SEEKONK, Mass. — It had been practically 4 years — 1,387 days to be precise — since Jon McKennedy final received a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race.
That win, which got here at Claremont Motorsports Park, was the one triumph of McKennedy‘s 2022 championship season that additionally doubled as his most up-to-date full season with the sequence.
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McKennedy’s winless drought formally ended on Saturday evening when he stormed previous Stephen Kopcik on the surface to win the J&R Precast 150 at Seekonk Speedway.
“We simply had a extremely good automobile to be sincere,” McKennedy stated. “Because the race went on it appeared like the highest received higher and my automobile was positively higher on prime.”
Beginning sixth after the redraw, McKennedy methodically labored his approach to the entrance in barnburner of a race that took simply 38 minutes and 49 seconds to finish.
McKennedy was operating second when the second and closing warning flag of the race waved for a spin by Trevor Catalano on Lap 92. When the race resumed McKennedy hounded Kopcik on the underside earlier than shifting gears and going to the highest.
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The highest lane was precisely what the physician ordered for McKennedy, who powered previous Kopcik on the surface on Lap 129 after a multi-lap struggle.
in the course of the J&R Precast 150 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Seekonk Speedway on Could 16, 2026 in Seekonk, Massachusetts. (Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)
“Once I ran the underside, I used to be too free in and at instances it was a handful,” McKennedy stated. “I might Stephen there on the finish, it appeared like he was getting actual tight. A couple of instances I attempted to love work the surface and sneak underneath him and provides him just a little trick there, however he was ok to know what I used to be doing.
“I used to be lastly in a position to simply maintain rolling the highest and as soon as I received a wheel on him, he gave me all of the room I wanted.”
Kopcik, who was trying to develop into the primary driver in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour historical past to win his first three sequence occasions in consecutive races, led a race-high 81 laps however needed to accept second.
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Regardless of the runner-up end result, Kopcik was in a position to pad his Modified Tour championship lead. He now holds an 11-point benefit on reigning champion Austin Beers by 4 occasions.
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“We had been fairly good. Began possibly just a little too tight,” Kopcik stated. “That is all new to us, racing on this tire on a bullring observe like this. All in all, couldn‘t be happier with our efficiency. Three in a row actually would have been one thing, however Jon simply turned the center just a little higher than me.
“In the direction of the tip of the run there that‘s what it comes all the way down to. It‘s a superb line between being too free and nonetheless with the ability to flip the center.”
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Chase Dowling got here from tenth to complete third and Austin Beers overcame an early spin to complete fourth and maintain his now 34-race prime 10 streak alive.
Tommy Catalano, Patrick Emerling, Teddy Hodgdon, Jayden Harman, Doug Coby and Andrew Molleur had been fifth by tenth, respectively.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to motion in two weeks with the operating of the Miller Lite Salutes Don Howe 200 at Riverhead Raceway on Saturday, Could 30. The motion will get underway dwell at 8 p.m. ET solely on FloRacing.
