THOMPSON, Conn. — A radio malfunction left Eddie Flemke, Jr. to make his own decision whether to pit under a critical mid-race caution in Sunday’s Icebreaker at Thompson Int’l Speedway, the opener of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.
Casting an experienced eye at the dark clouds advancing toward the track, he stayed out as leaders Todd Szegegy and Tony Ferrante, Jr. peeled off to pit for tires.
Only one more lap of green flag racing would be completed before the drizzle arrived while the field was under another caution, and when the red flag was displayed after 92 of the scheduled 150 laps, it was just a matter of waiting for the official announcement to make Flemke a winner for the first time since 2004.
Flemke’s victory was his 17th on the Tour and his fourth at Thompson, where his last victory was also scored. It was the first Tour win, however, for car owner Gary Teto.
“They were ready for me to pit but the car was too good,” he said of the decision to stay out on lap 70. “I could see the weather coming. We’ve lost too many races that way. We pit and have it rain. I wasn’t going to pit until I spun it out.”
Chuck Hossfeld followed Flemke’s strategy and was credited with second. Matt Hirschman ran third as the rain began to fall, but cut a tire under caution and finished 16th. That left the rest of the lap 70 no-pit brigade — pole starter Bobby Grigas, Joe Hartmann and rookie Tom Abele — to finish third through fifth.
The finish:
Ed Flemke, Jr., Chuck Hossfeld, Bobby Grigas III, Joe Hartmann, Tom Abele, Jr., James Civali, Todd Szegedy, Reggie Ruggiero, Rowan Pennink, Ted Christopher, Anthony Sesely, Jimmy Blewett, Charles Pasteryak, Glenn Tyler, Ken Heagy, Matt Hirschman, Renee Dupuis, Billy Pauch, Jr., Ryan Preece, Carl Pasteryak, Ronnie Silk, Wade Cole, Jake Marosz, Sean Patterson, Kevin Goodale, Richard Savary, Glen Reen, Eric Beers, Erick Rudolph, Tony Ferrante, Jr., Eric Berndt, Rick Fuller, Mike Stefanik, Danny Sammons, Bobby Santos, J.R. Bertuccio, Jim Storace, Jamie Tomaino, Gary McDonald.