NASCAR Modified Tour races Wednesday at Seekonk

A mid-week show awaits the stars and cars of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour as Seekonk Speedway welcomes back the series for the running of the Firecracker 150 presented by the Bethesda Leadership Group (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET on FloRacing and the NASCAR Channel).

The Modified Tour’s second Seekonk race of the season doubles as the opening salvo of the Whelen Midsummer Championship. The three-race miniseries, featuring events at Seekonk, Claremont Motorsports Park and Monadnock Speedway, offers a bonus program for competing teams totaling $25,000.

Wednesday’s race marks the Tour’s 15th visit to Seekonk and the second of the season. Jon McKennedy captured the most recent Tour event held at the facility in May. He’s one of 11 drivers to earn Tour wins at the track, a list that also includes Matt Hirschman, Doug Coby, Justin Bonsignore, Reggie Ruggiero and Jerry Marquis, among others.

Tickets to Wednesday’s Firecracker 150 presented by the Bethesda Leadership Group are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the seventh race of the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

The Firecracker 150

A well-known fact: Race-car drivers love racing for extra money.

Starting Wednesday at Seekonk Speedway, the stars of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will get to do just that.

Thanks to JDV Productions and Whelen Engineering, an extra $25,000 will be available to teams as part of the inaugural Whelen Midsummer Championship. The three-race miniseries, which features Wednesday’s event at Seekonk as well as the races at Claremont Motorsports Park (July 10) and Monadnock Speedway (July 25), is the spiritual successor to JDV’s Whelen Short Track Cup.

The champion of the Whelen Midsummer Championship will be determined by the points each driver scores during the three-race miniseries. The champion will pocket $5,000 from the $25,000 purse. Should any driver win all three races as part of the Whelen Midsummer Challenge, he’ll earn an extra $10,000.

Based on recent performance, the favorite for the Whelen Midsummer Challenge is undoubtably Jon McKennedy. The 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion has won two of the last three races on the schedule, including the most recent Seekonk race in May.

Another likely contender is championship leader Stephen Kopcik, who led a race-high 81 laps in May at Seekonk before fading to second at the finish. He holds an eight-point edge in the series standings on another likely contender for Wednesday, defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Austin Beers. Though he has yet to win this year, Beers has an average finish of sixth, better than any driver so far this season.

Doug Coby, a six-time Modified Tour champion, is scheduled to make his third start of the season Wednesday in the No. 28 for Jett Motorsports. He finished ninth in the most recent Seekonk event, his first top-10 with Jett Motorsports. Matt Hirschman, the only three-time series winner at Seekonk, is also entered and should be considered among the contenders Wednesday.

Other notable entrants include Patrick Emerling, Trevor Catalano, Tyler Rypkema, Tommy Catalano, Eric Goodale, Chase Dowling and Paulie Hartwig III, among others.

Race details

Race procedures

SCHEDULE: Wednesday, July 1: Practice from 3 – 3:30 p.m. ET … Final practice from 3:40 to 4:10 p.m. ET … American Racer Pole Award qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET … Start of the Firecracker 150 presented by the Bethesda Leadership Group at 8 p.m. ET (150 Laps / 49.95 Miles)

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Firecracker 150 presented by the Bethesda Leadership Group is limited to 28 starters including Provisional Positions.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by NASCAR Officials, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice tires during the event. The tire change rule is zero (0) tires, any position for this event.

RE-DRAW PROCEDURE: The fastest qualifier will spin the wheel to determine the number of drivers that will re-draw for their starting positions: 4, 6, 8 or 10 positions will re-draw. Once the fastest qualifier spins the wheel, NASCAR will have the various buckets ready to immediately start the re-draw procedure. Driver will re-draw in their qualifying order after qualifying has been completed (1 through 10, or however many are applicable). The pole position and/or any bonus point(s), if applicable, will be awarded to the fastest qualifier and will be the pole of record. If, due to adverse conditions, qualifying is canceled, the field will be set in accordance with the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Rule Book. The re-draw procedure will still take place regardless of how the field is set.

Entry list

Standings

Stephen Kopcik
Austin Beers -8
Jon McKennedy -9
Patrick Emerling -12
Eric Goodale -30
Tyler Rypkema -36
Tommy Catalano -39