ron Silk only ran early in the session before taking a rest.
-After running Thursday night in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Bristol Motor Speedway (TN), Chase Dowling is make his debut at Claremont.
-One driver change, Tyler Alati takes over the No. 26, replacing Bucky Demers who was originally entered.
-Contact with Russ Hersey sent Mike Douglas, Jr. spinning in their heat.
-A loose switch wire forced Les Hinckley to the pits during his heat. Team has it corrected.
Starting Lineup:
| 1 | 176 | Dana DiMatteo |
| 2 | 24 | Todd Patnode |
| 3 | 50S | Ron Silk |
| 4 | 60 | Matt Hirschman |
| 5 | 76 | Matt Galko |
| 6 | 26 | Tyler Alati |
| 7 | 14 | Dana Smith |
| 8 | 71 | Josh Cantara |
| 9 | 25 | Chase Dowling |
| 10 | 88 | Russ Hersey |
| 11 | 3 | Jeff Murray |
| 12 | 43 | Kirk Alexander |
| 13 | 25NH | Brian Robie |
| 14 | 50 | Carl Medeiros Jr. |
| 15 | 06 | Les Hinckley |
| 16 | 9 | Tommy Barrett |
| 17 | 23 | Mike Douglas Jr. |
Heat Race Results:
Heat One
| 1 | 25 | Chase Dowling |
| 2 | 60 | Matt Hirschman |
| 3 | 76 | Matt Galko |
| 4 | 88 | Russ Hersey |
| 5 | 14 | Dana Smith |
| 6 | 3 | Jeff Murray |
| 7 | 25NH | Brian Robie |
| 8 | 06 | Les Hinckley |
| 9 | 23 | Mike Douglas Jr. |
Heat Two
| 1 | 176 | Dana DiMatteo |
| 2 | 26 | Tyler Alati |
| 3 | 24 | Todd Patnode |
| 4 | 71 | Josh Cantara |
| 5 | 50 | Carl Medeiros Jr. |
| 6 | 43 | Kirk Alexander |
| 7 | 50S | Ron Silk |
| 8 | 9 | Tommy Barrett |
Heat Race Lineups:
Heat One
| 1 | 25 | Chase Dowling |
| 2 | 23 | Mike Douglas Jr. |
| 3 | 25NH | Brian Robie |
| 4 | 88 | Russ Hersey |
| 5 | 06 | Les Hinckley |
| 6 | 60 | Matt Hirschman |
| 7 | 76 | Matt Galko |
| 8 | 14 | Dana Smith |
| 9 | 3 | Jeff Murray |
Heat Two
| 1 | 9 | Tommy Barrett |
| 2 | 24 | Todd Patnode |
| 3 | 176 | Dana DiMatteo |
| 4 | 50 | Carl Medeiros Jr. |
| 5 | 71 | Josh Cantara |
| 6 | 50S | Ron Silk |
| 7 | 26 | Tyler Alati |
Car Count: 17 Tour-type Modifieds
Entry List:
| 06 | Les Hinckley |
| 3 | Jeff Murray |
| 9 | Tommy Barrett |
| 14 | Dana Smith |
| 23 | Mike Douglas Jr. |
| 24 | Todd Patnode |
| 25 | Chase Dowling |
| 25NH | Brian Robie |
| 26 | Tyler Alati |
| 43 | Kirk Alexander |
| 50 | Carl Medeiros Jr. |
| 50S | Ron Silk |
| 60 | Matt Hirschman |
| 71 | Josh Cantara |
| 76 | Matt Galko |
| 88 | Russ Hersey |
| 176 | Dana DiMatteo |
Qualifying Format: Heat races will set the lineup.
Event Schedule: Post time for heat racing is 6pm, with features immediately following. Order for heats and features is Super Streets, Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Wildcats.
Who to Watch For: Todd Patnode, Russ Hersey, and Dana Smith are among the local favorites. Matt Hirschman, Ron Silk, Chase Dowling, and Tommy Barrett lead the out-of-state drivers to town.
The Track: Claremont Speedway (1/3-mile flat oval); Claremont, NH
Weather: Cloudy, a little muggy, but remaining dry tonight.
Next Series Race: Claremont will host another 100-lap Modified race on September 8.
