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Tag: Whelen Modified Series

  • Rachel Gilbert, 100 Year Old NASCAR Fan, Fulfills 100th Birthday Destiny at the Magic Mile

    First it was a party, cake and a fast lap around the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Rachel Gilbert drove the pace car.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]Now, for this race weekend, Gilbert has continued to fulfill her 100th birthday destiny by serving as grand marshal for the Whelen Modified Series race.

    Gilbert’s adventure started several months ago when her daughter emailed the race track, asking if any accommodations could be made for her mother’s 100th birthday, particularly as she could not sit in the grandstands comfortably.

    Jerry Gappens, New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s executive vice president and general manager, and his staff were intrigued by the request. Not only did they accommodate this family’s wish, but also helped Gilbert fulfill her NASCAR destiny, naming her the Speedway’s oldest fan.

    For her 100th celebration, Gappens provided a race car birthday cake at the track, an official LENOX Industrial Tools 301 hat, a NHMS jacket and a birthday card. The Speedway even made arrangements for her to take a few fast laps around the track.

    “Rachel is a true pace setter,” Gappens said. “We wanted to take the opportunity and celebrate this special occasion.

    But Gappens had even more in store for Gilbert. She also got an official crew shirt from her favorite driver Carl Edwards, as well as tickets to Sunday’s Cup race.

    “This all started from the email,” Marie Ann Mills, Gilbert’s daughter said. “It started by having her go around the track and then providing her with tickets to Sunday’s race.”

    “And I also got to drive the car,” Gilbert reminded her daughter. This was especially a treat for Gilbert as she gave up her car once she moved into an independent living facility for seniors.

    And celebrate she has. One of the biggest highlights for her has been serving as the Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series race and giving the command to start engines.

    Gilbert admitted she was slightly nervous prior to giving the command. But armed with a note that read “Drivers Start Your Engines” and surrounded by her family, she delivered the most famous words in motorsports beautifully.

    “I was nervous at the very beginning,” Gilbert said. “But it was a dream come true. This was great.”

    “That was unbelievable,” Gilbert’s daughter shared. “We were so proud of her.”

    Gilbert is a true NASCAR fan and has been for many years, starting in the 1960s when she followed her husband and some of their friends to races at Bryar Motorsports Park in Loudon, New Hampshire. She has also attended the Daytona 500, where she saw legends like Richard Petty and Bobby Allison race.

    Since that time, Gilbert has been hooked, never missing a race on television according to her family. In fact, residents of the facility where she lives have affectionately nicknamed her “Speedy” because of her affection for the sport.

    “I’ve been a fan for so long,” Gilbert said. “I have friends that we would go to the races with and we kept it up every year.”

    Gilbert’s favorite driver during that period of her life was Dale Earnhardt, Sr. She still struggles when she talks about him and cannot believe he has been gone that long.

    Not only has Gilbert been a race fan forever, but she also has a few other secrets to her achieving her centennial birthday. What are her keys to her longevity?

    “Good exercise,” Gilbert said simply. “That and a good gin and tonic when I go out.”

    Gilbert’s other key to her success has been her family, their love as well as their support of her NASCAR dream.

    “She always has a smile on her face,” Gilbert’s daughter shared. “If I could be half the woman that she is, I will be a hell of a woman.”

  • Ryan Newman Works Magic for Third Consecutive Whelen Modified Series Win

    Ryan Newman worked his magic at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway by winning his third consecutive Whelen Modified race. And Newman did so in style, taking the No. 7 Aggressive Hydraulics/Menards Chevrolet from the pole position to victory lane in the F.W. Webb 100.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”213″][/media-credit]This was Newman’s 8th career Modified Series start and his 4th career win. Three of those victories have come consecutively at the New Hampshire track known as the ‘Magic Mile.’

    “We had a really good car today and I’m proud of this team,” Newman said, holding his daughter in Victory Lane. “We didn’t know what was going to happen if a yellow came out. But it all worked out.”

    “I didn’t really know what to expect with the race and how it was going to unfold,” Newman said. “Typically we have multiple cautions here.”

    “Our car was really loose and I really had to manage the steering wheel,” Newman continued. “It seemed like the track wasn’t like it was in practice and we struggled a little bit with that part.”

    “We were the tightest of the loose guys and that was all it took,” Newman said. “We had a lot of fun.”

    Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion, Newman’s team owner and crew chief, echoed his driver’s thoughts on the historic win.

    “It’s really special,” Manion said. “We won here as a team in the early 90’s and as a kid to come up and race with the Cup guys was really cool.”

    “So, to come back here and learning the aspects of owning a car, it’s really special.”

    Newman and Bono both reiterated their desire to see more Cup and Whelen Modified race combination dates, naming Richmond, Phoenix and Martinsville as just a few possibilities.

    “The one mile tracks for sure fit this car,” Manion said. “I think Richmond would be an incredible Modified track. This is a great Series and they put on a great race.”

    “We just like it when it’s convenient,” Newman said. “And at the same time, it’s good for NASCAR Whelen Modified Racing to have quite a few people sitting in the grandstands. So, it works out good.”

    Runner up Todd Szegedy, driver of the No. 2 Wisk Detergent/A&J Romano Construction Ford, secured his fourth top-five finish in six races of the 2011 season.

    “Second to me was kind of a win,” Szegedy said. “We beat all the regulars.”

    “We’ve had some bad luck here for the last three or four races so this was definitely a good run,” Szegedy continued. “We had a great car.”

    “At the end, I went into fuel conservation mode, so I started backing out of it a little bit,” Szegedy said. “I could run up on Ryan a little bit but I’d get free off so I never could make a good move on him.”

    “Ryan made it interesting,” Szegedy continued. “So, good for him anyways.”

    “I think we’ve got some work to do,” Szegedy said. “We’ve got to drive the track different and set the car up different. He’s not unbeatable. We’ll just have to work harder.”

    Ron Silk, driver of the No. 6 T.S. Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet, scored the third position. This was Silk’s fourth podium finish in six races this year.

    “I was surprised how long it went green,” Silk said. “All my guys did a great job all weekend and we made about a thousand adjustments since we got here.”

    “I got a little bit close to Newman on the last lap but I just got up in the loose stuff,” Silk continued. “And once you get up there, you just can’t get out.”

    Matt Hirschman, driving the No. 3 Cape Cod Copper/Riverview Chevrolet, finished fourth. And Doug Coby, behind the wheel of the No. 52 Reynolds Auto Wrecking Chevrolet, rounded out the top five.