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June 6, 2019
Happy Homecoming: Ryan Preece Wins SK Modified Feature In Return To Thompson Speedway A www.racedayct.com article THOMPSON – Last October Cathy Moniz thought she had seen Ryan Preece drive his last race at Thompson Speedway for the SK Modified team owned by her and her husband Albert. Since it was announced last September that Preece would drive the JTG Daughtery No. 47 car in the Monster Energy Cup Series in 2019, the Berlin driver had Wednesday’s event at Thompson Speedway on his calendar for the perfect moonlighting return to Thompson Speedway. But surely nobody thought Preece could return to Thompson with the Whelen Modified Tour and not want to get back into his old SK Modified which he had so much success in with the Moniz family. Preece did get back in that SK Modified Wednesday and he gave the Moniz family one more win to celebrate. Preece passed Max McLaughlin for the lead on lap 27 and went on to win the 30-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature at Thompson Wednesday. McLaughlin held on to finish second and Keith Rocco was third. Preece began driving for the Moniz family in 2011. Wednesday was his 31stSK Modified victory at Thompson in the Moniz owned No. 31 car. Preece also won SK Modified championships for the Moniz family in 2012 and 2014. “Big thank you to Albert and Cathy [Moniz] for getting the car ready,” Preece said. McLaughlin, the son of former Modified standout Mike McLaughlin and a regular on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, was making his first start at Thompson and his first start in an asphalt Modified. Max McLaughlin rocketed from ninth toward the front and took the lead from Troy Talman on lap 14. Preece followed Max McLaughlin into second and then hounded McLaughlin’s bumper. Preece methodically made move after move under Max McLaughlin in turns one and two before getting the advantage off of turn two on lap 27. Preece came off of turn four in the side-by-side battle in the front. He cleared Max McLaughlin off of turn two on lap 28. “We got really loose really early,” Preece said. “I started searching for grip and I found some on the bottom and made it work.” Said Max McLaughlin: “Just lack of experience on my end probably cost me that race. He’s probably the best in all of Modified racing. He just schooled me a little bit.” |
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