By Jason Cunningham

THOMPSON, CT -August 14, 2008- For the second time this season NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Ronnie Silk reached Victory Lane at Thompson International Speedway. Silk led 35 laps en route to the checkered flag Thursday night in the New England Dodge Dealers 150 presented by Budweiser.

For Silk, the win brought his career total to three, all at Thompson. The Norwalk, Conn., driver was a winner at the northern Connecticut oval earlier this season on June 19.

“Our car is just great here, that’s for sure,” Silk said. “We’ve had good cars other places as well. Spencer we were second, Riverhead we were second. The breaks go our way here.”

With the win, Silk moved up to sixth in the season points standings, his highest ranking of the year.

Matt Hirschman, who led nine laps on the evening, came home second for his best career finish at Thompson. Bobby Santos, Ted Christopher and Mike Stefanik rounded out the top five.

Glen Reen came home sixth and was followed in the top 10 by Rowan Pennink, Danny Sammons, Jamie Tomaino and Bobby Grigas III.

The starting grid for the race was set by the NASCAR rule book as rain washed out qualifying earlier in the evening.

Chuck Hossfeld, who finished 16th in the race, maintains a 41-point lead over Ted Christopher in the season standings.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will move on to Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park next week for the Whelen 150 on Saturday, Aug. 23. Ticket information for a doubleheader of racing action that will also include the NASCAR Camping World Series East can be found by visiting Mansfield’s official Web site (mansfieldmotorsportsonline.com).

RESULTS

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-New England Dodge Dealers 150 Results
Thursday
At Thompson International Speedway
Thompson, CT
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (9) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 154 laps, 63.765 mph, $7,800.
2. (4) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 154, $3,400.
3. (21) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 154, $3,150.
4. (2) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 154, $2,600.
5. (6) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 154, $2,300.
6. (18) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 154, $2,250.
7. (11) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 154, $1,850.
8. (20) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 154, $1,725.
9. (23) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 154, $1,600.
10. (19) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 154, $1,550.
11. (27) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 154, $1,725.
12. (25) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, Conn., Chevrolet, 154, $1,488.
13. (24) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Dodge, 154, $1,475.
14. (28) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 154, $1,450.
15. (31) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Chevrolet, 154, $1,036.
16. (1) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 154, $1,500.
17. (15) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 148, $1,375.
18. (13) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 145, accident, $1,350.
19. (16) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 132, $1,325.
20. (3) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 132, $1,400.
21. (33) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 130, accident, $875.
22. (26) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 125, accident, $850.
23. (22) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., 117, $825.
24. (10) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 115, $1,300.
25. (8) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 114, battery, $1,290.
26. (7) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 114, $1,250.
27. (14) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 98, $1,150.
28. (30) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 87, accident, $750.
29. (17) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 87, accident, $1,150.
30. (29) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Ford, 81, accident, $750.
31. (32) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 72, suspension, $750.
32. (5) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 67, axle, $1,250.
33. (12) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 3, accident, $1,150.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 30 minutes 34 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.397 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: F.set per rule book, rain ( mph, seconds)
Caution Flags: 13 for 66 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C.Hossfeld 1; T.Szegedy 2-48; T.Christopher 49-79; B.Grigas,III 80-96; M.Hirschman 97; B.Grigas,III 98-111; M.Hirschman 112-115; R.Silk 116-138; M.Hirschman 139-142; R.Silk 143-154.

Standings: 1. C.Hossfeld, 1365; 2. T.Christopher, 1324; 3. M.Hirschman, 1268; 4. M.Stefanik, 1236; 5. T.Szegedy, 1235; 6. R.Silk, 1183; 7. E.Beers, 1153; 8. E.Flemke,Jr., 1138; 9. R.Pennink, 1100; 10. J.Blewett, 1099

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