The nice and cozy New England summer season months appear to swimsuit Patrick Emerling.
All through his profession, Emerling has appeared to thrive when temperatures within the Northernmost states are at their warmest. The vast majority of his 12 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins have come after June 1, one thing that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Emerling.
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“Plainly we appear to have slightly bit extra success the final couple of years in the summertime,” Emerling acknowledged. “I do not suppose there’s a motive for that apart from issues sort of falling into the correct place for us and displaying up with quick race vehicles and with the ability to capitalize on it.”
This yr has been no completely different for the 33-year-old from Orchard Park, New York, who has been unbeatable for the final month on the Modified Tour.
ENTRY LIST: See who’s racing Wednesday at Thompson
Emerling has gained the final three collection occasions — at Claremont Motorsports Park, White Mountain Motorsports Park and Monadnock Speedway. That marks the 18th time a driver has gained at the least three consecutive occasions relationship again to the formation of the fashionable collection in 1985.
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The triumphs have catapulted him to the highest of the Modified Tour standings with six races left within the yr, however he enters Wednesday’s Thompson 150 offered by FloSports.com at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (8 p.m. ET on FloRacing) with an opportunity at historical past.
Ought to he win the Thompson 150, one thing he is performed every of the final two seasons, he’ll develop into simply the third driver in collection historical past to win 4 consecutive races. He would be part of a pair of legends — Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik — on that unique record.
Patrick Emerling driver of the #1 USNE Energy modified celebrates his win throughout the Thunder within the Mountains 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire on Saturday, July 19, 2026. (Chris Dehney/NASCAR Racing)
The prospect to share a mark with two of Modified racing’s best opponents isn’t one thing Emerling takes frivolously.
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“That is fairly surreal,” Emerling stated. “If that is one thing that we may do, particularly within the fashionable period, at the moment, that may be one thing actually particular for us as a crew.
“That might be completely unbelievable to get one other one.”
Emerling’s yr received off to a little bit of a gradual begin as he completed fourth, sixth, thirteenth and sixth within the first 4 races of the season. After the fourth race of the yr at Seekonk Speedway in Might, Emerling was 21 factors out of the championship lead, the furthest again he is been all yr.
Issues started to click on not lengthy after that.
Emerling earned a third-place end at Seekonk Speedway when the collection returned to the observe on July 1, however that was simply the beginning. Victories at Claremont, White Mountain and Monandock quickly adopted, and Emerling instantly went from 21 factors out of the championship lead on Might 16 to 16 factors forward.
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He credit the sudden energy surge to his USNE Motorsports crew, which is led by crew chief Dale Hedquist.
“Early on within the yr, we have been sort of looking slightly bit,” Emerling stated. “We weren’t operating to our normal the primary a part of the season. We simply stored on digging and we sort of received right into a rhythm. We went to a few tracks the place we thought we knew fairly nicely.
“Claremont, Dale gained there in 2022 with Jon McKennedy, the final Tour race. We knew we have been going to be good going into White Mountain and Monadnock. Earlier than that we have been sort of at some tracks that have been sort of a piece in progress for us. It is a mixture, however numerous it’s getting in our groove and discovering our rhythm.
“As soon as we received in our groove, we knew we have been going to be fairly good.”
Patrick Emerling within the #1 USNE Energy modified has the lead throughout the Thunder within the Mountains 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, New Hampshire on Saturday, July 19, 2026. (Chris Dehney/NASCAR Racing)
If Emerling can emerge because the winner of the Thompson 150 on Wednesday, then he’ll be one win away from the file books.
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The file for consecutive wins in Modified Tour competitors is 5, which was achieved by Evans in 1985 and Stefanik in 1997.
Emerling with a win Wednesday would have an opportunity to tie that mark at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Aug. 22. Emerling thinks, based mostly on previous runs at each tracks and his present scorching streak, he and the USNE Motorsports crew have an opportunity to make the group of two a bunch of three.
“Loudon is a observe that’s one in every of my finest tracks,” Emerling stated. “We have been actually, actually near profitable that one over time. It looks as if one thing would all the time occur. We had a very, actually good automotive there final yr. We have been main laps and operating within the high two.
“Sadly, we received wrecked at Loudon final yr. We’re actually trying ahead to that one as we predict now we have some unfinished enterprise there.”
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Earlier than he can get to New Hampshire for the Mohegan Solar 100, he should make it by Wednesday’s Thompson 150.
He began final one season in the past and nonetheless managed to search out Victory Lane throughout the annual midweek present at Thompson, so Emerling has pretty much as good a shot as anybody to search out his manner again to Victory Lane once more.
“It is attention-grabbing, the vehicles are all simply so shut collectively in velocity the place all it takes is observe circumstances on a given day to make one automotive corresponding to us higher than the competitors on a given day at a spot like Thompson,” Emerling stated. “You may go there with the identical setup at completely different occasions of the yr and it’ll race in another way and the race observe will really feel completely different.
“We’ve some actually good guys that we’re up towards. We’re all robust to beat, and all of us have numerous respect for one another I imagine. We’re simply going to race it out and see what occurs.”
