Craig Lutz survives Modified Tour chaos to win Wilkesboro

As chaos enveloped Sunday’s FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, all Craig Lutz had to do was be patient.

Each on-track accident eliminated one potential contender after another, all while Lutz inched closer to the front of the field. By the time the race reached its closing laps, the only obstacle standing in the way of a victory for Lutz was the iconic 7NY piloted by Luke Baldwin.

Lutz and Baldwin battled intensely during the final laps for an opportunity to take the famed elevator ride up to North Wilkesboro’s Victory Lane. Lutz prevailed over the young Baldwin, earning a long-overdue NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory he considers one of the most prestigious of his career.

“I don’t know what to feel,” Lutz said. “This series is so tough, and you don’t know when the next one is. There’s so many good cars, [so] you need a lot of good luck to go your way. It damn sure did today.”

Prior to North Wilkesboro, Lutz’s most recent Modified Tour triumph came Aug. 17, 2022, when he parked Danny Watts Jr.’s No. 82 in Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s Victory Lane.

To break a winless drought approaching three years in duration, Lutz on Sunday had to come from the 17th starting position in the No. 46 owned by Russell Goodale, a car that guided him to his first three Modified Tour checkered flags from 2019-20.

With how competitive the field was at North Wilkesboro, Lutz knew it would take a combination of strategy and good fortune to obtain solid track position. The onslaught of yellow flags played into Lutz’s gameplan, as he had successfully worked his way inside the top 10 at the halfway point.

Luck then favored Lutz during the second half. He narrowly avoided the spinning car of Trevor Catalano in Turn 1 before catching another big break during the massive restart crash with 58 laps remaining that collected Justin Bonsignore, Matt Hirschman and Corey LaJoie, among others.

The only damage Lutz sustained in the incident came when he hit Tyler Rypekma’s rear bumper in the ensuing stack-up. With his car still relatively intact, Lutz went on the offensive by easily dispatching Stephen Kopcik and Austin Beers to take his first lead of the afternoon at Lap 103.

Lutz’s only moments of reprieve came during the caution flags as he figured out how to hold off Baldwin on the restarts. The final sprint to the finish saw the two exchange contact on several occasions, but Lutz gained the upper hand over Baldwin with seven laps remaining by slightly nudging the No. 7NY in Turn 3, allowing him to pull away.

“That was wild,” Lutz said. “You never feel like you get a big enough jump on a restart. Luke did a hell of a job getting to me on the inside. He’s got a very bright future as we’ve seen the last couple of races. We were a little bit better and didn’t want to give that one up.”

Lutz’s charge was the deepest starting position for a Modified Tour winner since Patrick Emerling won at Stafford Speedway in 2021 after starting 23^rd. Just like at Stafford that evening, Lutz needed to capitalize on the copious yellow flags to give himself an ideal opportunity to pursue a victory.

The increased notoriety Sunday’s FaithFest Evangelistic Ministries 150 received because of the NASCAR All-Star Race was not lost on Lutz. Having so many prominent individuals at North Wilkesboro only fueled his motivation to put together a stalwart performance and finally enjoy being a Modified Tour winner again.

Lutz had to endure a chaotic afternoon, but his patience was rewarded with a checkered flag at one of the southeast’s most cherished tracks.

“This race is probably the biggest one for us this season with NASCAR here [for the All-Star Race],” Lutz said. “To win this one is so amazing. It still doesn’t feel like it just happened, but it really did.

“I was supposed to work tomorrow, but I don’t think I am.”

Bonsignore rebounded from the restart crash to salvage a strong points day with a third-place finish. Jacob Lutz and Beers rounded out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 comprised of Kopcik, Tommy Catalano, Joey Braun, Jeremy Gerstner and Luke Fleming.

Seekonk Speedway is the next venue on the schedule for the Modified Tour on May 31. The J&R Precast 150 commences at 8 p.m. ET, with FloRacing set to provide coverage of all the on-track action.