We rolled into Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire, on July 25th for our latest Tour Modified start of the 2026 season.
After White Mountain and the overall speed we showed, we were excited to head to Monadnock and see what we could do. Unfortunately, during the week we found something we didn’t like with our engine, so we swapped it out and put in last year’s motor.
The goal was to continue building our notebook, have a stable car, and keep working as a driver by running in the middle to front of the pack so we could determine what we need to beat the fast guys. We started practice with a balance that wasn’t what we wanted. The car was very tight on entry, and I wasn’t happy with how it handled. We made a few changes during the first practice, but the car wasn’t responding the way we expected, and I knew we needed to make a bigger adjustment.
For the second practice, we found a few things and got the car much better. As a smaller-budget team, it’s always tougher to gauge exactly how much we improve because we don’t always have new tires to throw on and see what kind of lap time we can run. However, we got faster on older tires, and I finally felt like I had a car I could work with and actually drive. This also helped me narrow in on the next changes we needed to make the car even better.
We continued making adjustments for the heat race, and I was excited to see how the car would perform on new tires. We started third and had some hard chargers lined up behind us. I spent most of the heat race side-by-side, battling to hold third while also looking for an opportunity to move into second. Just after halfway, I had my best chance to get to second, but unfortunately the fourth-place car saw an opportunity as well and made it three-wide on the outside. I thought better of it, knowing the top four were headed to the redraw, and settled in. I was able to stay glued to their bumpers, save my tires, maintain a redraw position, and hold off fifth place.
We kept gaining throughout the race, and with every run we made the car better. The heat race was the best the car had been all day, and I really only needed a few small adjustments for the feature. Finishing fourth in the heat put us into the redraw, but unfortunately the redraw wasn’t very kind to us. We ended up drawing 11th, but if the field had started straight up, I would have been 10th, so in the end it wasn’t a major setback.
Starting mid-pack, the plan was to ride for a good portion of the race, move forward when opportunities presented themselves, and let the race play out. Right from the start, I felt very good. The car was the best it had been all day and seemed really competitive. We stayed right with the pack and worked our way from 12th up to eighth while remaining in the fight.
Unfortunately, after a restart and while riding early in the race, it felt like the engine started to lose power. I elected to pit and check it out. We didn’t find anything obvious, so I went back out, and the plan shifted to logging laps, saving what we had, letting those guys burn up their equipment, and being ready to go at the end.
Unfortunately, a driver who is known for being overly aggressive decided he didn’t want to stay in line with the group of cars ahead of him and drove through us, spinning us out. When we spun, I saw water and the gauges weren’t reading where I wanted them to be. We decided it was best to park the car and head back to the shop to fix it properly.
A Note from the Shop
Fortunately, we didn’t find any major damage. Instead, we found a number of small issues that added up and contributed to the problems we experienced throughout the night. We’re currently cleaning up the motor, getting the correct gaskets, and putting everything back together. The motor should be ready to go before we know it.
Looking back on the night, it wasn’t the finish we wanted, but Dad and I can still focus on the bigger picture. We showed up with an older motor, old tires, and a car that wasn’t very good at the start of the day, yet we were able to dial it in and make it genuinely racey. A few years ago, I’m not sure we would have been able to make those adjustments and get to that point. Because of that, I’m happy with our progress and really looking forward to the upcoming races.
None of this would be possible without the endless support of my mom and dad. I’d also like to thank all of the guys who come help every weekend: Timmy, Ian, Nick, David, and Robert, who we missed on Saturday.
A huge thank you also goes out to the marketing partners who help make this all possible: NH Undercoating, P1 Web Development, Reed Property Services, and West Street Auto Bodies.
As for us, the next race is still to be determined. We were hoping to race this Saturday at Star Speedway, but with the motor currently apart, we’re on pause for that event. Stay tuned to our social media channels, as we’ll announce our next race plans soon.
