Trevor Catalano had delicate expectations for the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
At simply 17, he was embarking upon his first full season inside NASCAR‘s oldest division, joined by his older brothers Tommy and Tyler because the Catalano Motorsports workforce took on the problem of fielding three full-time entries.
“To be sincere with you, I considered simply form of ready a yr and never doing the tour this yr simply so we may form of get again into the groove of working multiple automotive,” Trevor Catalano mentioned. “We obtained right down to the science of working one automotive and being extra in step with Tommy the final three years.
“We had been simply making an attempt to get our ft moist and have a stable rookie yr.”
The driving force from Ontario, New York far exceeded his personal expectations.
He gained a race at New Hampshire‘s Monadnock Speedway and posted three top-five and 4 top-10 finishes on his method to eighth within the last championship standings.
On account of his stable season, Catalano was named the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Sunoco Rookie of the Yr.
“I needed to return in and be a top-15 automotive,” he mentioned. “I needed to run in between that high 10 and high 15 space, possibly sneak into the highest 10 each from time to time. That was my purpose coming in; simply get laps and determine how this complete tour factor rolls and form of get constant.
“I believe we exceeded lots. We had pace at nearly each single race we confirmed as much as (so we may) run inside the highest 10. I believe that‘s wonderful. Yeah, we blew a pair motors, and I made many errors all year long and put us behind the sport.
“However that was a part of the educational. Attempting to get higher and never make as many errors.”
The season was a little bit of a whirlwind for Catalano, who began the yr in February at New Smyrna Speedway with a fifth-place end. He backed that up by racing with the leaders and ending third within the second race of the yr at Richmond Raceway in March.
Catalano instantly discovered himself close to the highest of the Modified Tour standings with drivers like defending sequence champion Ron Silk and multi-time champion Justin Bonsignore.
“The fifth place at New Smyrna, we had been comfortable. We had been up late hanging out laughing. That was superior,” Catalano mentioned. “After that, we mentioned, ‘OK, let‘s regroup for Richmond. Let‘s attempt to be constant right here. A high 15 can be wonderful.‘
“Then we had been like ninth in apply. I used to be like, ‘Oh, we have now a very good automotive right here.‘ We drove as much as third throughout a long term, ran the leaders down. I used to be like, ‘Man, this factor is de facto good.‘
“I tousled on one of many restarts and obtained into Justin (Bonsignore) slightly bit after which obtained sideways. I tousled the automotive, however we nonetheless completed third. That was large.”
After Richmond, although, Catalano skilled a little bit of a drought. An engine concern at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park relegated him to a Nineteenth-place end, which he adopted with a Seventeenth-place effort at Monadnock and a Twenty fourth-place run at Riverhead Raceway following suspension issues.
These outcomes may have snapped Catalano again to actuality, however all they did was encourage him.
Quick-forward to July 20 at Monadnock and the Duel on the Canine 250. Using a daring technique name, Trevor held off Silk to seize his first Modified Tour victory and the primary for the Catalano Motorsports workforce.
The gamble, which noticed Catalano keep on observe when a lot of the leaders hit the pits for a recent tire throughout a warning with 71 laps left, was a superbly timed strategic masterpiece. He took the lead on Lap 195 and led the ultimate 56 en path to the victory.
“We obtained like 100 laps into the race and the automotive was actually good, however I used to be struggling to move folks,” he mentioned. “We got here in throughout the warning (on Lap 131), and we mentioned we‘re going to pit proper now and we‘re not pitting once more. Then all people went to go pit the second warning, and I mentioned (on the radio), ‘Are you positive dad?‘ He mentioned, ‘Yep, we‘re sticking with it. We‘re staying out, and we‘re going to gamble.‘”
Silk crammed Catalano’s mirror all through a lot of the last run. The rookie one way or the other discovered a method to hold the reigning champion behind him, a feat that even now appears unbelievable.
“Fifty to go, and Ron Silk is as much as third and Justin is fourth after which they each get to second and third and all you’ll be able to assume is, ‘Yup, that is over.‘ You‘ve obtained two champions behind you, and also you‘re not going to have the ability to maintain them each off. That‘s all I may take into consideration.
“Mother was on the radio and simply stored telling me, ‘Simply don‘t mess up, and also you‘ll be fantastic. Simply don‘t miss your marks.‘ It was superior. To have my mother recognizing and my dad crew chiefing … it was actually superior to have the primary win include mother on the radio.”
Trevor joins a powerful checklist of drivers to win the Modified Tour Sunoco Rookie of the Yr Award.
They embrace males like four-time sequence champion Bonsignore, two-time champion Donny Lia, 2003 sequence champion Todd Szegedy and different acquainted names like Eric Goodale, Patrick Emerling, Timmy Solomito, Chase Dowling, Jake Johnson, Austin Beers and Catalano’s older brother, Tommy.
“After we gained the Rookie of the Yr with Tommy, that was form of one of many issues I put aside and mentioned, ‘I wish to win the Rookie of the Yr,‘” mentioned Trevor, now 18. “You‘ve obtained to start out someplace, and I really feel like that‘s a very good beginning spot.
“You simply add your title to an superior checklist. Hopefully we will attempt to go win someplace and possibly attempt to win a championship earlier than we‘re achieved.”
